Call for Papers

We are now accepting proposals for:

Console-ing Passions: A Conference on Television, Audio, Video, New Media, 
and
Feminism

April 24-26, 2008 - Santa Barbara, California

Founded by a group of feminist media scholars and artists, Console-ing 
Passions
works to create collegial spaces for new work and scholarship on culture 
and
identity in television and related media, with an emphasis on gender and
sexuality.

Since the early 1990s, Console-ing Passions conferences have featured new
research on feminist perspectives, including race and ethnicity,
post-colonialism, queer studies, globalization, national identity, 
television
genres, the social and cultural study of new media, the historical 
development
of media, and an ongoing feminist concern with gender dynamics in the
production and consumption of electronic media.

Our consideration of television, digital, and aural media comes at a 
pivotal
moment of political, social, cultural, and technological transformation.  
Key
among our concerns for the 2008 Console-ing Passions conference is the fact
that race, gender and important feminist issues will be prominent topics of
political discourse in electronic and digital media during this crucial
presidential election year.  Issues such as reproductive rights, and gay
marriage, for example, are hotly contested issues often addressed in the
mediasphere. The introduction of blogs, viral video, and social networking
sites has had a tremendous impact on traditional media, and their 
influences on
politics represent a shift in the mediation of democratic processes in the 
U.S.,
and in different parts of the world.  We are also interested in how new 
mobile
video technologies (i.e., cell phones, and ipods) inaugurate a new era of
?ubiquitous media? and participate in the renegotiation of the private and
public spheres.  Some of these recent changes are related to historical
processes. As always, we are very interested in historical research on
television, audio and new media.

Taking advantage of our conference location in Santa Barbara, California, 
which
is very close to both the Hollywood film and TV industry, and the 
information
technology hub of Silicon Valley, we also invite submissions that explore 
the
position of women and ethnic minorities in these media and information
industries.

We are interested in these and other topics that consider such developments
specifically from feminist perspectives.  We invite paper proposals that
consider, but are not limited to the following:

--gender, media and presidential politics
--history and theory of television
--women, race, and the Don Imus effect
--feminism and the blogosphere
--YouTube and social networking
--gender, 'nature' and media
--experimental media histories and criticism
--women in media industries
--gender and media spaces
--media and reproductive politics
--media and gay/lesbian politics
--reality TV
--second life, gaming, virtual reality online
--religion and media
--gender and technology
--gender and violence
--militarism
--mobile media activism
--theories of post-television
--theorizing TV in the age of Tivo
--gender, media and globalization

Deadline for receipt of proposals is NOVEMBER 1, 2007

Conference convenes April 24-26, 2008

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS:

Individual Papers: Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words 
with a
short bio.  Be sure to include titles for all submissions (papers, panels,
workshops, and screenings).

Panels: Submit a rationale for the panel (3-4 papers) of no more than 150 
words,
as well as abstracts of 500 words for each paper and a short bio and 
contact
information for each contributor.

Workshops: Submit a rationale for the workshop (a series of short, informal
presentations on a related topic, meant to encourage discussion), along 
with
individual abstracts of no more than 200 words and a short bio and contact
information for each participant.

Screenings of video, audio, or new media work: Please submit an abstract 
of no
more than 500 words and a short bio of the producer/director.

All submissions must include an email message with the following 
information:
name, title (if applicable), affiliation, email address, and telephone 
number
for the author, panel or workshop organizer, or producer/director for
screenings. Email message should also specify the audio/visual equipment 
needed
for the presentation.  Please be as specific as possible about a/v needs.

It is preferable that proposals be saved as PDF files.  All proposals must 
have
a title.  All proposals must be attached to the email message.

Email message and PDF files should be labeled as follows:  your last name 
and
the type of proposal (i.e. Smithpaper or Smithpanel or Smithworkshop or
Smithscreening).

Submit all proposals to ? [log in to unmask]

Direct all questions about the conference and the submission process to:
[log in to unmask]

See the Console-ing Passions website: 
http://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/cptv/cptv.html for more information about