Oklahoma History Symposium
The 2025 Oklahoma History Symposium will be held on May 3, 2025, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the symposium is a one-day event encompassing a range of historical topics pertaining to Oklahoma. It provides a venue for scholars, students, educators, public history professionals, and the interested public from across the state and region to share their work and interests with others.
Typical activities include a keynote, historical sessions, exhibitors, a book signing, a meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) membership, and a brief organizational meeting of the OHS Board of Directors.
Keynote Speaker: Loren Waters
Award-winning filmmaker Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa) will be our keynote speaker. Waters will share about her short documentary Meet Me at the Creek, which focuses on Rebecca Jim’s (Cherokee) efforts to restore Tar Creek in Miami. Waters’s experience in the film industry includes directing, producing, and casting for film and television including Reservation Dogs, Fancy Dance, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
This program is funded in part by Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.
Call for Proposals
The 2025 symposium will center on the theme “Oklahoma in Context.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines context as “the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs.”[1] With this definition in mind, the program committee welcomes proposals that place Oklahoma history within broader regional, political, or social contexts. We encourage submissions that apply Oklahoma history beyond the confines of territorial or state boundaries. Submissions that place a well-known narrative or individual under a different lens of interpretation are welcome. Further, we actively seek presentations that amplify the voices and stories of those currently underrepresented in Oklahoma history.
Although individuals are not prohibited from presenting in consecutive years, the program committee will give preference to first-time presenters and those who have not recently presented. While submissions for individual presentations are welcome, please note that the time allotted for such presentations will be shorter than a full session or may be combined with similar proposals to make a Panel Presentation. Participants may be a presenting member of only one session but may also serve as chair/facilitator of a second session.
The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2024, and proposals must be submitted online.
Proposal Submission Form (PDF)
Session will be 30 or 45 minutes, with 10 minutes for audience discussion and questions. Session formats may include:
- Individual presentation: Lecture format with time for audience discussion.
- Panel presentation: Traditional format with at least three presenters as well as a chair and/or commentator that presents new findings, works in progress, or new methodologies pertaining to the symposium theme.
- Discussion session: Highlights a specific project or initiative by featuring input from multiple stakeholders or collaborators. The session should include multiple perspectives across all stages of a project’s development.
- Roundtable: A formal, structured discussion among multiple speakers with assistance from a facilitator or moderator. A roundtable should allocate sufficient time for discussion among presenters and the audience.
[1] “Context.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/context. Accessed 26 Jun. 2024.
Contact Us
Angela Spindle
405-522-0472
symposium@history.ok.gov
Explore Past Events
2024 Oklahoma History Symposium
2023 Oklahoma History Symposium
2022 Oklahoma History Symposium
2021 Oklahoma History Conference (virtual)
