Call for Papers -- Crisis and Dissent: Redefining American Boundaries
(1/25/02; 5/1/02-5/3/02)
The Tenth Annual Conference of the American Studies Colloquium at the
University of Washington
The American Studies Colloquium invites proposals for its Tenth Annual
Conference, to be held May 1-3 at the University of Washington in Seattle.
This conference provides an interdisciplinary regional forum for those
whose scholarship addresses questions relevant to the studies of
literature, history, culture, and political life of "America."
In light of the political and social climate in the world after September
11, we hope that the theme for this year's conference - "Crisis and
Dissent: Redefining American Boundaries" - provokes a discussion of the
relationship between crisis and the modes of defining the boundaries of
consent and dissent in American history and culture. We encourage
participants to consider the ways in which events have become and continue
to be constituted as "crises" in the culture and how these moments have
precipitated a reconsideration and reinterpretation of voices of dissent
and their relationship to the larger American culture. More specifically,
this conference invites papers that explore the ways in which crises allow
for or instigate certain types of boundary crossings (disciplinary,
geographic, ideological, formal, cultural, national, etc.) or,
alternatively, how crises (and at times dissent itself) has the potential
to reinforce these kinds of boundaries.
Papers might consider: How do we know a crisis when we see one, and how
does that crisis intervene in the formation of competing discourses in
American life? To what degree do these crises enable or impede voices of
dissent (or even what we think of as "dissent")? How might we understand
literature's relationship to both knowing what a crisis looks like and the
possibilities of responding to that crisis? How have various crises in
American history (i.e. the Civil War) prompted a shift in literary and
cultural concerns? How might these questions be useful and/or problematic
in thinking about what counts as "American"? What role does American
Studies have in this discussion about responding to crises and dissent?
Proposals might address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
Transnational study and its relationship to crisis and/or dissent.
Ethnic literature and dissent
The role of the historical in negotiating crises and dissent
Popular media and its participation in cultural/political crises
Dissenting (and non-dissenting) discourses of race, gender, class, and
sexuality
Narratives of crises and dissent
Poetic voices and dissenting voices
The role of the sentimental in times of crisis and dissent
The political possibilities and limitations of literary dissent
The voice of the academy/American Studies and its role in the public
sphere
Redefinitions of public and private boundaries during moments of crisis
Dissent and questions of geography, place, and location
The role of the expatriate and voices from abroad
Pedagogical responses to national crises and teaching narratives of
dissent
Please send (via email or regular mail) a one page abstract for a 15
minute paper by January 26 to:
Tamiko Nimura
tnimura@u.washington.edu
Box 354330
Department of English
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-4330
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