Call for Papers | Doing History Differently: Queer Archives and Italy

Organizers: Matthew Zundel (Miami University), Alessio Ponzio (MacEwan University), Giulia Sbaffi (University of Siena).

We invite paper proposals for a virtual panel at the LGBTQ+ History Association’s annual conference, Queer/Trans History Conference, which will be held from June 2nd to 5th, 2026 at the University of Michigan.

Because the question of Italy as a national, geographic, and political entity remains open, we welcome papers that address archives from critical, theoretical, material and transnational perspectives. Below are some of the questions that we are interested in addressing, and to which paper proposals might respond:

• What constitutes a queer archive in the Italian case? What does a queer archive in Italy look like? How have they developed historically?
• What is the current state of queer archives in Italy? What are the current archival practices in Italy that focus on collecting queer-related material?
• How might scholars approach archival practices within Italy that do not have this queer focus, or may even be hostile to queer historical research, but nonetheless may hold material that helps expound the particulars of Italy’s queer history?
• What role do international and diasporic archives play in learning about Italian queer history?
• How has queerness been addressed by scholars in archives dedicated to Italy’s colonial past?
• Any other archival questions that have arisen in current scholarly work that touches on queerness and Italy, broadly construed, that would fit with any aspect of the description outlined above.

Our goal is to include participants in our panel in an edited volume that explores the historical development, contemporary practice, and critical theoretical analyses of queer Italian archives. If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please include a 200 word abstract with a 100 word author bio to Matthew Zundel, zundelm2@miamioh.edu, by September 30th, 2025.