Organizers of the 2016 Midwest Labor and Working-Class History Colloquium (MLWCH) are soliciting papers of approximately 10 to 25 pages, from any discipline, broadly related to themes in labor history and working class studies. CFP Deadline: February 5, 2016.
The conference is on June 10, 2016.
With increased national awareness of police brutality, and economic exploitation many have argued the uprisings in Ferguson and Baltimore, the battle against RFRA in Indiana, and the nation-wide Fight for 15! are the beginnings of a new era in civil rights grounded in working class social movements. As protesters chant “From Ferguson to Palestine,” scholars and activists are challenged to view oppression, and social reform as an international phenomenon impacting a global working class.
Possible topics could include, but by no means are limited to:
- History of declining wages and its impact on the working class
- Relationship between immigration policies and class consciousness
- Laboring in the neoliberal university
- The way in which women entering management challenge notions of feminism
- How policing of communities reflects issues of working class politics
- How anti-LGBTQ laws such as Indiana’s RFRA is a question of worker’s rights
Although this labor history conference is situated in the Midwest, it does not use national boundaries, or geographic location, to limit scopes of topics. We are interested in discussing issues of working class studies from a larger global perspective.
We invite activists, artists, teachers, scholars, and students to submit any work from any discipline that examines these themes. We are interested in works from any field such as history, sociology, political science, anthropology, literature, art, education, liberation theology, law, activism, etc.
All events, including the keynote panel, will be open to the public, and we encourage attendance from a wide array of scholars, activists, teachers, community members, and students.
Paper/Panel Proposals due February 5, 2016. Completed Papers due May 7, 2016. Please direct paper proposals (250 words or less), CVs, and questions regarding the conference to mlwch2016@gmail.com.
