Call for Papers — Faith, (Ir)reverence, and the Italian Diaspora Fifty Years of Italian American Studies. Marriott Wardman Park 2660 Woodley Road NW Washington, DC 2008. November 2-4, 2017. Submission Deadline: June 15, 2017. Upload/submit proposals to Submittable: https://italianamericanstudies.submittable.com/submit. For inquiries, please contact the conference committee at iasa.conference.dc.2017@gmail.com

The Italian American Studies Association (IASA) formerly the American Italian Historical Association (AIHA) celebrates its fiftieth year of academic inquiry into all things Italian and Italian American. In December 1966, a group of historians, educators, sociologists, and other interested persons met at the LaGuardia Memorial House in New York City and founded the American Italian Historical Association. Since then, the Association has grown exponentially to reflect the diversity of scholarship that now subtends Italian-American studies. The organization encourages independent thinkers, scholars, and academics, past and present, to help mark this milestone with their participation at the 50^th annual conference in Washington, DC, November 2-4, 2017. 

This year’s conference theme will focus on faith in all of its manifestations and will feature Dr. Robert Orsi as its keynote speaker. Dr. Orsi is Professor of Religious Studies and History and Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University.    

The conference is interdisciplinary in its perspective and methods. IASA welcomes scholars from all disciplines, especially those interested in the ethno-historical, religious, and psychological ramifications of faith as well as creative writers (novelists, poets, and memoirists), and visual-media artists. The conference committee will consider proposals that do not specifically address but may complement this year’s conference theme.  

Please email an abstract of your individual presentation or panel proposal and include a brief biography and academic affiliation, if applicable. The abstract should not exceed 500 words. Include requests for audiovisual equipment or special accommodations.  

We encourage the submission of organized panels of no more than three presenters, not including the chair and respondent, and creative writers and artists of three or more presenters. All presentations are limited to 15-20 minutes based upon the number of people on the panel. An individual can participate in no more than two panels. If you are willing to serve as chair, please indicate that willingness in your cover letter.

All presenters, respondents, and discussants must be members in good standing of the Italian American Studies Association by September 15, 2017.

Possible presentation and panel topics may include but are not limited to the following:

• Faith
• Religion 
• Religious Histories of the Italian Diaspora 
• Literature and Religion
• Italian Diaspora and the Arts
• The Psychology of Faith
• Atheism and Italians
• Italian Americans Fifty Years Later
• Italian Belief Systems
• Italians and the Clergy
• Italian Catholics/Protestants/Jews
• Catholicism
• Catholic Studies
• The Social Sciences and the Italian Diaspora 

For further information, please visit www.italianamericanstudies.net