Call For Papers

55th Annual ACH Conference
Santa Marta, Colombia
May 26-30, 2024

“Migration and Space in Caribbean History”

The ACH Executive Committee is pleased to announce that its 55th Annual Conference will be held at the University of Magdalena in Santa Marta, Colombia, from May 26 to May 30, 2024.

For the 55th Annual Conference, the overall theme will be “Migration and Space.” We invite paper, poster, and panel proposals on any aspects of the above theme in Caribbean history as well as papers on the following topics:

  • Mainlands and islands
  • Caribbean geographies
  • Circulation and movement
  • Transnational policies
  • Refugee migration
  • Migration and (de)colonization
  • Migration and the politics of race
  • Migration as reparation

While papers on these themes are encouraged, applicants are welcome to submit proposals on other subjects.

For those proposing panels, please note that we seek linguistic and geographic diversity and representation. Applicants may also wish to consider that the ACH promotes diversity among panelists regarding institutional affiliation and academic experience. Preference is given to applicants who did not present at the previous conference in 2023.

Proposals must include:

  1. The appropriate form for either a paper/poster or panel proposal;
  2. A 250-word abstract for each proposed presenter (abstracts must indicate what new information or approach the work provides as well as the archival or oral sources consulted. Abstracts must be submitted in 3 languages: English, French and Spanish. Proposals submitted in fewer than 3 languages will not be considered for the conference.
  3. A brief CV (no more than 3 pages)
  4. A brief Bio (no more than 300 words)

Graduate students at an advanced stage in their research are welcome to submit proposals and must include a letter of support from their academic advisors attesting to the strength and progress of their research.

All documents should be combined into ONE (1) Microsoft Word document (please do not submit as a PDF). The deadline for proposal submission is October 8, 2023 using the appropriate online form. Any questions can be communicated to Claire Palmiste, Conference Coordinator at achconference@gmail.com.

Application Instructions

There are THREE WAYS to participate in the 2024 ACH Conference:

A. PAPER: You can apply to present an individual paper. These applications are reviewed by the Executive Committee by theme and composed into panels. This requires:

  1. The appropriate form for either a paper/ poster proposal;
  2. A 250-word abstract (abstracts must indicate what new information or approach the work provides as well as the archival or oral sources consulted. Abstracts must be submitted in the 3 languages: English, French and Spanish. Proposals that are submitted in less than 3 languages will not be considered for the conference)
  3. A brief CV (no more than 3 pages)
  4. A brief bio (no more than 300 words)

B) PANEL: You can also apply as part of a panel of 3 or 4 papers. This requires:

  1. The appropriate form for a panel proposal.
  2. A 250-word abstract for each proposed presenter (abstracts must indicate what new information or approach the work provides as well as the archival or oral sources consulted. Abstracts must be submitted in the 3 languages: English, French and Spanish. Proposals that are submitted in less than 3 languages will not be considered for the conference)
  3. A brief CV (no more than 3 pages)
  4. A brief bio (no more than 300 words)

Please note that while panel organizers may propose a chair, final assignment of chairs is the prerogative of the Executive Committee. Proposed chairs should be experts in the panel field.

C) POSTER: You can also apply to participate in our poster session. This is intended as a fast-paced, fun session for newer scholars or for those embarking on a new project. This requires:

  1. The appropriate form for a poster proposal; this is the same as the paper proposal form—just check that you are applying to offer a poster.
  2. An abstract of no more than 250 words (abstracts must be submitted in the 3 languages: English, French and Spanish. Proposals that are submitted in less than 3 languages will not be considered for the conference.)
  3. A brief CV (no more than 3 pages)
  4. A brief bio (no more than 300 words)

Please do not submit abstracts in PDF. The deadline for proposal submission is October 8, 2023.

A few more important notes:

  • To ensure that graduate student applicants are at an advanced stage of their research, they are required to provide a letter of support from their academic advisors.
  • All participants must be current members of the ACH by the time they present.
  • ACH presentations include both a pre-circulated paper and a brief presentation at the conference. Papers can be written in English, French, or Spanish, and must be no longer than 25 typed, double-spaced pages using 12-point font. This includes notes and references.
  • Presentations are intended to introduce the highlights of this written work, and so are strictly limited to 10 minutes.
  • Poster presentations include both a shorter pre-circulated paper summarizing research to date (no more than 10 typed, doubled-spaced pages using 12-point font, including notes and references). Presentations at the conference will be limited to no more than 5 minutes and 10 PowerPoint slides.
  • Papers for both panels and for poster presentations will be made available online at the ACH website in advance of the conference and can be accessed only by those who pre-register and pay their registration.
  • To allow time to format and post material, presenters should email papers (as a Microsoft Word file) NO LATER THAN March 18, 2024 to: Claire Palmiste, ACH Conference Coordinator, at achconference@gmail.com

If, after your proposal has been accepted, you find you are unable to attend, please inform the ACH Conference Coordinator as soon as possible in order to allow us to adjust the program.

The deadline for proposals is October 8, 2023. We look forward to your submissions.