40th AHA Conference

The 40th Australian Historical Association (AHA) Conference, will be hosted by Deakin University Contemporary Histories Research Group on the theme ‘urgent histories’.

History-writing is proving both persistent and insistent in the face of current assaults on the human condition. The pandemic and climate change demand historians respond as both scholars and engaged citizens in the face of worldwide political efforts to realign the past to fit present imperatives. Populism and authoritarianism are undermining the humanities and revealing the urgent need for historical thinking in public and policy debate. Our response to these challenges depends on how they are understood in relation to human experiences past and present, narrated in rich historical context, and made compelling through skilled storytelling.

Urgent Histories, on Wadawurrung country in Geelong, Australia, invites historians to focus on the uses and usefulness of the past in pressing contemporary public debates, disputes and narratives. It welcomes histories and history-making distinctive to the local and particular through to addressing shared human conditions.

The convenors welcome proposals for papers and panels on any geographical area, time period, or field of history, especially those relating to the theme of urgent histories. Confirmed AHA and affiliated streams include environmental history, economic history, oral history, children and youth, and religious history.

We are very excited to be organising an in-person conference for the first time since 2019. Thanks to the wonders of technology some conference sessions will include opportunities for virtual presentations. You can indicate your preference to present online when submitting an abstract. Preference will be given to postgraduates, early career researchers not currently in full-time employment and proposals from outside Australia.

Online registrants should understand that not all conference sessions will be available to view online. In the event of a pandemic-induced disruption, the conference will transition to a fully online event.

Deadline for proposals

The deadline for abstracts and proposals for panels, including roundtables, is 13 March 2022.

Submissions should be made via the portal available on the new conference website – https://eur.cvent.me/woqyE.

If you have any difficulties submitting your abstract, please contact the convenors at aha2022@deakin.edu.au.