Call for Papers

Global Approaches: The 4th International Conference on the History of Drugs and Alcohol, August 10-12, 2007, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Drugs and alcohol have been at the heart of international trade, have played a key role in the colonial project, and have brought about large-scale social changes in societies across the world. Over the past ten years, scholarship on alcohol and drug history has expanded enormously, as scholars and activists across the globe contribute new interpretations. Global Approaches seeks to build upon increasing recognition of the international connectedness of this vital field of research by fostering further dialogue between researchers engaged in local and international studies. We invite papers on any aspect of drug and alcohol history, including consumption, production, regulation, and trade. We encourage submissions from people working on all parts of the world including North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, doing both local and larger-scale studies.

The keynote speaker will be: Zheng Yangwen, Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore, the author of The Social Life of Opium in China.

The deadline for the submission of proposals for panels, sessions, and papers is September 1. Proposals should include an abstract of approximately 300 words and a short CV. Proposals should be sent by mail to:

            Dr. Catherine Carstairs
            History Department
            University of Guelph
            Guelph, ON
            N1G 2W1

Or they can be sent by e-mail to Dr. Norman Smith: [log in to unmask]

Funds may be available to assist the travel of international participants.

The University of Guelph is one of Canada's top-ranked comprehensive universities. Guelph, a locally renowned brewing centre, is located approximately one hour west ofToronto, Canada (just 40 minutes from Toronto's Pearson Airport). It is close to Ontario's internationally renowned Stratford Theatre Festival in Stratford, the Shaw Theatre Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and wine-touring in the Niagara peninsula.

The Conference is sponsored by the Alcohol and Drugs History Society.