Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music Issues Call for Papers: Born to Run at 50

Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 01/09/2025

(WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music (BSACAM; Springsteen's official repository) and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences invite you to submit paper and/or panel abstracts for a scholarly conference devoted to the life, work, and influence of "The Boss" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the landmark album, Born to Run. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, is located just a mile from the famed Jersey shore and down the road from where Bruce Springsteen lived as he wrote Born to Run.

* Individual paper abstracts should be 150-250 words in length to ensure full consideration. Please include a brief author bio of 75-100 words.

* Panel abstracts should, in one document, include a 150-250 word abstract of each paper on the panel, with a brief author bio of 75-100 words per presenter.

* Please do not send full papers, book chapters, CVs, etc.

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While, in the interest of space and in honor of the aforementioned 50th anniversary, scholarship focused on Born to Run will be prioritized, other possible subjects include:

* Springsteen and American Roots Music Traditions

* Springsteen and Citizenship

* Springsteen and Critical Theory

* Springsteen and Race

* Springsteen and Education

* Springsteen and Gender

* Springsteen and Musicianship

* Springsteen and New Jersey

* Springsteen and Performance

* Springsteen and Politics

* Springsteen and Psychology

* Springsteen and Rock ‘n’ Roll Iconography

* Springsteen and the American Pastoral

* Springsteen and the Music Business

* Springsteen and the Politics of Culture

* Springsteen and/as Literature

* Springsteen as Narrative Poet

* Springsteen in the 21st Century

* Springsteen on War

* Springsteen’s Musical Contemporaries

* Springsteen’s Musical Influences

* Springsteen’s Musical Legacy

All abstracts should be submitted via email to BSACAM Curator Professor Melissa Ziobro.

Conference Date: Sunday, September 7, 2025 | Deadline for Submissions: Saturday, March 15, 2025.

The Bruce Springsteen Archives is comprised of nearly 48,000 items from 47 countries ranging from articles and oral histories to concert memorabilia, and promotional materials. The collection serves the research and informational needs of music fans, scholars, authors, and others with a serious interest in the life and career of Bruce Springsteen.

The Bruce Springsteen Archives serves as the archival repository for Bruce Springsteen’s written works, photographs, periodicals, and artifacts. The Center also preserves and promotes the legacy of Bruce Springsteen and his role in American music, while creating exhibits, public programs, and education initiatives that explore the works of American music giants like Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, Frank Sinatra, Gaslight Anthem, and others.

In addition to its archival mission The Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music creates traveling exhibits, educational conferences, public programs, teacher workshops, and scholastic field trips, all aimed at exploring the American music tradition and providing for academic discourse in various fields of American music.

 

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