The German Historical Institute in Washington is pleased to announce a conference on Environmental History and the Cold War, to be held in Washington, 22-25 March 2007.

The Cold War era coincided with decades of dramatic changes both in the natural environment and in the ways in which people, societies, and cultures understood nature, the environment, and ecology. What were the links between events and structures in geopolitical history and those in environmental history? The conference will explore answers to this question.

The organizers, John McNeill (Georgetown University) and Corinna Unger (GHI Washington), take a broad view of both the Cold War and of environmental history. They encourage scholars to submit proposals on diverse aspects related to the topic, based on case studies or comparative approaches, national or international perspectives from around the world.

The format will consist of pre-circulated papers of about 8,000 to 10,000 words, each of which will be presented to the conference by the principal author, and each will be the focus of discussion, led by a designated commentator.

The GHI will pay travel and accommodation costs of all participants.

Inquiries should be made to both

John McNeill
mcneillj@georgetown.edu

and

Corinna Unger
unger@ghi-dc.org

Proposals are due by March 31, 2006. They should consist of a) an abstract of 200 to 400 words (in English) and b) a curriculum vitae of no more than 3 pages. They should be sent by email to Baerbel Thomas of the GHI: b.thomas@ghi-dc.org