CFP: Cyborgs and Gender-Construction in US Culture (Spain) (10/15/04; 3/16/05-3/18/05)

Panel: Discursive and Physical Limits of Identity. Cyborgs and Gender-
 Construction in US Culture.
VII S.A.A.S. Conference
Jaen, 16-18 March 2005
Spain
Call for papers
 
Before Michel Foucault theorized on t=
he relationship existing between power and knowledge, it would have been =
at least awkward to think of our own epistemological and ontological iden=
tity as a power construct. Nowadays, recent research on biotechnology pr=
oves that Foucault=92s theories on the construction of identity have tran=
scended the limits of mere consciousness to get comfortably installed in =
the physical body itself. The epitome of such installation is what we co=
mmonly know as cyborg; a hybrid of machine and organism that offers a pos=
tmodern alternative to modern essentialism and representationalism. The =
trope of the cyborg represents a physical and epistemological break signa=
lling a =93differential consciousness=94 that exists in a dynamic state o=
f flux and development. It can stand for a kind of oppositional consciou=
sness and practice that Chela Sandoval terms a =93methodology of the oppr=
essed=94 and which has characterized the political standpoint of various =
marginalized groups in the US. Donna Haraway has specially related cybor=
gs with the construction of female politics and identity on the basis of =
a multiple and contradictory perspective. The cyborg questions any ident=
ity built on the distinction between human being and machine, self and Ot=
her, or male and female, and abolishes any oppressive relation based on s=
uch dualistic distinctions. This panel will be dedicated to exploring th=
e relevance of cyborgs in the construction of identity and gender relatio=
ns in the US.
 
Suggested topics:
 
-Cyber-Eroticism
-Cyborg Feminis=
t Politics
-Transgender Identity
-Cyborgs and Postmodern Identity Const=
ruction
-Textual Cyborgs
-Cyborgs and Power
-Cyborg Dystopias
-Cyborg=
 Democracy
 
The 2005 SAAS (Spanish Association for American Studies) C=
onference will be held in Jaen, Spain, 16-18 March 2005. Within the theme=
 "Masculinties, Femininities And Hybridities In Us Culture."
 
Please,=
 send your proposed abstract directly to Miriam Fernandez (mirfer_at_us.es) =
by 15 October, 2004 (full papers should be sent by 15 February, 2005), co=
mpleting the form at the end of the GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPANTS below.=0D
=
 
Please, write here the title of your proposal:
Author's Name:
Academ=
ic Affiliation:
E-mail:
Panel:
 
 
Abstract (400-600 words):
 
 =0D
=
Special requirements if any:
 
 
Please, send your abstract in this fo=
rm and in electronic format to Miriam Fernandez (mirfer_at_us.es). Deadline =
for abstract proposals is October 15 2004.
 
Members of International A=
ssociations of American Studies are invited to participate. Conference fe=
e: 110=80 (70=80 for SAAS members). Please, check the SAAS Web page for f=
urther details: http://www.ujaen.es/dep/filing/SAAS/index.html

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Received on Wed Oct 06 2004 - 10:02:06 EDT