Information landscapes are changing profoundly. In order to absorb, circulate, and share knowledge, we all must balance “old” and “new” media. This is as true for academics as it is for anyone else, and how scholars negotiate these paradigms shapes our research, our teaching, and our attempts to reach broader publics. And yet, while the technologies and mediums that dominate contemporary communications are indeed new, the opportunities and challenges they pose are not. The late eighteenth century age of revolutions included similarly dramatic upheavals in media and power. Understanding this history offers considerable insight our present moment, and harnessing the potential of digital tools enables new insights into this crucial historical period.

The Institute of Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College invites scholars of history and digital media to join us in exploring how digital tools offer new insights into the Age of Revolutions and how the history of this era can help us better understand our own digital age. Participants working at the nexus of these two fields are encouraged to apply for a workshop-symposium that will take place at Iona College May 13-14, 2020. Participants will also be invited to submit edited and expanded papers for future symposia and considered for inclusion in a volume to be published by Cornell University Press.

Applicants are encouraged to send an abstract of no more than 300 words and a one page C.V. as a single document to itps@iona.edu by November 1, 2019. The organizers invite submissions from all scholars of early America and/or digital media and particularly welcome proposals from members of under-represented communities. Financial assistance for travel and accommodations may be available for select participants.