International Conference on the History of Freemasonry 2011 Call For Papers

The third bi-annual International Conference on the History of Freemasonry will take place May 26-30, 2011 at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. The first Call For Papers can be downloaded here.

The first two ICHFs took place in 2007 and 2009 in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the Grand Lodge of Scotland. These were among the largest gatherings of academic and Masonic researchers and presenters on the subject of the fraternity in the world. The 2011 Conference will be in the United States for the first time.

To quote from the Call For Papers:

Alexandria and its environs is a place where Scots played an important part in the early development of the region, as indeed they did in many other areas of America. It has been suggested therefore that one theme of the 2011 conference might be ‘Early Scottish Freemasons in North America’ and proposals for papers on that topic will be especially welcome.

Following the huge success of the first two conferences,this, the third International Conference, will see the conference achieve a level of maturity that was hoped for by the organisers and is indicative of the tremendous amount of interest in the subject of Freemasonry, in all its aspects. This is the only International Conference at which academics, members of the public and of course Freemasons, gather together to discuss this much under-estimated social phenomenon.

The main purpose of the ICHF is:

• to promote Freemasonry as a subject for academic study.
• to present and debate relevant contributions in this area of research.
• to create a forum for interactions between researchers, experts and a wider audience.
• to encourage individuals to take an interest and participate in an active exchange of knowledge in the area.

The rules for paper propsals are as follows:

PROPOSALS FOR PAPERS AND PANELS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:
www.northernnetworking.co.uk/ichf2011.php before 30th June 2010. Late proposals will not be accepted. All proposals will be subject to anonymous peer review. The outcome of the review of all the proposals will be announced by 17th September 2010.

Submissions must contain:

• Author’s name, institution, postal and email addresses, telephone number
• Co-author’s names if applicable
• Title of paper or panel session
• Name of chair for a panel session
• Three to five suggested key words for indexing papers
• 300 word abstract of each paper (with an additional 200 word justification for a panel session)
• Please state the category to which you are submitting:
• Paper or
• Panel Session

Please submit your proposal to the Conference Organisers to: www.northernnetworking.co.uk/ichf2011.php no later than 30th June 2010.
Receipt of your proposal will be acknowledged within 5 working days. Outcome advised by 17th September 2010.

The ICHF has set up a blog to keep interest parties informed about plans, programming and deadlines for the conference.

The Public Announcement can be read here.

The ICHF is a non-profit making, privately owned event and brand, sponsored by Supersonic Events Ltd. with no formal affiliation to any masonic or academic body. On each occasion a leading academic is appointed to convene a specialist committee responsible for the selection of suitable presentations. Any surplus generated by the ICHF will go to support young researchers and academics pursuing research in the topic and other relevent masonic projects.