Les armes et les blessures

Weapons, Wounds, Warfare 

Call for papers

Interdisciplinary Workshop

December 10, 2020 to December 11, 2020

New Zealand

If death and injury are central to warfare, so are the tools that cause bodily harm. This inter-disciplinary workshop, hosted by the University of Auckland’s ‘War in Context’ research hub on 10-11 December 2020, explores the cultures of violence and control that form around military weaponry by focusing on the wounds they inflict and the (at least perceived) pain and suffering they provoke. It investigates the ways in which individuals, communities, states, and militaries imagine, represent, adapt, and receive military technologies in the context of their wounding capacity. 

We invite proposals for papers (30min, followed by 10min for questions and discussion) that focus on particular weapons (or types of weapons), the context in which they are used, and the ‘wounds’ they cause. We welcome papers from any historical period, including today, and hope to attract scholars from a wide range of disciplines and cultural perspectives. As such, ‘wounds’ can, and indeed should, be interpreted in a broad way and can encompass not only physical, but psychological, social, cultural, and political damage. 

It is planned that the workshop will form the core of a publication - either an edited collection or special edition of an academic journal. 

Proposals should include a title, an abstract (no more than 250 words), and a brief biography (no more than 250 words). We welcome proposals from scholars at all stages of their careers, including graduate students and early career scholars. 

Proposals should be submitted through this submission portal (https://forms.gle/oRZDmdmffK2LAy4XA) by 1 June 2019. 

There may be a small registration fee to help cover catering and other costs. If you would like to attend, even if not offering a paper, please also note your interest here (https://forms.gle/2eEZpVr4xg6rbmE27) by 1 June 2019 and you will be sent registration information once that is available. 

Contact Info: 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of the conference organizers: Maartje Abbenhuis (m.abbenhuis@auckland.ac.nz), Jeremy Armstrong (js.armstrong@auckland.ac.nz), and Thomas Gregory (t.gregory@auckland.ac.nz).