Conference
CFP: 'The Godwin Diary: Reconstructing London's Culture 1788-1836'
Registration is now closed
On 23-24 July 2010 the Leverhulme sponsored research project responsible for editing the diary of William Godwin will hold a two-day conference to introduce scholars to the new resource and to explore how that resource provides a distinctive light on our understanding of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century social and political culture. The conference will take place at the Department of Politics & International Relations, Manor Road, Oxford. The Godwin Diary conference will mark the culmination of three years' effort to edit the diary and publish a digital and fully searchable edition. Accompanying the searchable text will be a complete scan of the original diary
The conference organizers have invited a number of speakers but would also welcome proposals for paper from those interested in exploring the light that the resource can shed on their own research interests. Those speaking include: John Barrell, Luisa Calé, Julie Carlson, Greg Claeys, Pamela Clemit, Beth Lau, Jon Mee, Jane Moody, and Philip Schofield.
We should state at the outset that the conference format, and the nature of the papers presented, is a little unusual. The objective of the conference is to launch the diary website and to illustrate its potential as a research tool for the study of the period 1788- 1836. It is not, therefore, a 'Godwin conference' but is concerned with how the diary illuminates various aspects of London's cultural and material worlds with particular emphasis on the manifold networks of relationships that Godwin mapped in his diary. Accordingly, papers should focus on the contribution Godwin's Diary might make to some of their own research interests. To enable people to do this the Godwin team will provide speakers with access to the Diary in advance of the conference. Moreover, rather than expecting people to write extensive papers on their research areas we are asking for short contributions of just 10 minutes. Our belief is that this will prove an attractive format that will allow a very wide range of issues to be discussed during the two days and will give some indication of the immense richness of the resource as a research tool. Our hope is that scholars will find attractive the idea of brief papers about particular topics that link the Diary to their research interests and indicate its contribution. The Bodleian has agreed that a collection of the papers will be published in a special issue of the Bodleian Library Record.
We plan to have sessions on publishing culture, theatre, lives and deaths, sociability, visual culture, and radicalism. There will also be a panel on the practice of diarykeeping. We will offer a hands-on session navigating the diary and exploiting its search mechanisms. The conference will also, in conjunction with the Bodleian Library, host an exhibition of the diary and other key manuscripts from the Godwin-Shelley archive (Abinger Collection). It is also planned to stage the world premiere of Godwin's MS tragedy, St Dunstan (1790)!
Those attending the conference will get access to the diary before its full launch in Autumn 2010 as we hope to improve the resource after feedback from users. An outline plan of the conference and its different sessions is appended below, along with suggested topics (other topics are welcome). Those interested in contributing are asked to indicate the panel which they believe is most appropriate and to provide a brief paragraph outlining their research interest and what they would hope to discuss in their paper (no more than 300 words). This should be sent to the project e-mail address (below) by 1 October 2009.
Contact: godwin.diary@politics.ox.ac.uk
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