Histoires d'enfant, histoires d'enfance
Stories for children, histories of childhood

Call for papers.

On 7th October 1913, the Times postulated that in the new world of the 20th century, civilised behaviour would be measured by the way societies look after their children. Almost one hundred years later, this same belief is still seen as central to our way of living and our concept of civilised behaviour. But beyond the rhetoric, what place does the child hold in our culture and what contribution has childhood made to its construction? The question may appear self-evident even redundant yet until relatively recently academic research, with few exceptions, tended to show a haughty disdain for studies of children and childhood.

This interdisciplinary conference will explore the complexities of our perceptions of childhood and, hopefully, provide the opportunity for experts of its literature and social history to "open windows" of understanding that have hitherto eluded both. Although predominantly focussed on the modern period in France, Britain and North America, no time-scale has been placed on the project, nor is it strictly limited geographically.

Guest speaker - Hugh Cunningham (University of Kent at Canterbury) Keynote speakers - Paula Fass (University of Berkeley), Colin Heywood (University of Nottingham), Peter Hunt (University of Wales, Cardiff), Kim Reynolds (University of Roehampton), Lynne Vallone (Texas A and M University)

Abstracts of no more than 200 words, along with a provisional title and a short c.v., to be sent by 30 April 2005 to Rosie Findlay (e-mail address provided below) or Sébastien Salbayre (sebastien.salbayre@univ-tours.fr)