Invitation to Apply: Conference Workshop on Contested Expertise and Toxic Environments
Claremont, California
September 18-19, 2015

Proposals Due January 10, 2015

This 2-day working conference seeks to workshop a small number of unpublished papers by scholars whose research engages the intersections of contested science, expertise, and toxic environments. We are interested in papers employing historical methods which look at the relationship of technical practices to environmental harms. In particular, we hope to explore moments in which the roles of scientific experts in understanding and reacting to these harms have been challenged, disputed or disrupted in some way. Our conception of the environment here is purposefully broad in scope—encompassing both the natural world and built environments—and scale—ranging from weapons’ testing grounds and toxic dump sites to scientific laboratories, hospitals, and the human body itself.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Secrecy and atomic energy
• Toxic waste management
• Radiation technology
• Pesticide manufacturing and exposure
• Climate threats and pollution

Our aim is to have conference participants critically and constructively engage each others’ work for the purpose of contributing to an edited book published by an academic press.

Please send extended abstracts of 500 words and a 2-page CV to Janet Farrell Brodie (Claremont Graduate University), Vivien Hamilton (Harvey Mudd College), and Brinda Sarathy (Pitzer College) at cete2015@pitzer.edu by January 10, 2015.
If accepted, full papers will be due by July 15, 2015, for pre-circulation to all conference attendees. Some funding will be available to assist with travel costs.