2025 Call For Papers
"New Directions in Midwestern History”
The Midwestern History Association invites proposals for papers to be delivered at the Eleventh Annual Midwestern History Conference hosted by the State Historical Society of Iowa and University of Iowa, to be held May 15-16, 2025 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines, Iowa.
This year's conference theme recognizes that the Midwestern History Association is entering a new decade in its history and celebrates the new opportunities, lines of inquiry, and developments that are taking place in the field. We are excited to usher in an era of Midwestern History that investigates and uncovers Midwestern histories in all their complexity. We are interested in understanding how Midwestern histories intersect with broader national and tribal histories as well as how “the Midwest” intersects with global histories. We welcome papers relating to all aspects of the history of the American Midwest and the many groups who have shaped this place. The MHA invites applicants from a variety of backgrounds, including academic and public historians, graduate students, and independent researchers and writers. We strongly encourage the use of visual aids, digital media, and interactive elements to be incorporated into panel presentations, making them as engaging as possible.
Proposals for panel and roundtables are especially encouraged, with a moderator and/or chair, should be a maximum of 1,000 words, specifying the role of and content focus offered by each presenter.
Individual paper proposals are also welcome and should be a maximum of 300 words.
All proposals must be accompanied by short vitaes of the participants and contain contact information for every presenter included in the proposal.
In an effort to promote scholarly conversation and collaboration, the MHA will limit participants to delivering either a single paper or presentation. Serving as a panelist for a group discussion will be considered the equivalent of delivering a paper or presentation. Participants, however, may also serve as chair and/or commentator for one additional session. Proposals should include new research or innovative interpretations and should avoid substantially repeating the contents of presentations the scholar has previously made at the Midwestern History Conference.
In addition to welcoming proposals from scholars affiliated with colleges and universities, the MHA encourages proposals from public historians, students, and independent scholars. Successful proposals should demonstrate sound historical methods and professional research.
Proposals should be submitted via email to midwesternhistory2025@gmail.com
Participants in the conference are encouraged to become members of the Midwestern History Association. Created in the fall of 2014, the MHA advocates for greater attention to Midwestern history among professional historians, seeks to develop the infrastructure necessary for the study of the American Midwest, promotes greater academic discourse relating to Midwestern history, and offers prizes to scholars who excel in the study of the Midwest. To become a member of the Midwestern History Association, please contact the University of Nebraska Press at the link below:
https://nebraskapressjournals.unl.edu/society/midwestern-history-association/
Members can receive a subscription to Middle West Review, the association’s journal of record. Members are also added to an email list that provides access to news about upcoming conferences, calls for papers, and other proposals related to Midwestern history.
The State Historical Society of Iowa has been a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy since 1857. With a dual mission of preservation and education, the society maintains a museum, two research centers—one in Des Moines and one in Iowa City—and seven historic sites spread across the state. The society preserves and provides access to Iowa’s historical resources through a variety of statewide programs, exhibitions and projects while serving as an advocate for Iowa’s past and connector to the future.
The University of Iowa, founded in 1847, is the state of Iowa’s oldest public institution of higher learning and the first public university in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. It is a comprehensive university that features colleges of business, dentistry, law, public health, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, education, engineering, liberal arts, music, library and information science, and social work. The University of Iowa was the first in the nation to award advanced degrees in creative writing, theater, and music, and its Iowa Writers Workshop (IWW) and International Writing Program (IWP) are world renowned.
Submission Deadline: Monday, December 2, 2024 (non-negotiable)
Please direct all questions or inquiries to: midwesternhistory2025@gmail.com
Photo by Joshua Young on Flickr