The Transformations of Southern Society, 1790-1860.

The Southern Industrialization Project announces a call for papers for the third volume in the series "New Currents in the History of Southern Economy and Society", to be published by the University of Missouri Press. This volume will be devoted to the theme: The Transformations of Southern Society, 1790-1860.

According to conventional wisdom, antebellum southern society was overwhelmingly composed of planters and their families, slaves, and an undifferentiated mass of poor whites. During the past few decades, however, historians have documented how the Old South had been much more diverse and articulated, both economically and socially, than previously believed. Moreover, recent historical literature has underscored the dynamic nature of southern society during the seventy-odd years that spanned between the founding of the federal state and the coming of the Civil War.

The editors seek paper proposals that explore social and economic transformations in the pre-1860 United States South in rural, urban, and or industrial contexts, broadly conceived. Essays exploring middle classes, black-white relations, factory operatives (either free or slave), or the impact of economic change on southern women are particularly welcome.

Interested authors are asked to submit a two-page paper proposal and c.v. via email to each of the three series editors by January 15, 2008. Final papers would be due September 1, 2008. Please contact the editors for more information:

Susanna Delfino, University of Genoa, Italy,
susanna.delfino@virgilio.it
Michele Gillespie, Wake Forest University, gillesmk@wfu.edu
Louis M. Kyriakoudes, University of Southern Mississippi, Louis.Kyriakoudes@usm.edu