KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. SIVA VAIDYANATHAN
**Call For Papers Deadline Extended to January 4, 2009**
If, as philosopher and poet Paul Valιry says, "The prophet is in the same
boat as the historian," then why does the future often remain alienated
from the past and present? Why do we envision the future as either utopic
or dystopic? Why are discussions of the future frequently limited to the
realm of science fiction? As the first decade of the new millennium draws
to a close, the fourth annual Battleground States Conference looks towards
the future. The conference seeks to address the future from cultural,
ideological, political, and technological perspectives as well as reflect
on contested visions of the future.
We welcome creative interpretations of the conference theme such as, but
not limited to:
Environmental change(s) and their impact on local, regional, national,
and global societies as well as their effects on future generations
The potential radical impact of emerging technologies in the fields of
medicine, information, science, culture, and the arts
Narratives of modernism alongside anti-teleological narratives
representative of postmodernism
Apocalyptic finality and post-apocalyptic renewal
Other questions to consider:
How have particular historical moments foreshadowed the future? How might
contemporary moments do the same?
How will the unfolding of our singular political moment alter the
national and global landscape?
What space does the future permit or omit for embodied notions of the human?
What is the fate of academia in a climate dominated by skepticism towards
intellectuals?
"Battleground States 2009: The Future" will be held February 26-28, 2009 on
the Bowling Green State University campus. The Culture Club: Cultural
Studies Scholars' Association hopes to elicit presenters who consider the
future in its traditional sense in addition to papers that move beyond the
temporal or chronological limitations of the future. As our aim is to
create a conference dedicated to cross- disciplinary approaches to the
future, we invite proposals from graduate students, emerging and
independent scholars, junior faculty, artists, activists, filmmakers, and
educators.
Abstract Guidelines:
Abstracts of 300 words or less should be sent to
battlegroundstates_at_gmail.com and must be submitted NO LATER THAN JANUARY
4th, 2009. Submissions should include the title, abstract,
presenter's name, institutional affiliation (if applicable), contact
information, A-V equipment requests, and special needs, if any. Panel
proposals are also welcome and should include information and
abstracts for all participants and the panel as a whole.
Please visit our website for information about The Culture Club and past
conferences:
www.battlegroundstates.org
--
Ogunleye, Yemisi (Miss)
www.iq4news.com
Head of Communications,
MeCCSA Post-Graduate Network
website: http://www.meccsa.org.uk/pgn/
Media & Communications Dept.,
Birmingham City University,
City North Campus,
Birmingham
B42 2SU
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