CFP: Age of Reagan Conference, August 3-5, 2023

Overview

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI) is pleased to announce its inaugural Age of Reagan Conference to take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, CA from August 3-5, 2023. This academic and interdisciplinary conference is RRPFI’s most significant effort to realize President Reagan’s wish to make the Library “a dynamic intellectual forum where scholars interpret the past...” 

The “Age of Reagan” has come into fashion as a thematic framing of the late 20th and early 21st century. Even scholars with divergent views of the 40th president agree that President Reagan defined a new era by ushering in dramatic changes to American society and its relationship with the world. Those transformations are primed for further study given that many of the challenges facing the United States today echo those of the 1980s. Internationally, Reagan’s administration also contended with the rise of an East Asian economic rival and Russian military aggression, looming environmental issues, and the need to reset American foreign policy in the wake of withdrawal from “forever” wars. Domestically, the Reagan administration faced severe inflation and recession, drug addiction and disease crises, battles over immigration reform, fights over the judiciary, and uncertain technological futures. 

RRPFI invites panel and paper submissions considering these and other aspects of the Age of Reagan. This conference will dedicate one day each to domestic themes and foreign affairs, the latter with a special focus on the Strategic Defense Initiative. A third day will be reserved for oral history interview opportunities with veterans of the Reagan administration, museum tours, networking activities, and a discussion of the changing archival landscape. We particularly encourage the participation of scholars who intend to research in the archives of the Reagan Library, especially graduate students and early career scholars. We also encourage the participation of scholars who intend to make use of newly available or soon to be available records related to the Age of Reagan, such as the George P. Shultz papers at the Hoover Institution or the Richard Wirthlin polling files held by the Roper Center. 

Submission, Funding, and Archival Access 

RRPFI welcomes both individual and group submissions. Panel and paper abstracts must be submitted by March 25, 2023. Paper abstracts must be between 150-300 words and accompanied by a CV. Panel submissions must include a CV for each panelist, a 100-200 word panel description, and 150-300 word abstract for each paper. Please contact Anthony Eames by March 5, 2023 if you intend to organize a panel. Successful paper and panel submissions will be announced by April 10, 2023 All submissions and questions may be directed to Anthony Eames at aeames@reaganfoundation.org 

RRPFI will provide lodging. Funding is available to offset the cost of travel and participation in the conference upon request and RRPFI approval. 

If you plan to research at the Reagan Library immediately before or after your participation in the Age of Reagan conference, please indicate your involvement in the conference in a direct email to supervisory archivist Ira Pemstein at ira.pemstein@nara.gov and cc Anthony Eames at aeames@reaganfoundation.org 

Our Partners 

RRPFI is pleased to have the support of several leading scholarly institutions. Our partners include the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin, the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University, and the History and Public Policy Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. We’re grateful for these partner’s commitment to enrich the conference program and establish new research opportunities in collaboration with RRPFI.