I will propose the following as a Special Session for the MLA 2000 conference
(note: you must be a member of MLA by April 1, 2000, to be considered for
this panel).
(Re)Reading White Supremacist Texts of the Twentieth Century
Recent work in whiteness studies has explored the ways that "race" continues
to influence socio-political, economic, and cultural structures, as well as
the construction and transformation of U. S. historical narratives. Within
the context of this work and given the on-going presence of racial violence
within America, I would like panelists to (re)examine the structures,
complexities, and anxieties of white supremacist discourse. Papers might
address various twentieth century texts (e.g., novels, film, advertisements,
etc.) and should work toward understanding and analyzing the operating
narratives within white supremacist texts. Panelists might address questions
such as the following: how do white supremacist texts work to maintain white
hegemonic control of cultural power? how do they reveal white anxieties over
racial identity? how do they manipulate the fictions of race to argue a
threatened white identity? how do such texts conceal themselves as
democratic? how do they contribute to the "culture of fear" that breeds
continued racial violence? how does white mainstream culture continue to
justify, camouflage, or ignore such texts? how do we effectively challenge or
deconstruct such texts in a culture that purports freedom of speech?
Please include the following information along with your abstract:
1) your professional title
2) your academic affiliation
3) a list of any audiovisual equipment you will need
Please send 1-2 page abstracts via email no later than March 29, 2000, to:
jacary0@cs.com
Julie A. Cary
University of Kentucky
Department of English
1215 Patterson Office Tower
Lexington, KY 40506
jacary0@cs.com
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