Long Beach, 26-29 October 2023
For the 2023 Annual Meeting, the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) will convene at the historic meeting place of land, sea, wetlands, and built worlds that is Long Beach, California. Shaped by histories of dispossession, extraction, and pollution, as well as by innovation, connection, and resistance, the multicultural city of Long Beach offers an ideal site to explore technological pasts, presents, and futures from local, regional, and thematic perspectives.
Our Society invites participants to explore any theme related to histories of technology around the world. As it aims to foster more diverse and inclusive communities, the Society has decided not to propose a specific conference theme but rather invites submissions of panels and papers that explore anew what has traditionally been centered or overlooked in discussions about the relationship between technology and power. This includes any disciplinary approach to technological pasts, presents, and futures.
As SHOT continues to explore the future of annual meetings for a society with a widely international membership and commitment to accessibility, the conference will include hybrid participation options for both panelists and audiences. The proposal submission form includes the option to designate proposals as hybrid sessions, which might include pre-recorded presentations or a combination of both in-person and virtual presentations as supported by available facilities.
Specifically, the program committee invites works that revolve around themes such as:
We warmly invite scholars with diverse disciplinary backgrounds to join our conversations (including those from Anthropology, American Studies, Black/African-American Studies, Communication, Gender Studies, Indigenous Studies, Latin Studies, Literary Criticism, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology). We especially encourage scholarship in African, Asian, and Latin American Studies.
SHOT’s program practice consists of prioritizing: a) all underrepresented scholars, whether based on race, class, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability, or geographic location; b) junior scholars hoping to enter into or learn from the history of technology.
The program committee especially welcomes the submission of non-traditional sessions including work-in-progress sessions, roundtables, flash-talks, unconference sessions, and interactive workshops.
Individuals and groups interested in finding others to join an organized session were able to propose an open session proposals until 15 March. These proposals are posted on the SHOT-website. Scholars interested in joining one of these sessions are encouraged to contact the organizers as soon as possible. The earlier an open session proposal is sent to SHOT, the earlier it will be posted on the website. Please make sure to leave sufficient time to enable interested scholars to respond, and for the organizers to prepare and submit a fully formed session proposal.
Participation is generally limited to one paper presentation and two additional roles, except by invitation of the SHOT program committee and/or SHOT officers.
SHOT Program Committee
Jethron Akallah (Chair), Josh Grace (Associate Chair), Bess Williamson, Diana Montaño, Itty Abraham