GSA Seminar: The Diversities of Care in the Long 19th Century (Atlanta)

Seminar: The Diversities of Care in the Long 19th Century

48th Annual Conference of the German Studies Association, Atlanta, Georgia

September 26-29, 2024

Submission Deadline: February 23, 2024

Recently, the concept of “care” has attracted increased attention within and beyond academia, especially since COVID. This seminar aims to explore the historical-cultural roots of “care,” particularly during the long nineteenth century, when medical care became institutionalized and seen as labor; when care for the environment confronted rapid industrialization; when scientists and colonizers wrought ecological destruction while transporting flora, fauna, and people across oceans in order to “care” for them in gardens or zoos; where changing gender norms demanded a re-evaluation of care as “women’s work”; and where ascendant materialism transformed the philosophical, moral, and ethical underpinnings of care.

The seminar invites contributions from diverse areas (environmentalism, medical humanities, gender studies, emotion studies, disability studies, philosophy, etc.) to show how broadly this term was applied, how its meaning shifted in the course of the nineteenth century, and what impact this has on our theoretical and conceptual engagements with “care” today.

Seminar participants will submit a paper of 4-6 pages four weeks before the conference. Pre-circulated papers will be grouped thematically, presented briefly, and discussed by an assigned respondent. The conveners will provide readings in advance to give authors some common reference points. Interdisciplinarity is welcome and highly encouraged.

All seminar applications are processed through the OpenWater submissions portal (do not email applications to the conveners).  Interested participants are asked to submit an abstract describing the nature of their contribution to the seminar (500 words max), as well as a short biography (300 words max). The deadline for applications is 11:59pm PST on February 23 and no applications will be possible after that time.

For questions, contact the conveners:

John Lyon, Georgia Tech, jlyon38@gatech.edu

Heather Sullivan, Trinity University, hsulliva@trinity.edu

Holly Yanacek, James Madison University, yanaceha@jmu.edu

Contact Information

John Lyon

Contact Email

jlyon38@gatech.edu