Port-Cities at War from the 18th to 20th centuries
Centre for Port and Maritime History
Merseyside Maritime Museum together with the Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool

Call for papers:

Throughout the modern period, port-cities have been directly affected by war and its consequences. Because of their primary dependence on overseas trade and the increasing proliferation of naval and aerial conflict on an international scale, the impact of war on port-cities has been particularly extensive, while post-war settlements have often affected the commercial viability of individual ports by altering territorial alignment or by severing connections with port-city hinterlands. By definition, war often involved the disruption of port-city trading networks and existing patterns of population mobility. War had a disproportionate effect on the local economy of port-cities, in terms of sectoral employment patterns and labour relations. It was also accompanied in the context of the twentieth century by the destruction of physical assets, including the dock infrastructure, and a considerable loss of life, which, in turn, created significant problems in relation to reconstruction and post-war planning.

Despite their implicit interconnectedness, no attempt has been made to analyse the impact of war on port-cities in a comparative and interdisciplinary context. This international workshop is designed to bring together a wide range of scholars, including maritime and military historians and colleagues with an interest in business, cultural, labour and urban history, in order to construct an analytical framework for examining the impact of war on port-cites and their long-run development. Proposals are invited on any aspect of research relating to port-cities at war, including the following themes:

- War and the disruption of trading networks.
- The impact on war on the relationship between port-cities and their hinterlands.
- War, population growth and migration.
- The economic effects of war, in relation to wealth distribution, real wages and labour relations.
- The shifting priorities of naval warfare and their impact on ports
- The role of colonial ports
- War, society and gender: the social impact of war on port-cities.
- War damage, reconstruction and the development of port-cities.
- The political consequences of war.

Proposals are invited for individual papers and panel topics, focusing on the impact of war on Liverpool, British, European, and international ports from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Contributions from new researchers and doctoral students would be particularly welcome.
Applicants should submit a 400 word proposal and a brief cv (in World, RRTF or PDF format) by Monday 10th August. Participants whose papers have been accepted will be notified by Monday 24th August. Some financial support will be available to help with travel and accommodation costs, particularly for graduate students: food and refreshments will be provided by the workshop organisers.
Further details can be obtained from: