The British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies

Call for Papers
The annual meeting of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies is Europe’s largest and most prestigious conference dealing with all aspects of the history, literature, and culture of the long eighteenth century.

The 2009 conference will feature plenary addresses by Margot Finn (University of Warwick) and Jack Lynch (Rutgers University)

We invite proposals for papers and sessions dealing with any aspect of the long eighteenth century, not only in Britain, but also throughout Europe and the wider world. Proposals are invited for individual papers, for fully comprised panels of three papers, for roundtable sessions of five speakers, and for ‘alternative format’ sessions of your devising.

While proposals on all and any eighteenth-century topics are welcome, this year the conference theme will be ‘Eighteenth-Century Lives’. We would thus particularly welcome proposals for papers that address any aspect of life writing or personal experiences, whether individual or group, throughout the long eighteenth century and in any part of the world.

Please submit a 250-word abstract of the proposed paper, panel, or roundtable (including names of speakers, panel chair, and summaries of papers in the case of comprised panels and roundtables) via this website . Papers should be 20 minutes long, while roundtable talks are normally around 10 minutes in length.

| Propose a paper | Propose a panel | Propose a roundtable |

The official languages of the conference are English and French. Presentations in other languages are acceptable if transcripts in English or French are available for the audience.

Currently the Conference is organized on the basis of plenary sessions, panels ( with their constituent papers) and ‘round tables’ whereby a number of speakers give a short informal 10 minute talk on a topic as a basis for further discussion. If you have ideas about one or more sessions using a different format then do make a proposal using our online form for that purpose.

The deadline for submission of papers and panel proposals is Friday 26th September 2008.

You will be notified by Monday 27th October as to whether your proposal has been accepted. If you are travelling from outside the UK and need an earlier decision, please mention this in your proposal and we shall endeavour to reach a decision earlier in order to facilitate your travel arrangements.

Enquiries
All enquiries regarding the academic programme of the conference should be addressed to the Academic Organiser, Dr Brycchan Carey (email ).

All enquires relating to accommodation at St. Hugh's, local facilities and related matters should be addressed to the Venue Organiser, Chris Mounsey email )

Attending the Conference
The registration form will be available on this site on around 10th July.

Bursaries
BSECS is proud to be able to support scholars to attend this conference. Twelve bursaries of £100 each will be available for graduate students whose papers have been accepted and who are registered for a higher degree at a higher education institution within the European Union.

In addition, accommodation costs and the conference fee will be waived for up to six established scholars whose papers have been accepted and who are from countries whose institutions may not normally have the resources to support staff attendance at conferences in Western Europe.

Applications for bursaries should be made on the official application form which will shortly be available on this site.

Completed application forms should reach the Membership Secretary, Dr Gary Day, by Friday 24 October 2008.

St Hugh's College
The College is set in fourteen acres of self-contained grounds surrounded by lawns, borders and mature trees, making this one of the loveliest hidden delights of Oxford in which Conference delegates can relax within easy reach of lecture and seminar rooms and living accommodation. It offers both ensuite accommodation and rooms with shared facilities. The College is within ten minutes walking distance of Oxford city centre, from which there are a number of very frequent bus services.