“THE REAL WAR WILL NEVER GET IN THE BOOKS”:

The Public History of the American Civil War, a Sesquicentennial Symposium

North Carolina State University

Event Date: March 26, 2011
Deadline for Proposals: December 15, 2010

The approaching 150th anniversary of the American Civil War provides a unique opportunity to explore the many ways that public and academic historians can work together to engage general audiences at battlefields, historic sites, and museums across the country. On Saturday, March 26, 2011, the History Department at North Carolina State University will host a symposium to facilitate discussions among Civil War interpreters, museum curators, and scholars about how to convey integrated narratives of military, social, and political history. We invite panels, roundtables, and workshops to consider issues related to the public interpretation of the Civil War, including but not limited to:

- Challenging popular narratives of the war
- Attracting diverse audiences
- Exploring interpretive practices at war-related sites
- Preserving Civil War battlefields
- Integrating scholarship and research into the public interpretation of the war
- Finding a usable past in Civil War history

We anticipate that the symposium will engage the Civil War broadly, including the causes of the war, civilians and soldiers on the battlefields and homefronts, irregular and regular war, and emancipation and Reconstruction.

Interested public historians, curators, site directors, scholars, etc. should submit 1-2 page proposals for panels, roundtables, and workshops and CVs for all participants to Susanna Lee (susanna_lee@ncsu.edu) and David Zonderman (david_zonderman@ncsu.edu) by December 15, 2010. Decisions on accepted proposals will be made by January 15, 2011. Invited participants will receive travel and accommodations.

Susanna Lee: 919-513-2215
David Zonderman: 919-513-2222
History Department
North Carolina State University
Fax: 919-515-3886
Conference webpage: http://faculty.chass.ncsu.edu/smlee4/civilwarconference/