The Association of Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS) is now accepting proposals for their 2023 Annual Conference, set for September 18th through 20th, in Ithaca, Thompkins County, NY. This year’s theme is “Home, Sweet Home.” The annual conference draws approximately 100 government-appointed historians and affiliates from across the state.
The theme “Home, Sweet Home” looks to answer questions such as: How have people connected with the places they call home, whether their birthplace, adopted community, or ancestral origins? How have geographies and landscapes influenced people’s social, cultural, and economic experiences, whether in urban, suburban, or rural homes? How have people used the land they call home? How have people’s homes been a point of pride? How have people defined or redefined their homes? Their families? How have home spaces reflected safety and protection, or threat and vulnerability? What disruptions to homelife — war, captivity, enslavement, migration, natural disasters—have people faced? What have been the experiences of those without homes, those displaced from their homes, or those who lived in places they might not have considered home?
At this year’s conference, APHNYS invites New York’s public historians to explore these and other questions relating to the concept of home and its influence on the lives of people throughout the state’s history.
Session Types
Unless otherwise noted, sessions are 75 minutes in length; 15-20 minutes of that should be reserved for discussion.
Panel sessions (75 minutes) are organized around a facilitator/chair and 3–4 presenters. Generally, each panelist speaks for 15 minutes, followed by comment and/or discussion led by the facilitator and time for questions from the audience. Individual presentations should be at least loosely connected by topic or theme.
Skills sessions (75 minutes) are training sessions designed to teach practical skills. This session type is ideal for demonstrating the use of new or innovative tools or techniques.
Workshops are longer, more-focused training sessions in which presenters work directly with participants to teach them a new skill or concept. Workshops may be up to three (3) hours in length. These will be only scheduled on the morning of Monday, September 18th. (Organizers will also consider workshops that can be held offsite on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 20th.) Presenters may wish to set a limit on the number of attendees to ensure that participants can actively engage and interact with the presenters.
Individual sessions (45 minutes) allow a single presenter to give a longer, lecture-style talk on a single topic or theme. Sessions are 45 minutes long, including time for questions from the audience.
The deadline to submit is April 30th, 2023. The Program Committee will review proposals and respond to all applicants by June 15th, 2023. All presenters will be required to register and pay for the conference. (The only exception will be for presenters attending just their session.)
For more information or to register, click here.
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