Tag: business history

Business History events in June

Steph

The Association of Business Historians Annual Conference 2017

The Human Factor in Business History

Centre for Business History in Scotland

University of Glasgow

29 June – 1 July 2017

The ABH 2017 Conference Programme is now available: http://www.gla.ac.uk/external/ABH/Draft%20Programme%2028.03.17.pdf

 

 

Please note the following workshop just before the conference:

Entrepreneur-Philanthropists in Theory and History

University of Glasgow
28 June 2017, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm
Room 408F Main Building

The workshop is convened by the guest editors of the forthcoming edition of the Business History Review on Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy edited by Charles Harvey (Newcastle University, UK), Mairi Maclean (University of Bath, UK) and Roy Suddaby (University of Victoria Canada).

The workshop has been timed to take place the afternoon before the annual conference of the Association of Business Historians, which takes place in Glasgow between 29th June and 1st July 2017 and is hosted by the Centre for Business History in Scotland of the University of Glasgow. The conference will be held at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel and takes as its theme “The Human Factor in Business History.” The workshop is not part of the ABH conference.
The workshop is being held for anyone interested in the topic and especially colleagues intending to make a submission to the forthcoming edition of the Business History Review on Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy. The session is intended as a paper development session in which potential contributors will receive feedback from the guest editors and other participants in the workshop. There will be opportunity following the workshop for 1 to 1 meetings with the editors.

Refreshments will be served in Room 408F, the Business School seminar room, from 1.00 pm. There is no charge for the workshop.

 

CfP: EBHA doctoral summer school

Steph

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

9th EBHA DOCTORAL SUMMER SCHOOL BUSINESS HISTORY: DEBATES, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The 9th edition of the EBHA (European Business History Association) Summer School will take place in Ancona (Italy) from Monday, September 4th to Saturday, September 9th, 2017. The school aims at providing doctoral students with an overview of relevant research results and of innovative tools and methodologies in the field of Business History. It is organised jointly by the European Business History Association (EBHA), the Università Politecnica delle Marche and the Italian Association for Business History (ASSI). Students will be accommodated in the beautiful town of Ancona debating and discussing their research with leading international scholars.

The title of the school will be Business History: Debates, challenges and opportunities. The school will focus on theoretical, methodological and practical issues which are of relevance for advanced research in business history. The main aim of the school is to provide students with a full understanding of the newest trends in research in the field and to provide a friendly atmosphere in which to discuss their preliminary findings with leading scholars as well as among their peers. In this respect, the program features both lectures and seminars given by faculty and student presentations of their research projects. Each student will have 20 minutes maximum to present her/his project, stressing especially: research questions and goals, methodology, sources, challenges and provisional outcomes. After her/his presentation, each student will receive questions and comments from other students and from faculty members (approx 15-20 minutes).

The organisers will cover all local costs (accommodation in a double or triple room and food), but participants are expected to pay their own travel expenses. Participation will be limited to 15-20 PhD students.

Those interested in attending the summer school should send the following documents by e-mail to the academic organiser Dr. Veronica Binda (veronica.binda@unibocconi.it): 1) a brief CV (not exceeding one page); 2) a summary of their dissertation project (not exceeding three pages); 3) (if possible) an example of their work in progress, e.g. a draft chapter or a working paper (in any language).

The deadline for applications is May 14th, 2017. A maximum of 20 participants will be selected from these applications and will be notified by June 4th, 2017.

ERC project “History of EU” (PhDs)

Steph

Two 3-year fully funded PhD Scholarships to be held at the University of Glasgow from September 2017

Applications are invited for two 3-year PhD scholarships (with a possibility of a one-year extension) in Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow.

The successful candidates will be part of the ERC-funded project The Making of a Lopsided Union: Economic Integration in the European Economic Community, 1957-1992 (EURECON) led by Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol. They are expected to begin on 1 September 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Description of the EURECON project

The goal of EURECON is to explore European policymakers’ views about how to make the organisation of the European Economic Community (EEC) fit for the creation of a single currency, from 1957 to 1992. It is often said that the euro has faults of conception. But how did this happen? How was the euro made in such a way that it nearly completely overlooked some critical aspects of monetary unions? The assumption is that in the run-up to the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, European policymakers just did not think properly about how to make the Euro work. Was this really the case? Did European policymakers really overlook the economic foundations of European monetary union?

The project aims to examine European policymakers’ debates and proposals, understand the reasons for their success or failure, identify the dynamics of political and economic trade-offs and compromises, shifting priorities, and alternative approaches that were abandoned at the time but recycled later. The project focuses on five work packages: macroeconomic policy coordination, fiscal transfers, capital market integration, banking harmonisation/supervision and the deepening of the common/single market. The project will examine the origins of the issues that are currently bedevilling the European Union (EU) by investigating the period between the creation of the EEC in 1957 and the decision to create a European single currency in 1992.

PhD positions

The PhD projects will focus on the role and influence of non-state, non-EEC actors and factors in the above discussions. Interested applicants should focus specifically on the role of one of the following actors/factor:

  • Commercial banks: Commercial banks were central actors in the development of European economic integration, in particular with regard to capital market integration, regulation/supervision, and the development of the common/single market. Did they support the creation of a common market in banking? Did they adopt specific lobbying strategies within their respective member states and in Brussels? How did they view the possible future creation of a monetary union in Europe?
  • Big business (other than banks): The implementation of the common/single market, the issue of EEC fiscal transfers, and macroeconomic policy coordination had an impact on the conduct of business in Europe. Did big business consider that these developments would improve their environment, in creating more business opportunities, easier financing and trade? The Roundtable of Industrialists famously lobbied for the Single Market Project; did big business aim to actively support or oppose other developments at different time periods?
  • Trade unions: Macroeconomic policy coordination, EEC fiscal transfers, and the development of the common/single market had an important impact upon labour relations. How did trade unions try to influence European economic policymaking? In particular, how did they promote European social policies and how did they cope with the challenges induced by European economic integration in a globalising world? The rise of unemployment in Europe from the 1970s as well as the reflections mentioned above about the introduction of an EEC-wide unemployment benefit provided an important points of interest for trade unions.
  • The spread and influence of economic ideas on the evolution of European economic cooperation and integration: Many economic ideas have influenced and competed over the development of European economic integration, including German ordo-liberalism, French planning, and neo-liberalism. Recent studies have shed light on the rise of neo-liberal politics in the evolution of thinking about deregulation and the free movement of capital. How did economic thinking evolve in the EEC and how did these influences permeate policymaking at the European level? This topic would more specifically focus on the intellectual history dimension of the economic integration of Europe by looking at one of these schools of thought. How did these ideas spread among European policymakers? How did these ideas change over time? What was their actual influence?

The successful candidate is expected to:

  • Write a PhD thesis under the supervision of Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol
  • Be an active part of the EURECON project and work in close cooperation with other team members
  • Present papers at conferences
  • Publish in international peer-reviewed journals (individual and co-authored)
  • Participate in yearly workshops organised within the scope of EURECON.

The successful candidate will register for a PhD in Economic and Social History, School of Social and Political Sciences, College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow.

The scholarship covers the successful student’s full-time home/EU tuition fees (£4,121 p.a. for 2016/17), pays a stipend (£14,296 p.a. for 2016/17), and includes a research budget allowance to cover expenses related to archival research and conference attendance (at least £1500 p.a.). There is a possibility for an extension to a fourth year, under the same financial conditions.

PhD students at the University of Glasgow benefit from the College of Social Sciences’ Graduate School Research Training Programme, as well as an annual Thesis Review Committee and an annual Doctoral Retreat. PhD students may also have the opportunity to become Graduate Teaching Assistants and gain teaching experience.

Candidates must be fluent in English. A good command of another European language would be an advantage.

How to apply

Please include the following supporting documentation with your application:

  • Your CV
  • Your research proposal focusing on one of the actors/factors outlined above (max. 2500 words, including footnotes, references and bibliography)
  • Your degree transcripts
  • Your English language certificate
  • Two letters of reference

Interested candidates should apply on the University of Glasgow’s Online Application System http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/#/. Applicants should put ‘EURECON’ in the ‘Research Title’ field in ‘Step 6 – Course Details’ of the application form, and select ‘PhD in Economic and Social History (Research)’.

Interested applicants are strongly advised to discuss their research proposal with Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (emmanuel.mourlon-druol@glasgow.ac.uk) before they apply.

Short-listed candidates may be invited for an interview in Glasgow.

Application deadline is 7 May 2017.

ERC project History of EU (postdocs)

Steph

Postdoctoral Research Associate in International Economic History at the University of Glasgow (2 posts)

 Project description

The successful candidates will be part of the ERC-funded project The Making of a Lopsided Union: Economic Integration in the European Economic Community, 1957-1992 (EURECON) led by Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (See http://e-mourlon-druol.com/eurecon/ for more details). They are expected to begin on 1 September 2017, or as soon as possible thereafter (a few months’ delay is negotiable if need be).

The positions will be for 2 years, starting from September 2017 (or later if so negotiated). In addition to their salary, Post-Doctoral Researchers will receive an allowance for research missions and participation to international conferences of at least £2,500 per year.

 Description of the EURECON project

The goal of EURECON is to explore European policymakers’ views about how to make the organisation of the European Economic Community (EEC) fit for the creation of a single currency, from 1957 to 1992. It is often said that the euro has faults of conception. But how did this happen? How was the euro made in such a way that it nearly completely overlooked some critical aspects of monetary unions? The assumption is that in the run-up to the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, European policymakers just did not think properly about how to make the Euro work. Was this really the case? Did European policymakers really overlook the economic foundations of European monetary union?

The project aims to examine European policymakers’ debates and proposals, understand the reasons for their success or failure, identify the dynamics of political and economic trade-offs and compromises, shifting priorities, and alternative approaches that were abandoned at the time but recycled later. The project focuses on five work packages: macroeconomic policy coordination, fiscal transfers, capital market integration, banking harmonisation/supervision and the deepening of the common/single market. The project will examine the origins of the issues that are currently bedevilling the European Union (EU) by investigating the period between the creation of the EEC in 1957 and the decision to create a European single currency in 1992.

 The Postdoctoral Research Projects will focus on the role and influence of non-state, non-EEC actors and factors in the above discussions.

Postdoctoral Research Projects

Interested applicants should focus specifically on the role of one of the following actors/factor:

  • Commercial banks: Commercial banks were central actors in the development of European economic integration, in particular with regard to capital market integration, regulation/supervision, and the development of the common/single market. Did they support the creation of a common market in banking? Did they adopt specific lobbying strategies within their respective member states and in Brussels? How did they view the possible future creation of a monetary union in Europe?
  • Big business (other than banks): The implementation of the common/single market, the issue of EEC fiscal transfers, and macroeconomic policy coordination had an impact on the conduct of business in Europe. Did big business consider that these developments would improve their environment, in creating more business opportunities, easier financing and trade? The Roundtable of Industrialists famously lobbied for the Single Market Project; did big business aim to actively support or oppose other developments at different time periods?
  • Trade unions: Macroeconomic policy coordination, EEC fiscal transfers, and the development of the common/single market had an important impact upon labour relations. How did trade unions try to influence European economic policymaking? In particular, how did they promote European social policies and how did they cope with the challenges induced by European economic integration in a globalising world? The rise of unemployment in Europe from the 1970s as well as the reflections mentioned above about the introduction of an EEC-wide unemployment benefit provided an important points of interest for trade unions.
  • The spread and influence of economic ideas on the evolution of European economic cooperation and integration: Many economic ideas have influenced and competed over the development of European economic integration, including German ordo-liberalism, French planning, and neo-liberalism. Recent studies have shed light on the rise of neo-liberal politics in the evolution of thinking about deregulation and the free movement of capital. How did economic thinking evolve in the EEC and how did these influences permeate policymaking at the European level? This topic would more specifically focus on the intellectual history dimension of the economic integration of Europe by looking at one of these schools of thought. How did these ideas spread among European policymakers? How did these ideas change over time? What was their actual influence?

 The successful candidate is expected to:

  • Engage in independent scientific research that will result in high-quality publications in international peer-reviewed journals (individual and co-authored)
  • Be an active part of the EURECON project and work in close cooperation with other team members
  • Provide some organisational and administrative support, in collaboration with other team members, to the research activities of the EURECON project
  • Present papers at conferences
  • Participate in yearly workshops organised within the scope of EURECON.

 To apply for the position, applicants are required to submit (www.glasgow.ac.uk/jobs, Job Ref 016726):

  • Their CV,
  • The details of three referees
  • A cover letter explaining how their research experience fits the EURECON project,
  • A one to two-page description of the research they would like to undertake during their tenure, clearly mentioning: the scope of their project, the state of the literature, and the archival sources they would like to use.

 

Please upload your cover letter and one to two-page research document as ONE document.

Candidates must be fluent in English. A good command of another European language would be an advantage.

Candidates should have a PhD in History (or related discipline), or be close to completion.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview to present their research proposal. It is anticipated that the interviews for these positions will take place in May/June 2017.

Interest applicants may contact Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (Emmanuel.Mourlon-Druol@glasgow.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.

Managing Communist Enterprise

Steph

Managing Communist Enterprise: Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1945-1970

czech.jpg

A Symposium

 

Rutgers University, Camden

April 21st 2017

12pm – 2pm, Faculty Lounge

with

Philip Scranton (Rutgers, Camden)

and

Pal Germuska (EUI – Florence)

Natalya Vinokurova (Wharton)

Lee Vinsel (Stevens Institute of Technology)

 

The business history of communist eastern and central Europe has not yet received the attention that it deserves. This symposium is organized around a significant new paper by Phil Scranton, entitled “Managing Communist Enterprise: Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, 1945-1970,” that itself emerges from a major project being undertaken by Professor Scranton and Professor Patrick Fridenson to examine the evolution of global business practices in the second half of the twentieth-century.  Based in extensive research in previously unused archives and sources, the paper uncovers the fascinating and often surprising story of management in three key European economies, essentially opening up a hitherto neglected field of study in business history.

Professor Scranton will briefly present the paper before we hear three invited commentaries, from Pal Germuska (EUI), Natalya Vinokurova (Wharton), and Lee Vinsel (Stevens Institute of Technology). Following a response from Professor Scranton, the final hour of event will be reserved for audience discussion. The lead paper and all three commentaries will subsequently be published in Enterprise and Society: The International Journal of Business History. 

Everyone intending to attend is strongly encouraged to download and read the lead paper in advance. Please note that in order to access the PDF of this unpublished paper, you will first need to log in with your BHC website credentials.

All are welcome. The event is free and registration is not required, though it would be appreciated if notices of intent to attend could be sent to Andrew Popp at andrew.popp@liverpool.ac.uk. All enquiries should be addressed to the same address.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of Rutgers University, Camden and of the Business History Conference.

http://www.thebhc.org/managing-communist-enterprise-rutgers-camden-21-april-2017-0

 

Free to read: Beer, brewing and business history

Steph

Just in time for the holiday season! The Business History special issue on beer brewing is free to read until the end of February 2017 😉

A quick reminder of the contents:

Original Articles
Beer, brewing, and business history
Ignazio Cabras & David M. Higgins
Pages: 609-624 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1122713

Articles
From reviving tradition to fostering innovation and changing marketing: the evolution of micro-brewing in the UK and US, 1980–2012
Ignazio Cabras & Charles Bamforth
Pages: 625-646 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1027692

Vertical and financial ownership: Competition policy and the evolution of the UK pub market
Julie Bower
Pages: 647-666 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1041380

Vertical monopoly power, profit and risk: The British beer industry, c.1970–c.2004
David Higgins, Steven Toms & Moshfique Uddin
Pages: 667-693 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1041381

How beer created Belgium (and the Netherlands): the contribution of beer taxes to war finance during the Dutch Revolt
Koen Deconinck, Eline Poelmans & Johan Swinnen
Pages: 694-724 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1024231

Happy hour followed by hangover: financing the UK brewery industry, 1880–1913
Graeme G. Acheson, Christopher Coyle & John D. Turner
Pages: 725-751 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1027693

A taste for temperance: how American beer got to be so bland
Ranjit S. Dighe
Pages: 752-784 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1027691

Death and re-birth of Alabama beer
Richard White
Pages: 785-795 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1024230

New identities from remnants of the past: an examination of the history of beer brewing in Ontario and the recent emergence of craft breweries
Kai Lamertz, William M. Foster, Diego M. Coraiola & Jochem Kroezen
Pages: 796-828 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1065819

ToC: Business History 59,2 March 2017

Steph

Original Articles

Business and State in the development of the steel industry in Spain and Italy (c.1880–1929)
Miguel A. Sáez-García
Pages: 159-178 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1172570

Barriers to ‘industrialisation’ for interwar British retailing? The case of Marks & Spencer Ltd
Peter Scott & James T. Walker
Pages: 179-201 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1156088

The parochial realm, social enterprise and gender: the work of Catharine Cappe and Faith Gray and others in York, 1780–1820
Linda Perriton
Pages: 202-230 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1175438

‘The computer says no’: the demise of the traditional bank manager and the depersonalisation of British banking, 1960–2010
Pål Vik
Pages: 231-249 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1177024

The breakdown of the workplace ‘family’ and the rise of personnel management within an Australian financial institution 1950–1980
Monica J. Keneley
Pages: 250-267 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1179286

Mad women: gendered divisions in the Swedish advertising industry, 1930–2012
Klara Arnberg & Jonatan Svanlund
Pages: 268-291 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1182158

Risk management and reinsurance strategies in the Spanish insurance market (1880–1940)
Pablo Gutiérrez González & Jerònia Pons Pons
Pages: 292-310 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1187136

Book Reviews

The power of corporate networks. A comparative and historical perspective
Hubert Buch-Hansen
Pages: 311-312 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1175540

The Qing opening to the ocean: Chinese maritime policies, 1684–1757
Ronald Chung-yam PO
Pages: 312-313 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2016.1192832

Connexions électriques. Technologies, hommes et marchés dans les relations entre la Compagnie générale d’électricité et l’État, 1898-1992
Hubert Bonin
Pages: 313-316 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1095905

Le sacre du roquefort. L’émergence d’une industrie agroalimentaire (fin XVIIIe siècle-1925)
Hubert Bonin
Pages: 316-318 | DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2015.1123334

CfP: Tony Slaven Doctoral Workshop at ABH 2017

Steph

Call for Tony Slaven Doctoral Workshop in Business History, 29 June 2017

Call for Tony Slaven Doctoral Workshop in Business History, 29 June 2017

The ABH will hold its sixth annual Tony Slaven Doctoral Workshop on 29 June, 2017. This event is immediately preceding the 2017 ABH Annual Conference held in Glasgow. Participants in the Workshop are encouraged to attend the main ABH Annual Conference following the Workshop. The Workshop is an excellent opportunity for doctoral students to discuss their work with other research students and practicing academics in business history in an informal and supportive environment. Students at any stage of their doctoral career, whether in their first year or very close to submitting, are urged to come. In addition to providing new researchers with an opportunity to discuss their work with others in a related discipline, the Workshop will also include at least one skills-related session.

The Workshop interprets the term ‘business history’ broadly, and it is intended that students in areas such as (but not confined to) the history of international trade and investment, financial or economic history, agricultural history, not-for-profit organisations, government-industry relations, accounting history, social studies of technology, and historians or management or labour will find it useful. Students undertaking topics with a significant business history element but in disciplines other than economic and business history are also welcome. We welcome students researching any era or region of history.

There will be at least one session led by regular ABH members; in the past these have included ‘getting published’ and ‘using sources’ sessions.  There will be ample time for discussion of each student’s work and the opportunity to gain feedback from active researchers in the field.

How to Apply for the Tony Slaven Workshop

An application should be no more than 4 pages sent together in a single computer file:  1) a one page CV;  2) one page stating the names of the student’s supervisors, the title of the theses (a proposed title is fine),the university and department where the student is registered and the date of commencement of thesis registration; 3) an abstract of the work to be presented.

You may apply via email to Dr Mitch Larson at mjlarson@uclan.ac.uk. Please use the subject line “Tony Slaven Workshop” by the 15 January 2017.

 

Deadline for All Submissions

The deadline for receipt of all proposals (papers, session and panels; Coleman Prize, and Tony Slaven Workshop) is 15 January 2017. Acceptance letters will be sent by 15th March 2017.  Everyone appearing on the program must register for the meeting. PhD students whose papers are accepted for the meeting may apply for funds to partially defray their travel costs by applying to the Francesca Carnevali Travel Grant for PhD Students. A limited number of scholarships are available from the Francesca Carnevali fund of the ABH to contribute towards the travel, accommodation, and registration costs of students doing a PhD in the United Kingdom, who are presenting in the Slaven Workshop or the ABH conference. These will be awarded competitively prior to the Workshop. Please indicate in your application whether you would like to be considered for one of these travel grants. To apply for this grant please email Christine.Leslie@glasgow.ac.uk by 31 March 2017.  Further information about the Carnevali Grant will be placed on the ABH website early in the New Year at http://www.gla.ac.uk/external/ABH.

CfP: ABH 2017 Glasgow: The Human Factor in Business History

Steph1 Comment

Association of Business Historians Annual Conference 2017

‘The Human Factor in Business History’

University of Glasgow,
29 June – 1 July 2017

Call for Papers

Understanding the strategy and structure of firms forms a vital part of the discipline of business history, as does the deployment of essential tools such as typologies of company forms, theories of the firm and firm growth and so on. But it is vital, too, for business historians to recognise and investigate those who stand at the heart of business history: the people who create firms, those who own them and those who work for them in various capacities (whether in head offices, in back offices or on the shop floor) to enable companies to function effectively (or, alternatively, passably or dysfunctionally). It is, after all, people who develop and deploy the skills, relationships and capabilities to allow all of this to happen. Just as important, though, is the human impact of the firm and other organisations that employ people, not least because even today those employed spend a very large proportion of their time in the workplace. Indeed, they are usually engaged for more time there than in any other activity with the exception of sleeping. The firm is therefore a place not only for work, which itself involves considerable human interaction, but also a focus for social life and identity. The theme of the 2017 ABH conference is ‘The human factor in business history’.

Proposals for individual papers or for full sessions, panel discussions or other 2 session formats are invited on this topic, broadly conceived. Specific topics might include, but are not limited to:

  • Entrepreneurs, managers and/or workers
  • Leadership in business
  • Biographical and prosopographical approaches to business history
  • Networks and hierarchies in business as social systems
  • Cross-cultural issues in business and management
  • The impact of automation and technology on human interaction in the workplace
  • Industrial relations and human resource management
  • Gender roles and relations in the workplace
  • The human bases of company behaviour and misbehaviour
  • The human factor in SMEs, family enterprise, corporations and/or MNEs
  • Local, regional, national and transnational networks and business
  • The workplace as a community and focus for identity
  • Business and social movements
  • The impact of work and production on humans and the physical environment

As always, the ABH also welcomes proposals that are not directly related to the conference theme. How to submit a paper or session proposal The program committee will consider both individual papers and entire panels. Individual paper proposals should include a one-page (up to 300 word) abstract and one-page curriculum vitae (CV). Panel proposals should include a cover letter stating the rationale for the panel and the name of its contact person; one-page (300 word) abstract and author’s CV for each paper; and a list of preferred panel chairs and commentators with contact information.

The deadline for submissions is 15 January 2017. Your application for the conference should come through our online submission platform.

Please use the following link: Submit your Papers or Sessions.

First you make a choice for uploading a single paper or a full-session. After pressing each button you will find a mask guiding you through the upload process. Please have available your CV and your Abstract. Any other idea regarding the conference – workshops, poster sessions, or panel discussions – must be suggested directly to the Programme Committee.

CfP: Techniques of the Corporation

Steph

CALL FOR PAPERS

“Techniques of the Corporation”

4-6 May 2017, University of Toronto
Technoscience Research Unit

Conference organization

Justin Douglas
Bretton Fosbrook
Kira Lussier
Michelle Murphy

How do corporations know themselves and their world? Over the last 150 years, corporations, like universities and laboratories, have generated an abundance of knowledge-making techniques in the form of psychological tests, efficiency technologies, scenario planning, and logistical systems. As dominant forms of the last century, corporations are assembled with instruments, infrastructures, and interventions that arrange and rearrange the dynamics of capitalism. These techniques of the corporation have filtered into our daily lives, influencing everyday understandings of self, inequality, environment, and society.

Techniques of the Corporation will assemble an interdisciplinary network of established and emerging scholars whose work contributes to the critical study of the techniques, epistemologies, and imaginaries of the 20th-century corporation. This conference aims to foster a timely conversation between Science and Technology Studies (STS) approaches and the recent histories of capitalism. We treat the corporation in the same way that historians of science and STS scholars have approached science, colonialism, and militarism as generative sites for knowledge production, value-making, and technopolitics. The conference takes as its starting place North American corporations with the understanding that corporations are multinational forms with complex transnational histories. Building from the recent history of capitalism, we attend to the entangled genealogies of corporations with slavery, exploitation, environmental destruction, colonialism, and inequality.

Hosted by the Technoscience Research Unit at the University of Toronto, this event will be an intimate multi-day conversation between established and emerging scholars in the fields of STS, history of science, and the history of capitalism. Techniques of the Corporation will be headlined by keynote speaker Joseph Dumit, and features invited talks by Dan Bouk, Elspeth Brown, Deborah Cowen, Orit Halpern, Louis Hyman, Michelle Murphy, Martha Poon, and Elise Thorburn. The conference will be an immersive experience in the Greater Toronto Area with meals and cocktails provided.

We invite emerging and established scholars in diverse fields (including business history; labour history; anthropology; geography; economic sociology; media studies; critical race studies; architecture studies; feminist and sexuality studies; environmental studies; and cultural studies) to explore the techniques, epistemologies, and imaginaries of corporations. Our overall goal is to crystallize a new field, culminating in a field-defining publication. We welcome work on corporate practices that exceed calculative logics, such as work on social relations, affective and psychological states, and speculative futurities.  In addition to traditional papers, the conference encourages creative methods to query corporate forms, including art installations, videos, interactive multimedia projects, and role-playing games. Applications for travel assistance will be arranged after acceptance.

Corporate practices, include, but are not limited to:

management sharing economy data management
marketing risk management corporate culture
planning corporate responsibility consulting
infrastructure sustainability research and development
logistics corporate design intellectual property
gaming precarity affective labor
racial surveillance architecture transnational capital

Please submit abstracts of no more than 300 words and a CV to the conference organizers at corporatetechniques@gmail.com by 13 January 2017.