The New Jersey Historical Commission; New Jersey State Archives; New Jersey State Museum; New Jersey Historic Preservation Office; and New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry will cosponsor the 2016 New Jersey Forum in partnership with the Morristown National Historical Park. The Forum will mark the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) and offers the opportunity to highlight New Jersey’s environmental history. We are pleased to announce that Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prize winning and New York Times bestselling author of Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation will be the 2016 New Jersey Forum keynote speaker!

Topics related to the Mid-Atlantic region with an emphasis on New Jersey are encouraged. While environmental history and preservation are being featured, papers on a broad range of topics are welcomed.

The Forum is a biennial program that highlights the importance of studying local history and invites established and emerging scholars, educators, public historians, and a broad spectrum of social science and humanities professionals to present new research that facilitates greater public awareness of New Jersey studies.

The NPS anniversary enables us to underscore a range of topics that include New Jersey’s environmental history; cultural attitudes about our history as a nation and state that influences public policy, environmental protection and heritage preservation legislation; changing attitudes toward nature and history and the points where they intersect; NPS initiatives that focus on including the voices of marginalized communities; etc.

Papers may explore: climate change; the state’s geology; natural disasters and environmental crises and the impact on residents; the efforts of citizen activists; waste management and superfund sites; urban pollution and parks; suburban sprawl; the rising importance of national, regional, state and local recognition and preservation of open space, greenways, heritage corridors, etc.; NPS initiatives that preserve the history of women, multi-ethnic groups, and the LGBTQ community; American Transcendentalism and the relationship between humans and nature, or its impact on environmental and heritage preservation; the history of parks and their impact on communities, particularly urban parks; etc.

The event attracts a mixed audience that includes scholars, public historians, and history enthusiasts. It is suggested that presenters do not read their papers; presentations that summarize research and encourage audience discussion have been more successful. Some papers may also be selected for publication in New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, the online journal cosponsored by Monmouth University, the New Jersey Historical Commission and Rutgers University Libraries.

Submission:

Please email a 500-word abstract on the research you propose to present to Chief Programs Officer Niquole Primiani at the New Jersey Historical Commission by May 23, 2016. Your submission will be reviewed by the Forum Advisory Committee and you will be notified of the acceptance of your proposal no later than August, 2016.

Proposals MUST include:

• contact information (address, telephone, e-mail);
• the title of the paper;
• a one-paragraph bio that includes your current professional affiliation and how you would like to be listed in Forum promotional materials;
• an abstract of no more than 500 words;
• any audio-visual or electrical requirements necessary for your presentation; and
• a headshot.