London and the First World War

Call for Papers

www.history.ac.uk/london-ww1

Senate House& IWM London

20–21 March2015

As part of events to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, IWM (Imperial War Museums) in partnership with the Centre for Metropolitan History is organising a major conference that will explore the ways in which London and its inhabitants were affected by, and involved with, the 1914–18 conflict.

CALL FOR PAPERS

LONDON AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR

20 – 21 March 2015

A conference organised by the Centre for Metropolitan History (Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London), and Imperial War Museums

The Zeppelin scare is just as if the whole place was in imminent fear of an earthquake. At night the whole of London is in absolute darkness, every window heavily screened, no street lamps, no lamps on vehicles, all trains with windows closed and blinds drawn, constant street accidents and traffic blocks, and a bewildering pandemonium of confusion in the streets.

War Letters of General Monash, Sydney, ed. F.M. Cutlack (1934), p. 124, 18 July 1916; writing to his wife and daughter in Australia

As part of events to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, IWM (Imperial War Museums) in partnership with the Centre for Metropolitan History is organising a major conference that will explore the ways in which London and its inhabitants were affected by, and involved with, the 1914-18 conflict. For the first time London was effectively on the front line, subject to aerial bombing and surveillance, whilst its streets, buildings and spaces were shaped by the needs of mass mobilisation, supply and defence. The war had an impact upon everyday life in the capital in other ways too, including the economy, governance, standards of living, culture, leisure, the physical environment and social life. The conference will be an opportunity to examine these and larger themes, such as the idea of ‘resilience’ as a feature of the development of cities in history, and the extent to which warfare has engendered longer term urban societal changes. We are also interested in exploring the ‘legacy’ of the First World War, whether through art, literature, the built environment or the heritage industry.

Proposals for panels (3 x 20 minute papers) or individual papers are invited on any of these or any other topics connected with the impact of the First World War on London, and indeed London’s role, broadly conceived, in the four-year conflict. The programme committee welcomes submissions reflecting a wide range of perspectives and disciplines, including history, geography, literary studies, art history, and museology. We also welcome papers which reflect comparatively on the experiences of London and other cities in the UK and in other countries.

The deadline for proposals is 30 May 2014.

Abstracts of c.250 words and a brief biography should be sent by email to: Olwen.Myhill@sas.ac.uk

Programme Committee:

Suzanne Bardgett (Imperial War Museums) Professor Matthew Davies (Centre for Metropolitan History) Professor Richard Dennis (UCL) Dr Stefan Goebel (Kent) Professor Jerry White (Birkbeck, University of London)