CFP: Steel Cities conference

[Barbara Johnstone]

(With apologies for cross-posting)  Here is an interdisciplinary conference that may be of interest to some members of this list.  

Barbara Johnstone

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Steel Cities: Tradition, Transition and Transformation 
June 29th- July 2nd 2006


‘Steel Cities’ will bring together academics from a range of disciplines, professionals from the museum, heritage and creative industries, and members of industrial and community groups, to explore the continuing legacy of the steel industry. It will take place in Sheffield, England’s most famous ‘Steel City’, and will be led by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University in collaboration with a number of partners who are interested in sharing and disseminating good practice.

‘Steel Cities’ aims:

•	To bring together representatives from ‘Steel cities’ across the world in order to discuss issues which these cities have in common
•	To open up a dialogue between academics, community groups and representatives of industry in which both the heritage of steel and its current contribution to local life can be addressed 
•	To explore how the history of the steel industry is represented in academic texts, museums and heritage sites, and ‘popular’ media such as film and novels
•	To share and disseminate good practice in the regeneration of ‘steel cities’ in a post-industrial age

Questions to be addressed include:
	Do ‘Steel Cities’ have a particular character which distinguishes them from cities in which other industries dominate? 
	What rôle can cultural industries (arts, sport, tourism, etc.) play in the regeneration of ‘steel cities’?
	Does the regeneration of ‘steel cities’ and their communities require the abandoning or the commemoration of the steel heritage?

The conference will explore the ways in which the legacy of the steel industry is managed, expressed and celebrated in post-industrial cities, and the consider issues of identity in cities (like Sheffield and Pittsburgh) where steel is iconic. 

The legacy of the conference will be an international network of connections between scholars across a wide range of disciplines, heritage curators and communities. The sharing of ideas will lead to the development of best practice and exciting new interpretations of the legacy of steel.


If you are interested in presenting a paper at ‘Steel Cities’, please send an abstract of 500 words to:

Professor Joan Beal,
National Centre for English Cultural Tradition
University of Sheffield
9, Shearwood Road,
S10 2TD
UK

If you prefer to send your abstract by email, please send it to j.c.beal at shef.ac.uk

The closing date for abstracts is 31st December, 2005. If you wish to register an interest in the conference and be included on our e-mail distribution list, please contact Joan Beal at the above address. A website will be mounted later in the year, on which further details and a registration form will appear. The address will be http://www.shef.ac.uk/english/natcect/steelcities.

We look forward to meeting you in Sheffield.

Joan Beal, on behalf of the organising committee. 

Susan Molyneaux-Hodgson, Dept of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield
Tim Neal, National Fairground Archive, University of Sheffield
Mike Robinson, Director, Centre for Tourism Studies, Sheffield Hallam University.
Maurice Roche, Director, ESCUS, University of Sheffield
James Symonds, ARCUS, Dept of Archaeology, University of Sheffield