RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2015, University of Exeter, 1-4 September 2015
Call for Papers: Geographies of Amateur Creativities: Spaces, Practices and Experiences
Two Sessions with Joint Sponsorship from the Social and Cultural Geography Research Group (SCGRG) & the Historical Geography Research Group (HGRG)
Convenors:
Katie Boxall, Geography Department, Royal Holloway, University of London
Cara Gray, Drama and Theatre Department, Royal Holloway University of London
This RGS session invites conversation on the geographies of amateur creativity through a focus on the processes, spaces, and experiences of their ‘doings’ (Hawkins, 2011, 2014). Geography has witnessed a growing prevalence of literature on creativity, including art world professionals and creative economies (Currid, 2007; Daniels, 1993) whilst unpacking ‘other’ creativities from local experimentalisms (Gibson-Graham, 2008) to intricacies of vernacular and everyday creativities (Edendsor et al, 2009; Yarwood, 2010). Our session encourages discussion into a different register, being the amateur and amateur creativity; feeding into to cross-disciplinary discussions on social productions of “pro-amateurs” (Leadbeater and Miller. 2004). The intentions of this session are to query stereotypes of amateurism, offer amateur creativity as practicing communities of creative habit and explore experiential worlds of organic creative participation. We are interested in foregrounding cultures of enthusiasm (Geoghegan, 2009) and voicing the pursuit of leisure (Stebbins, 2002), to display the processes of amateur creativities (Brace and Putra-Jones, 2010) and spaces of amateur making (Bain, 2004, Sjöholm, 2012).
We are concerned with the place of historical writings and research about the amateur and what it might mean to become professional. This session proposes to extend DeLyer’s (2014) discussion on a ‘participatory historical geography’ through the creative capacity of the amateur figure and how historic communities of creative enthusiasts could fuel such discussion. Situating the amateur and amateur creativity within the wider enthusiast community, Geoghegan has offered enthusiast communities to be “central to ensuring the continued value and vibrancy of historical geography in the twenty-first century” (2014. 1). As part of the session, we seek to unpack underrepresented stories of amateur creative practice to vocalize the “unofficial endeavours and voices of those often neglected in the history of exploration” (Brickell and Garrett. 2013. 7), whilst thinking about geographers as themselves, amateur creative practitioners (Hawkins, 2014).
We invite papers on a range of topics about amateur creativities. Contributions might engage with, but are not limited to considerations of:
• The spaces of amateur creativity.
• The materialities and practices of amateur creativities.
• Pro-Amateurs.
• Amateur creative practices and questions of community.
• Amateur creative practices and the life course.
• Questions of skills and learning.
• Cultures of enthusiasm and vernacular knowledges.
• Historical narrative of the amateur
• Amateur archival practice
• Amateur curatorial habits and collections of curiosity
• Historical-cultural amateur creative practice
• Amateur travel log writing and documentation
Abstracts should be no more than 250 words and should be emailed to Katie Boxall [[log in to unmask]] and Cara Gray [[log in to unmask]] by no later than 8th February 2015. Please be sure to include your name, institution or affiliation and email address in your response.
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