The BAVS Seventh Annual conference, 2006: Victorian Cultures in Conflict
The University of Liverpool, 7-9 September 2006

Plenary Speakers:
Caroline Arscott
John Belchem
Helen Small

Call for Papers

Victorian cultures of every kind were shaped by a range of conflicts ?
intellectual, political, ideological, and spiritual. This conference will
investigate the origins, nature and influence of these disputes. The list
of themes outlined below suggests some of the areas which papers might
address, but proposals considering other relevant issues will be very
welcome.

Proposals for papers (300 words) should reach Professor Dinah Birch,
dlbirch_at_liv.ac.uk, by Friday 14th April 2006

Professor Dinah Birch, School of English, Modern Languages Building,
University of Liverpool, Chatham Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZR; Tel. (+44)
0151 794 2704; Fax: (+44) 0151 794 2730

Ten Postgraduate bursaries funded by BAVS are available, together with
three bursaries for those who have recently submitted doctoral theses, but
do not hold an academic post. Deadline for applications:
31st March 2006

Conference themes might include:

· Gender conflicts: despite the recent prominence of gender studies, do we
still under-estimate the consequences of differing interpretations of
femininity and masculinity, with their distinct and sometimes incompatible
values?

· Religious conflicts: Victorian religious cultures were diverse and
argumentative: was their influence more pervasive than we have yet
recognised?

· Generational and domestic conflicts: the old and the young, parents and
children, brothers and sisters, would often contend for authority within
Victorian culture. What can we learn from exploring these sites of conflict?

· Class conflicts: is it time to re-examine patterns of economic and
cultural power in terms of tensions between social classes?

· Regional conflicts: were the cultures of London at odds with those of
other regions within Victorian Britain? And were those regional cultures at
odds with themselves?

· Aesthetic conflicts: paintings, poetry, and fiction reflect deep
divisions in the ways in which Victorians defined aesthetic value. What
drove such disagreements, and why were they debated with such intensity?

· Scholarly conflicts: how did scholars and historians understand the
evidence of the past, and what do different interpretations of its value
teach us about Victorian culture?

· Scientific conflicts: What do disputed theories in the biological,
geological, physical or medical sciences reveal about the deepest
preoccupations within Victorian culture?

Professor Dinah Birch
Head of School
School of English
Modern Languages Building
University of Liverpool
Chatham Street
Liverpool
L69 7ZR

Telephone: 0151 794 2704
Fax: 0151 794 2730

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Received on Wed Nov 16 2005 - 11:41:25 EST