The 2008 annual meeting of the Business History Conference (BHC) will take place April 10-12 in Sacramento, California, hosted by California State University at Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum. The deadline for submission of proposals is September 24, 2007. Please see our announcement about the exciting special sessions already planned.

Expanding Connections for Business History

"Expanding Connections" is both the theme and the goal of the 2008 Business History Conference annual meeting. Business-related activities pervade human affairs, yet scholars within business history and those in other disciplines often conceive the field narrowly. This conference will highlight scholarship that expands the field's connections across disciplines and perspectives. In addition to our traditional paper sessions, we invite proposals for a poster session that will be held in conjunction with a reception.

** We seek papers that demonstrate the relevance of business history to other fields of history and other areas of scholarship, including literature, business ethics, management studies, sociology, economics, and anthropology. We are also interested in submissions that demonstrate how the field of business history is enriched by using analytic strategies and insights from other fields of history and other scholarly disciplines.

** We also encourage projects that expand the reach of business history, including:

• comparisons across boundaries of nation, region, culture, time period, class, race, ethnicity, and gender
• research placing firm and industry histories into their economic, political, social, technological, or cultural contexts
• explorations of the connections between business owners, managers, and workers, businesses and the state, as well as connections between businesses and their customers
• examinations that place the activities of individuals or groups into the larger business systems within which they operate.

Potential presenters may submit proposals either for individual papers or for entire panels. Individual paper or poster proposals should include a one-page abstract and a one-page curriculum vitae (CV). The abstract should summarize the argument of the presentation, the sources on which it is based, and its relationship to existing scholarship. Each panel proposal should include a cover letter stating the rationale for the session, the name of the panel’s contact person, a one-page abstract and author’s CV for each proposed paper (up to three), and a list of preferred chairs and commentators with contact information. Those submitting proposals will find it useful to read the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) recommendations in "How to Get Your Proposal Accepted," which are applicable to the BHC as well.

Proposals also are invited for the Herman E. Krooss Prize for the best dissertation in business history. The Krooss Prize Committee welcomes submissions from recent Ph.D.s (2005-07) in history, economics, business administration, history of science and technology, law, and related fields. To participate in this competition, please indicate so in a cover letter, and include a one-page CV and one-page dissertation abstract. Semi-finalists will be asked to submit copies of their dissertation after initial review of proposals. Finalists will present summaries of their dissertations at the Sacramento meeting.

BHC also awards the K. Austin Kerr Prize for the best first paper by a Ph.D. candidate or recent Ph.D. (2005-07). If you wish to participate in this competition, please indicate so in your proposal. Proposals accepted for the Krooss Prize panel are not eligible for the Kerr Prize.

The deadline for receipt of all proposals is 24 September 2007. Notification of acceptances will be sent by 15 December 2007. Presenters will be expected to submit abstracts of their papers for posting on the BHC website. In addition, presenters are encouraged to post electronic versions of their papers prior to the meeting, and to submit their papers for inclusion in our on-line proceedings publication, Business and Economic History On-Line. The BHC also offers grants to graduate students who are presenting papers to offset some of the costs of attending the conference.

Please send all proposals to Dr. Roger Horowitz, Secretary-Treasurer, Business History Conference, P. O. Box 3630, Wilmington, DE 19807, USA. Phone: (302) 658-2400; fax: (302) 655-3188; email: rh@udel.edu.

The program committee: Margaret Levenstein (chair), University of Michigan; Walter Friedman, Harvard Business School; Robert MacDougall, University of Western Ontario; Mary O'Sullivan, The Wharton School; and Pamela W. Laird (BHC President, 2007-2008), University of Colorado at Denver.

The Newcomen Dissertation Colloquium will be held in conjunction with the 2008 BHC annual meeting. This intensive workshop, sponsored by the BHC through the generous support of the Newcomen Society of the United States, will take place at the conference venue Wednesday evening, April 9, and Thursday, April 10. Participants will work closely with a small, distinguished group of BHC-affiliated scholars, including at least two of its officers. The assembled scholars and students will review dissertation proposals, consider relevant literatures and research strategies, and discuss the business history profession. Limited to ten students, it is intended for doctoral candidates in the early stages of their dissertation projects. Those interested in participating should submit to Roger Horowitz, BHC Secretary-Treasurer (rh@udel.edu), a statement of interest, a preliminary or final dissertation prospectus, and a CV. Please make clear that you are interested in the Dissertation Colloquium. One recommendation from the dissertation supervisor (or prospective supervisor) should also be faxed (302-655-3188) or emailed to Roger Horowitz by December 15, 2007. The review committee will notify all applicants of its decisions by February 1st. A grant from the Newcomen Society of the United States will provide each participant with a $400US honorarium.