Going Underground: Travel Beneath the Metropolis 1863-2013
A Conference to Mark the 150th Anniversary of the London Underground
17-18 January 2013
http://www.history.ac.uk/events/london-underground
Deadline for abstracts: 13 July 2012
10 January 2013 will mark the 150th Anniversary of the public opening of the Metropolitan Railway in London. It was the world’s first urban rapid transport system to run partly in subterranean sections. As the precursor of today’s London Underground, it was not only a pioneer of technological and engineering advances, but also instigated new spatial, political, cultural and social realms that are now considered to be synonymous with London and modern urban experiences across the globe.
The Centre for Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research, is marking the anniversary by organising a two-day conference dedicated to the history and use of the London Underground. Taking the construction and opening of the Metropolitan Railway as a departure point, this conference seeks to explore the past, present and future of the London Underground from a variety of perspectives that investigate its histories, geographies, cultures, politics and social characteristics.
Proposals are invited for papers of 15-20 minutes in length. Submissions are welcome on any subject related to the general theme, but may benefit from connecting with one or more of the following sub-themes listed on the conference website ( http://www.history.ac.uk/events/london-underground ). While the focus of the conference is on the London Underground, we encourage papers that provide an international comparative perspective.
Please send abstracts and an author biography (including institutional affiliation) each of no more than 250 words by Friday 13 July 2012 by email to the Centre for Metropolitan History at ihrcmh@sas.ac.uk
Organisers:
Matthew Davies (Centre for Metropolitan History)
Carlos Lopez Galviz (Royal Holloway University of London)
Sam Merrill (UCL)
http://www.history.ac.uk/cmh/staff98.html