1869 Conference & Heritage Festival
Australian Victorian Studies Association
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
September 25-29, 2019
The University of Otago was founded in 1869. This was a year in which many scientific, political, commercial, cultural and medical milestones were also recorded, including the first issue of Nature, the opening of the Suez Canal, the publication of the Periodic Table, Paul Langerhans’s discovery of pancreatic islets and the appearance of “The Subjection of Women” by John Stuart Mill.
The Centre for Research on Colonial Culture and the Australasian Victorian Studies Association warmly invite you to join them in critically reflecting on these various approaches to knowledge creation and production during the 1860s and beyond, and across disciplines as well as cultures in all areas of human endeavour.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Professor Marion Thain (King’s College London) and Megan Potiki (University of Otago), alongside invited speakers Dr Tina Makereti (Massey University), Lisa Chatfield (Producer, The Luminaries) and Professor Liam McIlvanney (University of Otago), with more to be announced!
The conference will combine a traditional academic programme with a range of public heritage festival events, special forums and social engagements.
The conference invites paper, panel and poster proposals from researchers, policy makers, industry and anyone with an 1869-related story to tell that addresses the conference theme from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Cross-disciplinary panels would be particularly welcomed.
Topics linked to the legacies of Victorian scientific and cultural production include:
- Educational developments;
- Indigenous knowledges;
- Literary production;
- Colonialism and its legacies;
- Museums, archives and collecting;
- Medical innovation;
- Ecology and the environment;
- Migration, movement, and mobilities;
- Artefacts and archaeological records;
- Mass tourism and popularisation of leisure;
- Scientific advancements;
- Commercial and economic development;
- Art, fashion and design;
- Architecture and built environments;
- Conflict, contestation and resistance;
- Crime and sensation.
Proposals should be submitted as follows:
- Individual papers: 250-300 word abstract, up to 5 keywords and 50-word biographical statement. All papers will be considered.
- Panels: 250-300 word individual abstracts, 50-word biographical statements for each presenter, accompanied by a 200 word summary of the overarching theme(s) of the panel. Panel proposals for three linked papers are encouraged to include presenters from more than one disciplinary background, and from different career stages.
- Posters: 250-300 word abstract, up to 5 keywords and 50-word biographical statement. Posters will be on display for the duration of the conference and there will be a timetabled slot for contributors to stand by their posters so that participants can come and discuss the research.
Please submit proposals as Word attachments to the conference email address:
1869@otago.ac.nz by 1 April 2019. Decisions on acceptance will be made by early May, with registration opening in June. Keep up to date with the latest news and announcements via our Twitter account: @Otago1869