CALL FOR PAPERS
Telling the Story: Narrating "Brown v. Board"

May 17, 2004 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark "Brown v. Topeka Board of Education" decision ordering the desegregation of U.S. schools. The event will be celebrated in Topeka, Kansas with the formal opening of a new national park -- the Brown v. Board National Historic Site at Topeka's once-segregated Monroe Elementary School - and by the world premiere of a play by Marcia Cebulska specially commissioned for the fiftieth anniversary national celebration.

Come for the celebration and stay for the conference. In conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary celebrations, Washburn University is hosting an interdisciplinary academic conference, "Telling the Story: Narrating Brown v. Board," May 18-20, 2004, and is inviting proposals for twenty-minute paper presentations on the full range of themes suggested by the Brown decision. These include, but need not be restricted to:

• Historical papers, treating either of the legal road to and from Brown or the connections between the Brown decision and the broader movement for civil rights in the U.S.
• Interpretations of the literature that has been inspired or influenced by the Brown decision.
• Analyses of the use of sociological and psychological evidence in mounting the Brown case.
• Explorations of the consequences of the Brown decision and the gradual desegregation of schools that followed it for American education.
• Analyses of the consequences of the court decision on race relations.
• Evaluations of the resonance of the Brown case internationally, either as an influence in Cold War politics or as an inspiration for civil-rights movements abroad.
• Explorations of the contemporary educational impact of the Brown decision.
• Interpretations of the political dynamics of the Brown decision, either in terms of ideological frameworks or practical politics.
• Pedagogical approaches to teaching the lessons of Brown and the civil-rights movement.

Authors of accepted papers will have the option of submitting their work for the on-line refereed publication of the conference proceedings, hosted by Washburn University's DART Project. Articles developed from papers presented at the conference will also be considered for publication in The Kansas State Historical Society Journal, "Kansas History."

Proposals of 200 words can be submitted through mail to the address below or e-mail (placing them within the body of the message). Proposals must be received by MIDNIGHT November 10, 2003. Notification of acceptance will be sent by December 19, 2003, and instructions on accommodations in Topeka will be included with those notifications. The conference will be held in Topeka, Kansas, May 18-20, 2004, with an option of being included in the scheduled events of May 17. Conference fees will be $100.