The conference organisers invite abstracts that could encompass either end of the following spectrum: ‘great men’ to ‘silent voices’ – from contemporary and historical, and academic and museum-based perspectives. Questions that might be explored include: How have museum displays reflected changing assessments of ‘heroes and villains’ over the past two centuries? How are museums accommodating theories of subaltern histories today? Is there real value in the study and display of marginal voices? Can these sit side by side with ‘great men’ histories in the museum, and if so, how do we reconcile the two? Is current academic thinking reflected in museums in relation to ‘people stories’ (for example, is the academic example of ‘micro-histories’ an apposite one for museums)? Do existing collections constrain the kind of history of individuals that can be displayed, or do we just need more creative interpretative practice, to get the most from the collections available? How does active collecting fit in?

Full details available at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/researchers/conferences-and-seminars/cfppeoplingthepast Abstracts of no more than 250 words with a brief biography, are now invited.