Announcing the Carceral Archipelago Conference Call for Papers

We are excited to open the Call For Papers (CFP) for the Carceral Archipelago’s upcoming international conference, The Carceral Archipelago: Transnational Circulations in Global Perspective, 1415-1960, to be held in September 2015.

Scholars of penal settlements and colonies from all over the world are warmly invited to submit proposals for papers and panels. We are particularly interested in mapping and analysing the transnational or global study of penal transportation and its legacies, and its relationship to the history of labour, migration and other modes of carceral confinement.

This conference has a deliberately wide geographical scope, and spans all empires and polities that have used convict transportation including the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific. We are particularly interested in submissions that address histories of connection and circulation, and that focus on literatures and histories that are currently under-represented in the field.

The conference will take place at the University of Leicester’s brand new residential conference facility, College Court. With such comfortable accommodation and conference facilities, we hope to create a productive and engaging environment for conversation, collaboration, and inquiry.

We are looking forward to welcoming scholars from around the world to Leicester, UK – the once and future home of King Richard III!*

The Closing date for proposals is 1 October 2014. For further details including how to apply, and possible funding, see the full CFP on our website.

*   For more on the discovery and planned reburial of Richard III, see: http://www.le.ac.uk/richardiii/ However, Leicester is so much more than the last Plantagenet – we have fantastic restaurants, a vibrant cultural scene, and beautiful parks.  It’s a great place for sharing ideas!