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South Africa-Brazil: South-South Consumption Studies Workshop
3-7 November 2013
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Critical Research in Consumer Culture (South Africa) Network invites applications for participation in a scholarly workshop focussed on South-South exchange and collaboration between research about consumer culture in Brazil and South Africa.
Countries such as Brazil and South Africa occupy a fascinating dual position. On the one hand, they are arguably the future economic elite of the global capitalist system. Their populations comprise huge numbers of people who are desperate to see their own quality of life improved as a consequence of economic growth, who increasingly see themselves as global citizens, and who are enmeshed in global flows of media discourses promoting consumerism. On the other hand, these populations are sure to soon realize that unlimited economic growth in the neoliberal framework is not a sustainable model and will not result in broad-based equality and social mobility – as the collapse of certain free-market structures in the global north is already proving.
The workshop is intended to function as an opportunity for intellectual exchange between scholars working on any aspect of consumption or consumer culture in South Africa or Brazil. The workshop will be interdisciplinary, and will welcome any scholar from any orientation in the humanities or social sciences, though we will give preference to those who demonstrate critical underpinnings. The workshop will create an open space for scholars to share their empirical and theoretical perspectives linked to their current research, as well as to facilitate opportunities for collaborative or comparative research projects to be seeded.
The workshop can host a maximum of 20 participants. We hope to have an equal number of South African and Brazilian scholars participating. Applicants should send the following to [log in to unmask] by 30 August 2013:
* A one-page CV
* A two-page motivational statement, describing:
- current research preoccupations
- a working title for a 20-minute research paper
- an account of how scholarly exchange between South Africa and Brazil may tie in to
current research work
* Confirmation of availability from 3 – 7 November 2013
We ask that all applicants demonstrate a coherent research agenda/focus in their motivational statement. Both established and early-career researchers are welcome to apply.
Successful participants will be informed by 15 September 2013, in order to allow for sufficient time for travel preparations. Participants will need to cover their own travel costs to and from South Africa. SIX accommodation subsidies are available for Brazilian participants¯who should indicate their interest in their cover letter. Any inquiries can be directed to [log in to unmask].
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