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The Historical Society of Pennsylvania invites presentations for its 2006 symposium, “Extreme Makeovers: Histories of Self-Fashioning in the Mid-Atlantic.” In the spirit of Benjamin Franklin’s lifelong pursuit of self-creation, the symposium explores the contexts and strategies for self-fashioning in American history from colonial self-improvement to contemporary self-help.
Presenters are encouraged to interpret the theme broadly and may explore any historical period, with a geographic focus on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or the mid-Atlantic region (comparative work including this geographic focus will also be considered). Possible presentation topics include but are not limited to: Transcendentalism and perfectionism; self-creation through fashion, etiquette, and deportment; programs for moral and spiritual development; social mobility; work ethics; entrepreneurialism; rags-to-riches myths; autodidacticism; and more.
Symposium participants will be encouraged to submit versions of their papers to the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography for publication.
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