On March 18th, 2017, Saint Anselm College will host the third academic symposium in its American Election series. This year’s conference, entitled Broken: Barriers, Parties and the Conventional Wisdom in 2016 will explore the dynamics of the 2016 elections, including trends at the national and state levels, focusing on how this election broke new ground and turned the convention wisdom on its head. Papers are welcome exploring a wide range of topics connected to the 2016 elections, including proposals in the areas of campaigns and elections, candidates, foreign and domestic policy and the election, the role of faith, race, and gender in electoral politics, political party dynamics, and elections at the state level. The conference will be held at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, which has served as ground zero for New Hampshire’s first-in-the nation primary. The symposium format is designed to facilitate feedback and discussion; therefore participants are expected to attend the full day of sessions.

Selected papers presented at the conference will serve as drafts of chapters in a proposed edited volume. Papers that will to be considered for the volume should use the following format: 1) What is the conventional wisdom on the topic, and 2) Did the conventional wisdom hold in 2016? Papers selected for the volume will be limited to 5,000 words, and must use Chicago style formatting (with in-text/parenthetical citations).

Proposals of not more than 250 words must be submitted by December 15th, 2016, to ensure full consideration. Please submit proposals to Dr. Tauna Sisco, at tsisco@anselm.edu. Further details about the conference, including registration fees, accommodations, and a tentative schedule of events, will be available on the conference website as details are announced. The website can be found at: http://www.anselm.edu/Institutes-Centers-and-the-Arts/NH-Institute-of-Politics/Programs/American-Elections-Conference-.htm