Call for Papers – Deadline Extended to May 1, 2009:

Washburn University extends its invitation to submit proposals for papers, panels, and works-in-progress for presentation at the upcoming conference, “Affirmative Action at 40: Requiem or Renaissance?” This conference, to be held September 23-24, 2009, will mark the fortieth anniversary of the implementation of the first federal affirmative action employment program to have defined, quantifiable, enforceable goals.

We welcome panel and paper proposals, as well as works-in-progress from scholars and students in a wide range of disciplines, and encourage any submissions relevant to the history, interpretation, practice, or consequences of affirmative action.

The extended deadline for submission of proposals for panels, papers, and works-in-progress is Friday, May 1, 2009. Please use the conference’s website for submission: http://www.washburn.edu/ce/affirmative-action/call-for-proposals.php. Submissions of individual papers and works-in-progress should include a 250-word abstract. Panel submissions should include individual abstracts as well as a 200-word description of the panel.

Gerald Torres, co-author of The Miner's Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy and the Bryant Smith Professor of Law at the University of Texas, has been designated the Oliver L. Brown Distinguished Visiting Professor for Diversity Issues, 2009, and will serve as the keynote speaker for the conference. Plenary panel topics for the conference include:

I. Historical Perspectives on Affirmative Action
II. Public Policy Significance of Affirmative Action Now and in the Future for Race, Gender, and Electoral Politics
III. Constitutional Law, Judicial Interpretation and Regulatory Enforcement of Affirmative Action

For more information, please visit our website http://www.washburn.edu/ce/affirmative-action/index.php. Questions may be directed to Janet Thompson Jackson at janet.jackson@washburn.edu (785-670-1637), Kerry Wynn at kerry.wynn@washburn.edu (785-670-2062), or Steve Cann at steve.cann@washburn.edu (785-670-2027).