SHARP’s 2021 annual conference (Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing) will take place virtually from 26 – 30 July 2021, hosted by the University of Muenster, Germany. In addition to traditional panels with 20 minute papers, this year SHARP is introducing a mini-workshop format called “research labs”, consisting of intensive discussion of 3-4 pre-circulated papers. Of particular relevance to CREATe is a proposed research lab on copyright history, and early career researchers are encouraged.
Proposals for this lab are being coordinated by Will Slauter, and should be submitted directly to him. If you are currently working on an article, dissertation chapter, book chapter, or other writing on some aspect of the history of copyright, and would like to receive feedback in the research lab format, please send a title and abstract of the proposed paper, plus a biography to Will.
Research on all time periods and countries is welcome but some preference will be given to submissions that relate in some way to the overall conference theme, Moving texts: from discovery to delivery. Submissions representing different disciplinary perspectives, methodologies, and stages of career are actively encouraged.
The deadline for submissions for the Copyright History lab is 15 December, and further response will be prompt after this date as the final deadline for all types of submissions is 15 January. Submission for review should include the title of the proposed SHARP research lab, abstract of 300 words maximum, the titles and abstracts of the individual papers (300 words each), and biographies of the lab leader and authors (150 words maximum). Being a member of SHARP is not necessary in order to submit a proposal, but researchers whose proposals are accepted will need to become SHARP members in order to participate in the conference. If a lab is accepted by the conference program committee, then all authors would be expected to make their work available at least four weeks before the conference (length of finished paper: 6,000 words max).
Research lab format
- The lab leader chooses the theme and recruits lab contributors (by circulating a CFP, for example) and then acts as moderator during the live discussion session. The lab can last for 90 minutes (if there are 3 papers) or 120 minutes (4 papers).
- Authors must commit to providing their papers at least four weeks in advance of the event and allow their papers to be made available to registered conference participants.
- Papers should be no more than 6,000 words, but may consist of a section from a longer work in progress (dissertation, book, article, grant proposal…)
Alternatively, individuals can also propose their own panels, roundtables, or “research labs” directly to SHARP – see the full call for proposals here.