The William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ) is seeking papers for its upcoming conference commemorating the centennial of the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike. The conference, to be held on the WPUNJ campus on Monday, May 20, 2013, will take a multidisciplinary approach to the history and multiple legacies of the silk strike.
Our morning plenary speaker will be Professor Steve Golin, author of “The Fragile Bridge: Paterson Silk Strike, 1913.”
Potential themes for papers include but are not limited to: economic and industrial change, the silk industry in New Jersey, labor history and activism, immigrant experiences and cultures, women and the strike, socialism and political radicalism, the Industrial Workers of the World and other union organizations, strategies and tactics in the strike, urban politics in early twentieth century New Jersey, the mill owners and their policies, the role of the police, media and cultural representations of the strike, the Paterson Strike Pageant, varieties of solidarity, and the aftermath of the strike.
We encourage papers from established academics, early career scholars, independent scholars, graduate students, and activists.
Proposals are invited for single papers or panels. For a single paper please submit up to 250 words along with a short biographical note, your organization (if any) and contact details.
Prospective panel organizers should submit up to 500 words along with a short biographical note and contact details for each speaker.
All proposals should include a working title and a brief description of the topic to be discussed, including a clear statement as to the central thesis of the paper or panel. The deadline for the submission of proposals is March 1, 2013. Proposals, or questions relating to them, should be sent to the following email address: kearneyr@wpunj.edu. We will inform selected presenters by mid-March, 2013.
