Call for Papers – Born to Run at 50
January 7, 2025
Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ, 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.
The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music (BSACAM; Springsteen’s official repository) and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences are delighted to 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 that landmark album.
All abstracts should be submitted via email to BSACAM Curator Professor Melissa Ziobro.
● 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.
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
Contact email: mziobro@monmouth.edu
Conference Date: Sunday, September 7, 2025
Deadline for Submissions: Saturday, March 15, 2025
