The next European Social Science History Association Conference is due to take place in Amsterdam, 22 - 25 March 2006. For general information on the biannual conferences, the organising institution and for registration (including paper proposal procedures), see http://www.iisg.nl/esshc
As chairs of the health network, we invite proposals for panels or individual papers of any subject dealing with the social history of health. While individual papers are welcome, panels consisting of three contributors and one chair and discussant have a higher chance of being accepted. We particularly encourage panels organised around a central theme with papers covering different perspectives on this theme, especially those with comparative approach, bringing together contributions on different regions and / or time periods.

Suggestions are particularly encouraged on the topics listed below. But proposals on other topics are very welcome as well.

1. Health and Ideologies – both theoretical considerations and practical examples of how ideological concepts of health and medicine has interacted with the experience of health

2. Global Health - Possible sub-themes: travels of disease; the Ecological Imperialism Revisited; globalisation; plague, cholera, Aids, SARS …

3. Colonial Health – Themes: colonial medicine as a means of negotiating power between colonialists and colonised and also within both groups; racism; orientalism;

4. Moral Health – Disease as part of medical and moral discourses (venereal disease, alcoholism …)

5. Occupational Health – including injuries, insurance, long-term health hazards …

6. Health as Commodity – Themes: developments of the market for medication, health foods and other health products; interaction between physicians, scientists and businessmen

7. Methodological / Historiographical topics: papers that address ways of interpreting historical health data, either as case studies or from a theoretical point of view.

8. Nutrition as Health Factor – how has it interacted with cultural, economic and ideological aspects?

Panel chairs can also act as discussants. Discussants have an important role in stimulating discussions, which should take up a substantial part of the panel time. As a means, it is recommended that they can identify central issues of the papers, point of similarities and differences and raise individual or general questions.

The deadline is May 1, 2005.

For submitting papers, please, use registration at http://www.iisg.nl/esshc.