Transforming British Columbia, May 2-4

Douglas College is proud to host an international conference in association with BC Studies on the theme Transforming British Columbia, May 2-4, 2013

In May 2013, Douglas College invites you to New Westminster to participate in the multidisciplinary BC Studies Conference on the theme of Transforming British Columbia. Located within the Lower Mainland region, New Westminster is situated on the banks of the Fraser River, where vast runs of salmon have characterized and transformed the environment during their migrations between the coast and the interior over many millennia. The traditional territory and home of the Qayqayt Nation, the area has long been a significant place for Aboriginal peoples. New Westminster is also the onetime capital of colonial British Columbia, a port for trade and travel, a transportation hub linking the communities of the southern Fraser River region and beyond, and a modern city in the midst of urban revival and revitalization. Douglas College, as a place of learning and scholarship that is undergoing its own transformation within the British Columbia post-secondary landscape, is delighted to host the conference.

We invite proposals for individual papers, panels, and posters from scholars and researchers across all disciplines reflecting on themes related to British Columbia’s environmental and cultural transformation across time and space, including:
• the transformation of peoples, identities, communities, societies, transportation networks, economies, politics, and governments
• transformation and the environment, resource use, climate change, and sustainability
• the transformation of space and place, including transformer sites and other places of spiritual, cultural, and historical importance, and the transformative role of tricksters and shape-shifters

Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary submissions are welcomed, as well as proposals that place British Columbia within transnational or comparative contexts. Studies from, and about Aboriginal communities are encouraged. Proposals from graduate students are particularly welcome.

Sessions: Proposals for panels and roundtables require a short description (150 words) of the theme for the session, as well as brief abstracts (50 words) for each paper or presentation, and a one-page CV for each presenter.

Individual papers: Individual paper proposals should include an abstract (250 words) and a one-page CV.

Posters: Proposals for posters should include a brief description (50-100 words) of the theme and a one-page CV.

Deadline for submissions: October 30, 2012
Proposals should be submitted electronically to:
bcstudiesprogram@douglascollege.ca

Gail Edwards, Ph.D.
Chair, History Department
Douglas College
Box 2503, 700 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, B.C.
Canada V3L 5B2
email edwardsga@douglascollege.ca
tel 604.527.5206