CALL FOR PAPERS  
  
The Future of the History of Economics: Young scholars' perspective.  
  
Symposium at the annual conference of the European Society for the History  
of Economic Thought (ESHET), Porto, Portugal, April 28-30, 2006. Organized  
by Erik Angner <[log in to unmask]>, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and  
Paola Tubaro <[log in to unmask]>, Paris X.  
  
The aim of this symposium is to give young scholars in the history of  
economics a forum in which they can reflect on the future of their  
discipline. The topic has of course been discussed for some time now (most  
prominently in the 2002 HOPE supplement). Yet, to date, most of the voices  
in the debate have belonged to established scholars, and there is reason to  
think that young scholars' perspectives may differ.  
  
The main question that will be addressed during the symposium is whether  
there is such a thing as a future of the history of economics. In light of  
the pessimistic predictions expressed by many of the previous participants  
in this debate, and in light of the decreasing opportunities to pursue  
graduate studies in the history of economics, it is something of a mystery  
that so many young scholars choose to pursue a career in the field.  
Presumably, this does not just reveal a preference for a future in the  
discipline, but also a belief that there will be such a discipline, and that  
it will contain a place for them. A skeptical observer may insist that such  
decisions are the result of youthful innocence and/or an inability to do  
"real economics." It is also possible, however, that young scholars have  
reasons to believe in a future for the field. This symposium intends to give  
them an opportunity to articulate and discuss such reasons, if any.  
  
Insofar as the first question is answered in the affirmative, participants  
are also expected to explore the nature of the discipline, both what they  
think will happen and what they would want to happen. Questions to be  
discussed may include: How will future historians of economics be educated?  
What will be the character of their work? What methods will they use? How  
will they make themselves relevant? How will they disseminate their work?  
What will be their institutional home, and how will they interact with other  
fields? One reason why we should listen to these sholars is that, to the  
extent that there will be a discipline at all, it will inevitably be shaped  
by them.   
  
We invite young scholars (defined as graduate students and scholars who  
received their Ph.D.'s less than five years ago) to submit papers  
articulating their answers to questions about the future of our discipline.  
We have a strong preference for clear, bold statements with brief supporting  
arguments. Please send contributions via email as a .doc or .pdf file to  
either one of the organizers no later than January 30, 2006. Contributions  
should be in English and no more than 3000 words long. Authors should  
justify their status as young scholars by indicating when they received (or  
anticipate receiving) their Ph.D. Papers will be selected on the basis of  
the cogency of the argument as well as the fit with other contributions.  
  
All papers scheduled to be presented at the conference will be posted on the  
symposium website (see below) shortly after being accepted. Participants are  
expected to acquaint themselves with the other contributions, and fashion  
their presentations accordingly. In order for this to be possible, the  
January 30th deadline will be fairly strictly enforced. The proceedings may  
be published as a mini-symposium in JHET, though the final decision will be  
made at a later stage.  
  
For more information, please see  
<http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~angner/future.html> or contact either one of the  
organizers.   
  
Erik Angner