The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP), the American Philosophical Society (APS), the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum (Bowdoin College), and the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science (PACHS) announce a call for papers for an international, interdisciplinary conference on the history of North American Arctic exploration. The conference will focus on the period from 1850 to 1940.

Topics will include: strategic issues propelling Northern exploration; consequences of culture contact (Western-Inuit/Inughuit relations); the impact of Arctic exploration on popular culture; national identity and "Race for the Pole"; increases in knowledge of the natural world; advances in maritime technology; changes in navigational techniques; advances in travel and communication technologies; and the culture of the explorer.

If you are interested in presenting a paper at this conference, please submit a short (one-page) abstract and a brief bio or abbreviated CV to bclause@pachs.net. Electronic submissions are preferred, but hard copies may be sent to:

"North by Degree"
Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science
431 Chestnut Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106

The steering committee will determine which papers will be accepted. Papers presented at the conference will be considered for inclusion in a volume to be published by the American Philosophical Society (R. M. Peck, editor).

Submission deadline for paper abstracts: September 30, 2007.

For further information go to http://www.ansp.org/research/Arctic/ A full schedule of speakers and events will be available in November 2007.

To discuss possible paper topics contact:

Susan Kaplan
Bowdoin College
207-725-3289
skaplan@bowdoin.edu

or

Robert Peck
Academy of Natural Sciences
215-299-1138
peck@ansp.org