Between 4 to 8 fellowships are being offered by the American Geographical Society for scholars to conduct research in the special maps collection of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries. The fellowships range in time from two to four weeks. The library’s primary strengths are geography, cartography, and related historical topics. Interested applicants are encouraged to consult the fellowship descriptions and application process on the AGSL website. The deadline for applications is November 30, 2017.
Coke Zero became Coke Zero Sugar – why?
Once upon a time, Coca-Cola tried to rebrand their flagship drink by changing the recipe and calling it “New Coke”. If you are of a certain age, you’ll remember what a disaster this is; they quickly phased it out and we got back Classic Coke. Now Coke Zero – not to be confused with Diet Coke – has been renamed to Coke Zero Sugar. Why the change? This informative article by Alex Kelley of Catchword explains it all.
Call for Papers: 17th International Conference of Historical Geographers 2018, Warsaw, Poland, July 15-20 2018
A call for paper proposals and sessions has been issued for the 17th International Conference of Historical Geographers (ICHG). The Conference is being sponsored by the University of Warsaw, the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, and the Polish Academy of Sciences. The Conference will be held at the University of Warsaw from the 15th to the 20th of July 2018. The deadline for proposal submissions is the 14th of October 2017. Information on submissions and registration can be found here.
Papers and posters are welcome on any aspect of historical geography, including empirical, theoretical and historiographical aspects of the field and related disciplines, including the history of cartography, history of science and environmental history.
American Name Society Summer Bulletin 2017
The American Name Society is pleased to share the ANS 2017 Summer Newsletter.
Please consider becoming a member to receive more news updates.
AGM: “Old English place-names and the Communication of Traditional Ecological Knowledge”, London, UK, Sept. 19 2017
On Tuesday, the 19th of September 2017, the English Place-Name Society will hold their AGM at the offices of the British Academy. Dr. Richard Jones from the Centre for English Local History will give a formal presentation, “Old English place-names and the Communication of Traditional Ecological Knowledge” before the meeting. This event is open to all. RSVP before 12 September 2017 to reserve your place. More on this event can be found at the website.
About Names: Once big, Deborah had a fall from grace
Debra Messing co-starred as Grace Adler on NBC’s “Will & Grace” from 1998 to 2006. Her name in all its forms — Deborah, Debra, Debbie, Deb — once dominated the baby boomer names lists. / Associated Press
Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his August 15 column, he looks at the history of the name Deborah.
The name Debra is just as amazing. It’s an alternate spelling of Deborah, which is derived from the Hebrew word for “bee.” The name wasn’t used by Christians until after the Reformation. Then parents searching the Old Testament discovered it.
In England, Deborah first joined the top 50 names in 1610, peaking at 24th in the 1660s. The name was even more popular with Puritans and Quakers of colonial New England and Pennsylvania.
When yearly baby names data start in 1880, Deborah ranked 499th. It bottomed out at 892nd in 1912, and barely rose until 1928. What happened to Deborah after that? Read on to find out more about Deborahs in history!
Call for Papers: Faulkner and Slavery, Oxford, Mississippi, July 22-26 2018
From the 22nd to the 26th of July 2018, a conference on “Faulkner and Slavery” will be held at the Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha 2018 conference. Interested presenters are encouraged to send in abstract proposals for conference papers. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2018. Selected presentations will be included in an edited volume to be published by the University Press of Mississippi. All abstracts, inquiries, manuscripts, and proposals should be sent to Jay Watson, Department of English, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848. E-mail: jwatson AT olemiss.edu. Decisions for all submissions will be made by March 15, 2018.
A bar named Opium
The state of Maine has been hit hard by the nation’s opioid addiction crisis. About every 24 hours, another state coroner declares that someone’s son or daughter died from a drug overdose. Given that frightening statistic and the family tragedies related to it, many Maine residents are outraged when they heard that a new bar in Portland would be named “Opium”. While the bar owners’ argue that they picked the name as a “metaphor for relaxing and having a happy time”, activists and family members who have lost someone to drugs say the name is in very poor taste. More on this controversy can be found in this article at the Portland Press Herald.
Call for Papers: Hamsa: The Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies
The editors of Hamsa: The Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies are currently accepting proposals for its 5th volume on Muslims and Jews in Latin America. Submissions addressing the names and naming within this subject area are welcome. The main aim of the Hamsa Journal of Judaic and Islamic Studies is to create a virtual multi-disciplinary space in which all perspectives of the History, Language and Literature of Jews and Muslims can converge, as well as themes on Judaism and Islam in general. The deadline for submission is April 30, 2018. More details about the journal and the call are available here.
Call for Papers: The 23rd Annual Dickens Symposium, Tübingen, Germany, July 30-Aug 1, 2018
The 23rd Annual Dickens Symposium will be held in Tübingen, Germany from July 30 to August 1, 2018. In preparation for this conference, the Dickens Society is currently soliciting papers that address Dickens and Onomastics. Interested presenters are asked to submit 300-word abstracts and 150 word biographical statements between August 7 and November 1, 2017. To submit an abstract, visit this link.