Sears & Roebuck Consumers guide no. 107, 1898, via Wikimedia Commons.
At Contingent, we’ve always encouraged our writers to share the process of their research—to show how history is a thing that people do. We’ve also encouraged them to explicitly place themselves in their discussion of process and talk about their personal connections to the history they write—to show that history is a thing that people do. This December, we’re looking for contributors to combine these approaches and tackle the objects that surround us.
We’re now accepting pitches for short essays (500–800 words) that explore the history of a distinct object you remember from childhood that you later learned the history of. In particular, we’re looking for stories that examine the meanings you were raised with and the meanings you’ve discovered as you’ve learned additional historical context. Most importantly, we’re looking for pieces that tell personal histories, even as they also engage with scholarship. How have these layers of history shaped and reshaped your relationship to that object, to the place where you encountered it, to the people who owned and handled it, and to yourself and your own identity? Note: these don’t have to be objects that directly inspired your later research, though they could be; equally valid are stories of objects whose histories you encountered unexpectedly as you grew as a historian.
Email your short pitch and a brief bio to pitches@contingentmag.org with “THING OF THE PAST” in the subject line. Pitches are due by Wednesday, November 17. You’ll be notified by Saturday, November 20 if we have accepted your pitch. Drafts will be due by Saturday, November 27. Check out our “How To Pitch” page for more on what we look for in pitches.
Each author will be paid $150. As always, Contingent will prioritize pitches from people who have completed postgraduate work in history (or a history-adjacent field) but are working outside of tenure-track employment.