Frequently Asked Questions

about submitting a proposal to the

Berkshire Conference on the History of Women

How do I print out the Cover Sheet or a hard copy of the Call for Papers?

Go back to the Call for Papers and move your cursor down to the bottom of the page. Choose one of the two formats. Rich Text Format generally works well if you use Microsoft Word or Word Perfect as your word processing program. PDF (Acrobat) works if you have an Acrobat Reader. Many PCs (and software packages) come with Acrobat as a built-in program, and yours probably has it. If it does not you can download the latest version of the Acrobat Reader for free from www.adobe.com.

To get your hard copy left-click on your preferred format. A window for either Rich Text Format or PDF should come up. Choose the Print icon from the menu by left-clicking on it. Proceed as you usually would to print.

If you cannot print out the cover sheet please ask for help from a friend. If this fails, contact one of the Program Co-chairs and ask her to send you a copy of the cover sheet by ordinary post.

How do I contact the Program Co-chairs?

The best way to contact them is by e-mail. You can also reach them by phone or by regular mail. To e-mail one of them left-click below on their e-mail address, and an e-mail window will appear. Type your message in the box (including your address, phone and fax number and e-mail address, if any) and left-click Send.

 

 

 

 

Can people in fields outside of history submit proposals?

Yes. Non-historians can deliver papers and act as chairs and comments. We also welcome proposals from independent scholars, whether or not they define themselves as historians. As a general rule though, individual papers (and the panels and roundtables in which they appear) need to be intelligible to an audience made up largely of historians of women, and to be relevant to the current historical enterprise, broadly conceived.

Can I submit a proposal for a single paper?

We prefer that you submit proposals for a complete panel or roundtable (for panels, generally two to three papers, a chair and a comment; for roundtables up to a maximum of about six people). You can submit a proposal for a single paper and we always accept some of these, but you will have a smaller chance of having your paper accepted than you would if you submitted as part of a panel or roundtable. This is because we will have to find an existing panel or roundtable to "place" it in, break up an existing panel, or construct a credible panel or roundtable from other single papers. All of these activities are time-consuming and potential sources of ill will. We do do this sort of thing on occasion, but we try to do it as little as possible.

Can two panels or roundtables on similar topics be linked?

We are open to the possibility. Be sure to indicate the rationale for the linkage somewhere in your proposal. If both panels are accepted remind us to take the linkage into account when space and time-slots are being assigned.

What is the difference between a panel and a roundtable?

There isn't a rigid demarcation between the two. However Panels typically involve a chair, two to three papers, and a comment. Often panels focus more narrowly on a specific historical problem, field, area, or time period (though many are comparative across regions or periods, and they can be interdisciplinary). Roundtables tend to take on "larger," and somewhat more speculative (and sometimes more controversial) subjects, and they often feature shorter, more informal presentations by a larger number of people. You may wish to look at some of the roundtables and panels offered at the 2002 Berkshire Conference for comparison. Left-click on 2002 Berkshire Conference to see the program.

How long is each panel or roundtable?

Two hours. In general performances and other special events should also fit within two hours. Hours for art exhibits will have to be negotiated.

Can graduate students apply to give papers?

Yes. Paper by graduate students make up significant proportion of the papers delivered at the Berkshire Conference. We are also not averse to panels or roundtables made up entirely of graduate students. However, all other things being equal, it is not a good idea for all or almost all of your panelists or roundtable participants to be affiliated with the same institution. This holds for all panels or roundtables, whether or not graduate students appear on them.

Do men give papers at the Berkshire Conference?

Yes.

Can I appear more than once on the program?

No, you may not. It is not uncommon for one person to be named in several proposals (e.g., to appear as a comment for one, and a paper-giver for another). However if we accept more than one of the panels or roundtables in which you are named as a participant, you will have to choose which one you wish to participate in, and work with us to find someone to replace you on the others. There will be no exceptions to this.

June 2005 is awfully far away and I don't know yet whether I'll be able to attend the conference. Should I submit a proposal anyway?

The Berkshire Conference is held only once every three years and is both a significant event in the field and a significant amount of work for a lot of people. You should not submit a paper unless you plan to deliver it. If you submit a paper and then pull out before the program is finalized, you cause a lot of extra work for the organizer of your panel and for the Program Committee. If you pull out after the program is finalized, you cheat conference attendees who may be coming to hear you, as well as other people whose papers were not accepted.

When you are notified that your paper has been accepted, you will be asked to pay your registration fee in advance. A paper will not be included in the program unless the presenter has paid the registration fee.

Can I submit my proposal on-line or by fax?

No. We may make exceptions to this on a case by case basis if your country's or region's postal service is nonexistent or highly unreliable due to geographical remoteness, infrastructural constraints, military conflict or other serious civil disruptions. Please contact Donna Guy or Antoinette Burton for more information.

When will I hear if my panel or paper has been accepted or rejected?

Proposals will be read and evaluated by the Program Committee during the Winter and Spring of 2004. You should hear in July or August of 2004 whether or not your proposal has been successful.

What does the Program Committee look for in a proposal? How important is it to address the conference theme, "Sin Fronteras: Women's Histories, Global Connections"?

The Program Committee works hard to bring to the Berkshire Conference the best new work being done in women's history worldwide.

For each panel or roundtable the Program Committee looks to see if the individual papers form a thematic whole (the short section in the cover sheet that asks you to supply a rationale for the entire panel or roundtable is extremely important and is read with great care). It looks at each one-page paper abstract to see if the papers look interesting, read coherently and well, pose a clear historical or other problem, and have something new to say about the topic at hand. It examines the one-page c.v.s/resumés of all applicants (whether applying as part of a panel or roundtable or not) to evaluate whether each person has the background to speak with authority on her or his topic, and (in the case of a panel or roundtable) whether the panelists are likely to complement one another, as well as to represent a diversity of approaches.

The Program Committee also looks to fill gaps in the field of women's history and to cover fields that may not be familiar to the majority of women's historians. So, for example, it looks especially hard for panels on Native Americans or Indigenous peoples in the U.S. , Latin America, and Canada, or gender in ancient, medieval, and early modern (pre-1800) history. Particularly in the case of 19th and 20th-century topics, well-conceived panels or roundtables that seek to cross the boundary between more developed countries or regions (The U.S. and Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia, etc.) and less developed countries or regions will generally be looked upon more favorably than panels or roundtables which focus narrowly on the U.S., Canada or Western Europe.

It is not necessary that every panel or roundtable address the conference theme. However panels and roundtables that do address the theme will have an advantage over those that do not. As has been true in all past Berkshire Conferences, the Program Committee will shape the program, and, if necessary, it will alter the composition of some panels or roundtables for greater intellectual coherence and to better address the conference theme.

How important is it that I adhere to the page limitations on c.v.s/resumés and paper abstracts and that I supply three (3) copies of everything?

It is very important. The organizers of the last Berkshire Conference received more than 700 proposals (translating into several thousand individual applicants) from more than 40 countries. Proposals are mailed out again by us at least twice and sometimes more often to specialist and generalist readers who devote significant amounts of unpaid time to reading them. Our Program Committee members go above and beyond the call of duty and our copying costs are already through the roof. Please help us save time, money and brain cells by submitting exactly what we've asked for.

How do I apply to perform or exhibit my work at the Conference?

The Berkshire Conference has traditionally featured a number of special performances and exhibitions of various sorts (public history programs, music, theater, art, videos and movies, slide-shows, multi-media productions) that appear relevant to the larger project of women's history. Proposals of this sort are usually submitted as individual proposals with supporting material. Prospective performers or exhibitors should contact the program co-chairs directly as early as possible to determine whether your work is appropriate to the conference, and to find out what supporting documentation you should send us. The Berkshire Conference does not have a budget for paying travel costs or honorariums for artists or performers; it is assumed that people interested in performing or exhibiting will consider themselves sufficiently compensated by the exposure. We are sorry, but there is no point in sending us your publicity material if you are not in a position to perform or exhibit free of charge.

I am a publisher, bookseller, journal editor or part of an on-line or off-line media company, and I am interested in renting space in the book exhibit. How do I get on the mailing list for further information?

E-mail Jennifer Thigpen, Book Exhibit Coordinator, at jthigpen@onemain.com. See also Information for Exhibitors.

Call for Papers

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