The storming of the US Capitol on January 6 th dominated media and political conversations for
weeks. For many, the events of January 6 th symbolized a breaking down of the American
democracy. For those who sought to challenge the authority of the 2020 Presidential election, it
symbolized the right to self-determination. Of course, while this exists as a major current event
in US politics, the continuing process of legitimization exists throughout every corner of the
globe. In many regions, conflicting views on sovereignty are rooted in political deviation. In
other cases, the tension is rooted in long-lasting historical confrontation, religious views, anti-
colonial movements, and ethnic conflict.
The January 6 th events raised a number of questions about the processes governmental
institutions and leaders use to maintain trust and order. The aim of this year’s Dean Hopper
History Conference is understanding authority and legitimacy in a global context. We are
interested in how these terms have been utilized, how social organizations maintain and expand
power, and how legitimacy highlights the growth or absence of mass-democracy. Are only those
in politics capable of upholding authority, or is it instead intertwined within social and cultural
organizations? To what extent can credibility and self-determination be maintained in the
modern world, and in what ways have these methods been challenged historically?
Drew University’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies invites proposals for the 9 th Annual
Dean Hopper Conference titled, “Authority and Legitimacy: Understanding Sociability and
Politics Globally.” Submissions are encouraged from graduate students, early-career academics,
and researchers in areas of American, Atlantic, European, Asian, African, and Global History
from various perspectives. Interdisciplinary approaches will also be accepted. Those interested in
presenting should send an abstract of 200-300 words as well as a C.V. to Hopper@drew.edu by
October 8, 2021. Notifications will be made on October 15, 2021.
Suggested topics may include but are not limited to:
American / European / Indigenous / Asian / African / MENA / Global / Political / Social / Philosophical / Religious / Cultural
The 2021 Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Kevin Butterfield, author of The Making of Tocqueville’s
America: Law and Association in the Early United States. Dr. Butterfield is the Executive
Director of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount
Vernon, and is a historian of the post-Revolutionary United States.
Due to the ongoing nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, this conference will be held virtually.
Attendance and participation are generously sponsored by the Caspersen School of Graduate
Studies.
Dean Hopper Conference Committee
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