Encounters: Travel and Tourism in Historical Perspective
Symposium, Department of History, Seton Hall University
“Encounters: Travel and Tourism in Historical Perspective” is a one day symposium that aims to investigate the social, political, economic, ethical, and historical power of travel and tourism. Some of the questions that this symposium wishes to address are: Are travel and tourism transformative experiences? How do travelers and tourists register and remember their encounters with difference—and how have these representations changed over time? How do souvenirs, memorabilia, and travelogues circulate and facilitate imagination of other people and places? How has tourism contributed to—and undermined—the process of empire-building?
Some possible themes for research papers include the following:
- Tourism, travel, and identity
- Heritage, memory, and nostalgia
- Material culture and souvenirs
- Empire and colonialism
- Travel narratives and story-telling
The symposium will be held on Friday, January 26th, at the South Orange, New Jersey campus of Seton Hall University, about a half hour outside of New York City.
We welcome proposals from scholars from all fields interested in the historical implications of travel and tourism including history, literary studies, anthropology, and geography, from the ancient to modern period. Advanced graduate students, early career scholars, and senior researchers are encouraged to apply. Please send a single document containing 1. an abstract of up to 250 words, with a title and 2. a short (one-paragraph) biography, to setonhallhistorysymposium@gmail.com by November 15, 2017.
The symposium will consist of panels and a roundtable discussion. Seton Hall will provide compensation for travel expenses and meals for all invited participants. For those coming from outside the New York City/Northern New Jersey area we will provide hotel accommodation for two nights.
Please feel free to contact Dr. Sara Fieldston at sara.fieldston@shu.edu with any questions.
