CfP: What Tommy Did Next – Veterans’ Organisations and Activities during and after the First World War, in the UK and beyond

A 1-day Symposium to be held in the Centre for the Study of Modern Conflict at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom on Saturday 18th March 2017

Keynote: Professor Jay Winter, Yale University

During the First World War a number of ex-services organisations arose in the UK, run by the men themselves, motivated by poor administration of war pensions and other allowances, and radical enough to rattle the Government. Other veterans, male and female, chose non-political activities, such as the church, trade, education or agriculture, while still others just wanted to shed their service identities altogether. This symposium is designed as an encompassing event to explore the experiences of veterans and their dependents during and after the conflict, and to investigate how military service influenced their subsequent lives. While it focuses primarily on the UK, the organisers are also keen to attract papers about the experiences of veterans in other countries.

Proposals for 15-minute individual papers are invited. Joint proposals for panels or workshops will also be considered. Abstracts of 250 words should be accompanied by your name, institutional affiliation (if applicable) and a brief biographical statement (100 words).

Submissions are welcome from established and emerging academics (postgraduate and early career researchers are particularly encouraged), independent researchers, community projects, organisations/associations, and any other interested parties who relate to the theme of the symposium. Please make all submissions through the dedicated website at https://whattommydidnext.submittable.com/submit. Deadline: 30 November 2016.

Potential paper topics may include, but are certainly not limited to:
• Ex-service organisations during and after the FWW, including the Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers (DSS), The Federation of DSS, The Comrades of the Great War, The National Union of Ex-Servicemen, The British Legion
• Ex-service issues in post-war society(ies)
• The involvement of veterans in politics
• State responses/reactions to ex-servicemen/women
• Non-State responses/reactions to ex-servicemen/women
• Disabled Veterans
• Ex-servicewomen and Ex-Servicewomen’s Associations
• Veteran engagement with the Church or religion
• Veterans and Violence, Disorder and Discontent
• Veterans and Radicalism
• Veteran identities
• Comparative experiences of veterans in different belligerent countries
• Commemoration, Memory and Veterans

The language of the conference is English, and all speakers will be expected to deliver their papers in English. Request to join the mailing list, and any other enquiries, to Mike Hally. Further information will be posted on the event website.

Contact Info:
Mike Hally, doctoral candidate, Centre for the Study of Modern Conflict, University of Edinburgh.

CfP: War and its Aftermath: Veteran Treatment and Reintegration in Post-War Societies

War destroys everything. Even the lives of those who survive the war are destroyed. Financial hardships, trauma, and the demand for reintegration by peaceful societies are burdens for those who return alive from the battlefield of the former war. However, the post-war societies have to struggle to provide sufficient possibilities for reintegration of veterans into the new peaceful life as well. In all periods of human history political entities and states have tried to find a way for such a reintegration without triggering the violent potential that is represented by former soldiers. Despite such attempts, modern nation states and societies still struggle with the task to find a solution for veteran reintegration in post-war environments. The editors of the planed volume want to analyze the historical aspects of veteran treatment and veteran reintegration — without chronological or geographical limitations — and therefore welcome proposals for chapters that deal with, but are not limited to the following topics:

the veteran as a radical force in post-war societies
veteran education in post-war societies
political movements and veterans
paramilitarism in post-war societies
trauma treatments
medical issues and veterans
economic perspectives on veteran reintegration
veterans and memory in post-war societies
veteran rights movements
veterans and the post-war state
veterans and social relations

Proposals (ca. 300 words) and a short CV should be sent to fjacob@qcc.cuny.edu and stefan.karner@uni-graz.at until July 15, 2016. Final chapters, 7,000-10,000 words, using footnotes (Chicago Manual of Style) are due by October 15, 2016.

Contact Info:
Frank Jacob, History Department, CUNY-QCC, 22205 56th Ave, Bayside, 11364 New York