CALL FOR PAPERS
Breaking Boundaries in Television Historiography: Historical Research
and the Television Archive
A one-day symposium organised under the auspices of the Centre for Television
Drama Studies, University of Reading, 9th January 2004
Breaking Boundaries in Television Historiography: Historical Research and the
Television Archive is the second in a series of symposia on the subject of television
history to be held at the University of Reading in 2003-2004 (the first, ‘Reconsidering
the Canon: Popular British Television Drama in the 1960s and 70s’ was held on
September 19th 2003). The focus of this second event will be on bringing together
archivists, librarians, historians, and scholars of television history. The symposium will
offer an opportunity for the interrogation of historiography and research methodologies
in the field of television history, as well as offering the academic community a clearer
view of the aims and objectives of various archives and institutions in the UK. It is
hoped that this symposium will not only be of great value to researchers working in the
field (particularly postgraduate students within the field of Television Studies), but that
it will promote stronger links between academic researchers of British television history
and those people and institutions currently providing access to research materials.
Participants from the archives currently include Steve Bryant (BFI Keeper of
Television), Jacqueline Kavanagh (Head of BBC Written Archives), Luke McKernan
(Head of Information, BUFVC), and Murray Weston (Head of BUFVC), who will
take part in a round table discussion about their current work and future plans in the
first session of the day.
The organisers would like to invite papers/presentations/case studies on the following
subjects:
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Television historiography
The use of television archives (audio visual and written)
Business/economic histories of television
Textual analysis and television history
Oral histories of television
The role of biography/autobiography in television history
Histories of television audiences and viewership
Historicising the production of television programming
The relationship between television and cultural/social history
Teaching television history
The formation of panels and the final focus of the symposium will be determined once
all abstracts have been received.
Please note that Helen Wheatley is currently putting together an edited collection on
the subject of television history and historiography; it is hoped that contributions from
this symposium will be included in this volume.
Please send abstracts of 250c. words by 7th November 2003 to Helen Wheatley,
Department of Film, Theatre & Television, University of Reading, Bulmershe Court,
Reading, RG6 1HY – email. h.m.wheatley@reading.ac.uk - tel. 0118 3785894