CFP: Hidden Hands Conference – Underexplored Influences and Identities in the Long Nineteenth Century 

The Hidden Hands Conference: Underexplored Influences and Identities in the Long Nineteenth Century will take place on Friday 20th November 2026 online.

This conference aims to bring together members of the academic community who share an interest in the long nineteenth century and can shed light on underrepresented aspects of history. Speakers are welcome to cover various topics related to this theme, including (but not limited to) history, literature, theatre, social sciences, law, industry, and museum studies.

We encourage paper submissions that respond to one or more of the following themes:

• The unnamed or un-credited (craftspeople and makers, for example)
• Lesser-known connections, the impact of informal networks and relationships
• Hidden identities (for example: women writing as men, criminal or ‘radical’ activity, non-conformists, LGBTQ histories)
• Covert or non-publicised influences, donors, patrons
• Newly discovered archive collections or context related to a collection which changes our understanding of it
• Life on the margins or edges
• Aspects which are underexplored in existing literature, such as regional histories 

The online nature of the conference removes barriers for involvement, diversifying the conference programme, and create connections between academics who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to come together in person. 

Please send abstracts (300 words) for 15-minute papers and a 100-word biography to hiddenhandsconference@gmail.com by the extended deadline of Sunday 27 September.