SOHA Annual Conference, Las Vegas, March 27-29, 2020
The Southwest Oral History Association (SOHA) will host its annual conference with the theme of Home(Lands) and
Oral Histories of (Re)Vitalization on March 27-29, 2020, at the Lied Library on the campus of the University of Nevada,
Las Vegas (UNLV). Home(Lands) is a timely platform for the conference, as SOHA returns to its institutional home at
UNLV. Home(Lands) also reflects major issues in Nevada such as the possible reinstatement of the Yucca Mountain
Nuclear Waste Repository, the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s controversial and repeated efforts to gain groundwater
rights from valleys to the distant north of Las Vegas, and the continued presence of open pit mining in the entangled
boom/bust continuum that powers so much of rural Nevada economies. This call stresses the question of the rights and the meanings that inhere in claims to and experiences of home, acknowledging the voices of those claiming their home. Since time immemorial to our present-day in the Southwest and beyond, vicissitudes of harmony and tensions about
understandings of home and belonging in terms of the national and international imaginary persist. Oral Histories of
(Re)Vitalization refer to the vitality and the struggles surrounding the value—at times, valuation—of life, both human and
nonhuman. Homelands are the center of life, which oral histories encapsulate and express as ways to revitalize and
support thriving beings.
We invite all oral historians, scholars, students, teachers, community members, and others to submit proposals for
presentations and/or sessions that feature oral history research and offer insights on methodologies and practices.
Although we encourage proposals that address how oral history and oral traditions create and affect communities’ senses of home and vitality, all proposals (both full sessions and individual presentations) are welcome and will be reviewed.
Proposals should include the names, affiliations, and preferred contact information of participants, a one-page CV for each presenter, the titles of sessions and papers/presentations, and a brief abstract of each presentation/paper (no more than 250 words per abstract) along with a brief summary (30-40 words) of the full session if applicable. Indicate if your presentation requires the use of technology (A/V). Please submit your complete proposals as a single PDF via email to soha2020conf@gmail.com by January 6, 2020. Thank you, and we look forward to your submissions!
Southwest Oral History Association
southwestoralhistory.org I soha@unlv.edu I (702) 895-5011
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S. Maryland Parkway Box 455020 Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-5020
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