The British Association for Romantic Studies
The British Association for Romantic Studies (BARS) was set up in 1989 by academics to promote the study of the cultural history of the Romantic period. Since then, BARS has organised several international conferences at various locations in the UK , has published the BARS Bulletin and Review twice-yearly, and currently has more than 400 members.
BARS has also extended its activities into a number of important new fields: it supports a series of biennal BARS postgraduate conferences, which offer postgraduates an informal arena in which to give and listen to academic papers and discuss their work, and incorporates sessions given by experts on issues which concern postgrads in academia today, including publishing, writing cvs and applying for jobs. BARS also funds the Stephen Copley Postgraduate Bursaries; applicants can apply for sums of up to £300 to help them in their research expenses. There is an electronic mailbase for BARS members, informing them of worldwide conferences and events in the field as well as relevant new publications.
The BARS International Conference has a long history of successful four-day events attended by both eminent and new Romanticists from Britain and abroad. These conferences showcase the new work being done in the field of Romantic studies. They are held biennially, and have included 'Enlightenment, Romanticism & Nation' (Glasgow 2011),'Romantic Circulations' (Roehampton University 2009), 'Emancipation, Liberation, Freedom,' organised jointly with the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism (NASSR) (University of Bristol, 2007), 'Romanticism's Debateable Lands' (University of Newcastle, 2005), 'Romantic Conflict' (University of Warwick, 2003), 'Sustaining Romanticism' (University of Liverpool, 2001), and 'Romantic Revelations' (Keele University, 1999). The 13th International Conference, Romantic Imports and Exports will be held at the University of Southampton on 25th-28th July, 2013. The call for papers can be downloaded here and more details about the conference can be found here.
We also sponsor a number of day conferences around the country and have fostered links with other Romantic associations, including conferences in association with the Centro di Studia Romanticisme in Bologna, Italy. Information regarding past and previous conferences can be seen in the News and Events section of this website.
The BARS Bulletin is published in pdf format twice-yearly and informs members of upcoming events, publications and notices relevant to their interests as well as offering an extensive reviews section, reflecting the research interests of BARS members. The reviews from previous editions of the BARS Bulletin can be accessed in the Bulletin Archive section of this site.
We hope that you will consider becoming a BARS member, and please tell colleagues and postgraduates about BARS. There is a downloadable membership form in the How to Join section of this site.