The original Middletown study was commissioned as a "small city study" by the Institute for Social and Religious Research and the Lynds' work marked one of the first in-depth, social scientific investigations of life in a smaller urban setting. In keeping with that tradition, the Center for Middletown Studies inaugurated the Small Cities Conference. It explores the unique challenges that have confronted and still confront municipalities that are neither metropolitan centers nor small towns.
The Conference was first established in 2001. Previous themes have included "Past, Present, and Future" in 2002 and 2003, and "The Legacies of Middletown" in 2004. A variety of sessions consider the historical, economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of the small city experience, as well as the significance of the Middletown studies. Participants often include social scientists, humanists, urban planners, and public officials.
The Center host the fifth Small Cities Conference in Muncie on April 12-14, 2007. The theme of this meeting was "The Small City in Global Context." Part of the purpose of this meeting was to broaden the scope of the conference beyond its past focus on U.S. (and particularly Midwestern) settings. It featured scholars working on small cities both within and outside the U.S. during periods from the early modern era to the present. Plans are currently underway to publish conference papers in one or more volumes, including a selection of papers on the modern era in the Journal of Urban History. Check back at this website for further details.
The next Small Cities Conference is scheduled for April 17-18, 2009.
Click for Small Cities Conference 2009: Call for Papers
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