[ Call for Papers - Call for Entries ]

This is a Call for Papers for the conference

Rethinking Television Histories: Digitising Europe’s Televisual Heritage

to be held at the King’s College, University of London, April 19-21, 2007.

Deadline for proposals: 17.1.2007
Television historians are currently facing new opportunities and challenges with the development of online access to digitised television archive content from around Europe and beyond.

This conference will explore, compare and critique different historical approaches to television within Europe, and it will also bring together researchers, educators, broadcasters and archivists to discuss the use of, access to and presentation of digitised material. Papers do not necessarily have to be international or comparative in scope, but they should seek to raise issues to be considered within a comparative context. Key themes include:


? Issues in selecting historical texts: This includes issues of canons, genres, value (historical, aesthetic, quality), periodisation and archiving.

? Issues in comparative European television history and historiography: This includes cultural identity, "European-ness", contexts, internationalism, neo-colonialism and diasporas, and methodologies for and examples of comparison.

? Contemporary and forthcoming issues in television history: What is the state of television studies in different countries within Europe and across Europe? What are the main issues and concerns that television historians in Europe are currently addressing or are likely to address in the near future?

? Web and online resources in education: What are the current activities taking place in this field in Europe? What are the models of best practice? How can educators, researchers and archivists work better to create and sustain effective virtual and online learning environments?

? Television archives and digitisation: What are the current trends, policies and practises in archiving, digitisation and online activity?

? The history of international trade in shows and formats: Papers on distribution networks, transatlantic trade, transnational texts, co-production and technologies.


The conference is being organised by the Department of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, as part of the Video Active project, a major EU funded initiative to provide online access to digitised television content from 11 European archives. The conference, to be held at the Strand campus of King’s College, University of London, will play a crucial role in informing and influencing the development of the project’s content selection and editorial strategies.


Proposals of 200 words maximum, together with name and institution/organisation should be submitted to videoactiveprop@rhul.ac.uk by 17 January 2007.


See also H-Soz-u-Kult