Lost and Found in the Long Eighteenth Century
The South-Central Society for Eighteenth Century Studies and the James Smith Noel Collection invite you to present papers and organize conference panels on being lost and found in the long eighteenth century. Whether one is lost at sea or lost in thought, finding one’s bearings can bring about new insights and inspirations. Discovering the answers to the mysteries of existence has led to whole new understandings of the world around and within us — and whole new speculations about the unseen and unknown. We look forward to hearing your guiding perspectives.
Please submit ideas for panels by October 1, 2024. Notification of accepted panels will be November 1, 2024. Paper proposals will be accepted until December 1, 2024. Proposals should be 250-500 words and individual presentations should be 15-20 minutes in length. Please submit proposals to SCSECS in care of martha.lawler@lsus.edu.
Panel proposals accepted so far include:
Lost (or Found) at Sea: Lessons from Maritime Trade, Leisure, and Exploration in the 18th century. Panel Chair: Susan Spencer, University of Central Oklahoma (Emerita)
Found, Lost, and Found Again: Discovery, Rediscovery, and Recovery in All Aspects of the Long Eighteenth-Century Experience. Panel Chair: Kevin L. Cope, Louisiana State University
Some untitled panel proposals consider travels to, from, and within unfamiliar lands and spaces and travel literature as related to Fanny Burney and Jane Austen. A special panel on eighteenth-century music is being developed in memory of Dr. Gloria Eive, who passed away earlier this year. Paper proposals have included an examination of the effects of losing one’s vanity and, perhaps therefore, one’s sense of self and finding a lost ancestor among a collection of family papers.
The conference will be held February 6-8, 2025 at the Hilton Shreveport Convention Center Hotel, 104 Market Street, Shreveport, LA. Registration will be $149. The conference rate for rooms at the Hilton will be $139 for rooms with 2 queen beds and $149 for rooms with one king bed.
Please note that there will be a tour of the James Smith Noel Collection at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, which is a private collection that contains over 3,000 items produced before 1850. Conference attendees are encouraged to make use of the collection while they are here, perhaps by spending a day or two before or after the conference. We look forward to seeing you.