CALL FOR PAPERS FOR CPHC / PRINT NETWORKS CONFERENCE
University of Stirling: 13–14 July 2027
Inspired by the printing history and print culture of Scotland, particularly Stirling’s notable position as a centre for the production of chapbooks, the theme of the 2027 Print Networks Conference will be under the heading of:
Street Literature, Ephemera, and the Heritage of ‘Disposable’ Print
Our venue, the University of Stirling, has a remarkable collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century chapbooks alongside material from the local newsagent and stationer the Eneas Mackay. The Pathfoot Press in the University’s Centre for Letterpress also continues to contribute to the city’s ephemeral outputs. These archival collections and practical printing workshops are the springboard for the 2027 conference, the theme of which is open to a to a wide range of interpretations.
Topics might include, but are not limited to: the products of the press; the means by which they were produced; how they were circulated and consumed; the people responsible for their production and their readership. The conference is also interested in growth of street print as a medium of advertising and how such ephemeral print contributes to a sense of local identity, with respect to trade, industry, entertainment, religion, education and regional politics.
The sorts of material covered might include, but is not limited to: Chapbooks and ballads; Ephemeral printed matter in its widest sense; Leaflets, brochures, and other publicity; Magazines; Newspapers; Pamphlets; Posters; Street literature; and Tracts.
Proposals on all periods of print from early modern to the present are welcome. Although papers offered need not be exclusively related to Scotland, proposals relating to its remarkable printing heritage are encouraged.
Individual papers of twenty minutes and for themed panels of three or more speakers are invited. Other forms of presentation such as performance, film, artefacts and displays are also welcome.
Submit a proposal Abstracts of 300 words should be accompanied by brief biographies and sent to Caroline Archer-Parré by 31 January 2027. It is understood that papers offered to the conference will be original work and will not have been previously delivered to any similar conference or published elsewhere.
Conference fee: £85.00 per person for two days; includes lunch on both days all refreshments, a visit to Pathfoot Press and a tour of the University Art Gallery.