The Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society at the Hagley Museum and Library and the German Historical Institute will sponsor a conference on the topic "Green Capitalism? Exploring the Crossroads of Environmental and Business History." It will be held October 30-31, 2014, at Hagley. The conveners are Adam Rome (University of Delaware), Yda Schreuder (University of Delaware), Hartmut Berghoff (GHI), Erik Rau (Hagley Museum and Library), and Roger Horowitz (Hagley Museum and Library). According to the organizers,
Please consult the full call for papers for additional information.
Proposals may be up to 500 words in length, and should include a summary of the paper's argument, the sources on which it draws, and the larger historiographic context or contemporary debates with which it engages. A short c.v. or resume should accompany the proposal. The deadline for receipt of proposals is May 1, 2014, and should be sent via email to Carol Lockman. Presenters will receive travel support to cover most costs to attend the conference.
This conference hopes to point to fresh opportunities for joining the insights of environmental and business history. We are especially interested in providing historical perspectives on a question of obvious relevance today: Can capitalism be green—or at least greener? Our title—"Green Capitalism?"—is admittedly drawn from contemporary discourse. But we are convinced that history can provide invaluable insights into the complex and changing relationship between business and the environment. We invite papers that consider in specific historical contexts the extent to which the business enterprises that are central to capitalism operated in an environmentally sound or detrimental manner by the way they dealt with their refuse, by managing their use of resources, and mitigating or ignoring any harmful impact on those who handled their products or are affected by their waste.
Proposals may be up to 500 words in length, and should include a summary of the paper's argument, the sources on which it draws, and the larger historiographic context or contemporary debates with which it engages. A short c.v. or resume should accompany the proposal. The deadline for receipt of proposals is May 1, 2014, and should be sent via email to Carol Lockman. Presenters will receive travel support to cover most costs to attend the conference.