From the early modern period through to the present day, both combatants and non-combatants who lived through war have written about their experiences in autobiographical works. Sometimes published, but often not, such memoirs entail not only authors recalling their wartime lives but recasting, re-imagining and reprocessing their experiences. The popularity of war memoirs in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in particular raises questions about why, when and the manner in which conflicts are recalled and remembered, how these texts contribute to or conflict with collective memories, and how they can be read and interpreted by the reading public and scholars alike.

Papers are invited from scholars from across the disciplines working on any aspect of the memoir in relation to military conflicts in any locale, from the early modern period to the present day. In examining war memoirs and the manner in which both veterans and civilians recall past conflicts, this symposium will also contribute to a broader discussion on the experience of war across cultural boundaries.

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Jay Winter (Yale)

Paper proposals (as well a brief C.V.) should be submitted via e-mail to the conference organizers, Philip Dwyer Philip.Dwyer@newcastle.edu.au and Roger Markwick Roger.Markwick@newcastle.edu.au. Please send all queries to the same address. The deadline for receiving proposals is 1 June 2010. Papers will be circulated before the symposium. Accepted papers must be submitted for circulation to participants no later than 1 November 2010.