The theme of the 2021 conference was the history of sociability. Although the Internet Age has brought some changes to sociability, humans continue to interact in ways, including through material routes (food, alcohol, public houses, sport, manners), hierarchy and power (the theatre state, competition, courtly decorum), and communicative realms (literary sociability, gender, class belonging, opinion formation), that were similar across various historical eras. In a time when the discursive realms of forming public opinion are becoming increasingly artificial and coopted by hegemonic state apparatuses, it is imperative to examine the history of sociability. The conference analyzed the various ways humans socialized and continue to socialize during four epochs: the Medieval World, the Early Modern World, the Modern World, and the Internet Age. The theme was intentionally broad to encourage scholars from different disciplines with various geographical and chronological concentrations to present works that allowed for comparison across a wide breadth. This encouraged interdisciplinary comparisons. Given that sociability has a particular relevancy to contemporary society, it also encouraged community engagement, a goal of the conference.

William Woys Weaver delivered the keynote address, "The Pretzel as Commensality: Breaking Bread and the Communal Table.

Jason Crouthamel

Peter Dobek

David Eaton

Nathan Kapoor

Sean O'Neill

Conference Program

This 2019 conference attempted to build a bridge between representatives of trauma research and of gender studies in order to identify new relevant sources, develop new methods and questions, and pose critical questions to existing research results. To this end, an interdisciplinary dialogue was facilitated between researchers in different research fields as well as with teachers, activists, artists and people affected by trauma. Material and sources, themes and approaches circulated among the contributors and audience to understand how the concepts of ‘masculinity,’ ‘femininity,’ or ‘queerness’ are shaped and influenced by traumatic events such as war, genocide, economic crisis, environmental disaster, domestic violence and other forms of violence. Through this portfolio of themes as well as disciplines and professions, the conference offered an opportunity for a great thematic diversity and multi-perspective dialogue in trauma studies.

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela delivered the Friday evening keynote address, "Trauma and Women's Voice in Public Testimony: Presencing the Future Past

Dagmar Herzog delivered the Saturday morning keynote address, "Sexual Violence and the Nazi Holocaust"

Co-Organized by:

Jason Crouthamel, Grand Valley State University

Julia B. Köhne, Humboldt University-Berlin

Peter Leese, The University of Copenhagen

Villi Kivimäki, Tampere University-Finland

Call for Papers

Conference Program

Conference Report

Gaming and simulations have long served as pedagogical tools in the history classroom. History-oriented games also produce substantial business for the board-gaming and video-gaming industries. Their appeal derives from the thrill of role-playing and speculation on the limitless possibilities of historical scenarios and human actions—and in an age of declining humanities enrollments, their appeal as pedagogical devices to enhance student engagement is obvious. Moreover, professional historical scholarship is increasingly focused on disrupting the received wisdom of long-held teleological conclusions and pondering more fully the contingent and conjunctural dynamics of global-scale historical developments. This conference will consider these trends and practices while serving as a regional training and gaming hub for Reacting to the Past—the innovative pedagogy used in numerous disciplines, such as Foreign Languages, English, Political Science, Anthropology, Communication Studies, and, of course, History. 

The conference was “workshop style” this year.  Thursday evening that was a reception for conference attendees at HopCat sponsored by Reacting To The Past.  The conference sessions were held on Friday, with a reception prior to the keynote address held in the Regency Room sponsored by MCHE.   Following the address, guests were invited to the Seven Monks.

Mark Carnes

Dena Goodman

Michael Huner

David Eaton

Call for Papers