Environmental Histories of New England, 1600-2025
Friday, September 18, 2026
Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
New England is a region defined by its landscape, its climate, its geography, and its peoples. Lined with harbors along its coastlines, ringed with mountains along its northern and western edges, and interleaved with dozens of rivers, the long history of the region that now comprises six states offers rich material for scholars exploring how the environment has shaped society and culture. Equally important have been studies of how indigenous and settler colonist communities have contributed to, changed, or harmed the environment of the region. This symposium will bring together scholars of New England’s varied environments to explore exciting directions in environmental studies, public history, and pedagogy.
Hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society and co-sponsored by The New England Quarterly, the day will include an environmentally-oriented tour of the Fens, a constructed pastoral landscape within the city of Boston. We seek papers that consider New England environmentally and that will contribute to a dynamic symposium. Joyce Chaplin will deliver a keynote address.
Selected participants will be asked to submit a draft essay of article length by September 1, 2026. Papers may be published as a special forum in a future issue of The New England Quarterly.
To apply, please submit a proposal that includes a paper title, 250-word abstract, and 2-page CV by January 31, 2026. The application is available via Google Form.
THE NEW ENGLAND QUARTERLY 