Call for Proposals
Writing the History of Concordia
Appel de propositionsIn 2024, Concordia University will celebrate its 50th anniversary. To mark this occasion, the History of Concordia's Editorial Committee invites chapter or short text proposals for an edited book project that will chart Concordia's past and reflect on its present and future. The multiple voices brought together will provide an opportunity to explore the diverse perspectives that have made Concordia the innovative university we know today.
In 1974, Sir George Williams University and Loyola College were merged to create Concordia University. In the years since this merger, Concordia has shifted from being a teaching institution to a comprehensive research university. Its enrollment has rapidly expanded to today's community of 37,000 undergraduates and 9,500 graduate students, with a global network of over 230,000 alumni. This is an opportunity to reflect on the rich and varied histories that have shaped the making of Concordia, as well as the history of the broader university community that has experienced significant opportunities and challenges over the past 50 years.
The timeframe of this collection is mainly focused on Concordia's fifty-year history but will also cover events that led to the merger of Sir George Williams and Loyola. Authors may submit their chapter or short text proposals in either French or English. The final collection will be published in both languages and the translation will be done by professional translators. The book will also be available in both print and digital formats.
The Editorial Committee welcomes proposals that focus on, but are not limited to, the following topics and themes:
Teaching, Research and Creation: Concordia's evolution from a teaching to a comprehensive research university has resulted in the creation of a number of new departments, programs, and research units, as well as a changing student population that reflects Concordia's expansion as a global university that maintains strong ties with local communities. Topics for this theme may include the creation of faculties and departments; the transformation of learning spaces and teaching practices; the evolution of research activities, infrastructures, and institutes; Concordia's reputation as a university that welcomes students from under-represented communities, dating back to its roots offering the evening classes offered at the Montreal YMCA; community links with the Montreal and Quebec visual arts scene; Concordia's role in inter-university research and programs.
Student Life: Concordia's diverse and international student body has been transformed over several decades. Topics to consider for this thematic include student journalism; student activism; student unions; sports and recreation; the broad range of student groups and activities over the years; and such student-led projects as Space Concordia, JMSB case competitions, the popsicle bridge building competition, and the Table-Top Baseball League; the Garnet Key; as well as the growth of services that have emerged over the past 50 years to support the ever-changing needs of students.
Community and Culture: Concordia has become an anchor institution in Montreal and has developed and maintained strong connections with communities. Many first-generation students have gone on to become community leaders. Potential topics include contributions of the Montreal Black community to Concordia; decolonization initiatives at Concordia, as well as the university's past and ongoing relationship to Indigenous lands and First Nations; the history and roles of unions; feminism and the founding of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute; Winter Carnivals and arts festivities; the Concordia Shuffle.
Supporting the Mission of an Urban University: A wide range of expertise, professions and services are required to support the core missions of a university. This important work involves thousands of individuals who have contributed to the development of Concordia. Submissions on the histories of services are welcome: administration, student services, labour relations, library, archives, enrolment services and office of the registrar, information technology, legal services, communications, facilities, etc. Other topics include the spatial environments in Quartier Concordia and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce; university urban planning; architecture; recycling programs and efforts to build a sustainable future.
We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives as well as proposals that feature collaborative writing, use of memoir, or oral history approaches to historical writing. We invite submissions that focus on key events and episodes in the life of Concordia, including the more difficult and challenging moments.
The selected authors will be invited to discuss their draft chapters with other authors in a closed colloquium that will take place early 2023. A series of three public roundtables will also be organized to establish a dialogue with the community. Additionally, the final book will feature archival photographs, artworks, as well as oral histories. By taking a creative approach to telling these stories, this volume will imagine the university's future when tomorrow's students, faculty and staff join a tradition that we are reforging today.
Editorial Committee
Guylaine Beaudry (Editor); Steven High; Monika Kin Gagnon; Brandon Webb; Catherine Wild.
Important Dates
Chapter proposals: 28 February 2022
Notifications to authors: 18 March 2022
Draft chapter deadline: 15 January 2023
Closed colloquium: Week of 20 February 2023
Series of three public round tables: March to May 2023
Full chapters deadline: 10 August 2023
Double-blind peer review reports to authors: December 2023
Revised chapters submissions: February 2024
Publication: Fall 2024
Submission Procedure
Please include the following information with your submission:
- Name(s)
- Email address(es)
- Institutional affiliation(s)
- Short biographical note(s)
- Title of chapter or short text
- Abstract of 300-350 words describing proposed chapter or short text
The initial deadline for submissions has passed. But the Editorial Committee is still accepting proposals until October 2023. Proposals can be sent to HistoryOfConcordia@concordia.ca.
