The History Graduate Student Association at

the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The 2nd Annual Michael Gordon Memorial History Graduate Conference

The Presence of History: Crises of Emotion, Identity, and Nostalgia

April 28-30, 2023

We honor Dr. Michael Gordon’s memory by calling for papers for the Second Annual Gordon Memorial History Graduate Conference. This year’s theme is The Presence of History: Crises of Emotion, Identity, and Nostalgia. The history of emotions is a field of historical research focused on human emotion, particularly variations among cultures and historical periods in the experience and expression of emotions. Since culture and history change over time so do feelings as well as their expression. Therefore, in the view of many historians, emotion is just as fundamental a category of history, as class, race or gender. Other fields of interest include the areas of identity and nostalgia in history. Identity plays an important part in social upbringings, community membership, and self-awareness and personal individuality. Nostalgia reminiscences on the past, but plays a supporting role for the present. Providing interest, longing, and memories of the past, nostalgia is a vital area of interest for the historian. Without these enlightened areas of scholarly inquiry, the field of history, anthropology, literature, art, and other fields would not be so impactful and powerful as they are today.

We encourage submissions of all fields to apply for this conference that broadens greater understanding of how historians remember and use the past. Papers can broadly reference the uses of history, emotions, and specifically the sentiments and feelings of an event, person, or place. We welcome paper submissions, creative presentations, poster presentations, full panels, public history projects, digital projects and a lightning round for works in progress. To apply, please submit a 300 word abstract for your paper, project, panel or lightning round. Submissions will close to February 15, 2023. As of now, the conference will be hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, with a hybrid format. However, this is subject to change, as the university, as well as the nation, continue to navigate through COVID-19 conditions, restrictions, and CDC guidelines.  Since we are broadly accepting submissions from a variety of disciplines, several modes of presentations, and some variation from the themes, the relevance of the submission to those themes will be based on the project’s content. Abstracts can be sent to uwmhgsa@gmail.com or this form.

Dr. Michael Gordon earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern and a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. Before joining UWM's department of history in 1987, Dr. Gordon worked as an oral historian and archivists at the Wisconsin Historical Society. He published articles on labor and public history. His book, The Orange Riots: Irish Political Violence in New York City, 1870 and 1871, was published by Cornell University Press in 1993. He retired in 2011. During his time at UWM, Dr. Gordon helped prepare students for careers in public institutions, historical agencies and other professions. Dr. Gordon passed away on October 5, 2020.