Go to the U of M home page

Pages

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

SooJin Pate Poster Presentation

SooJin Pate will be doing a poster presentation of her research, "Yellow Desire, Militarization, and the Paradox of Korean Adoption", at the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Research Showcase which will be held Tuesday, April 6, 2010, Noon- 2 p.m. in the Great Hall of Coffman Memorial Union. Click here for more information about the showcase:http://www.grad.umn.edu/fellowships/enrolled_students/Doctoral_Research_Showcase.html

Saturday Reminder-Prospective Graduate Student Dinner

Just a final reminder about the dinner on Saturday evening. Please join the department to visit with prospective graduate students. We will be providing the meal, but please bring a beverage of your choice. The dinner is from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at CW Lofts.


Saturday Reminder-Prospective Graduate Student Dinner
Directions to CW Lofts below:
CW Lofts is located at 730 Stinson Blvd NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413.
Directions from the South:
Take 35W North
Exit 21A for New Brighton Blvd
Turn Right onto County Rd 27/Stinson Blvd
Turn Right into 730 Stinson Blvd NE (CW Lofts)
Directions from North:
Take 35W South
Exit 21A for Stinson Blvd toward County Road 88
Turn Left at County Rd 27/Stinson Blvd
Turn Right into 730 Stinson Blvd NE (CW Lofts)
Directions from 94:
Take 94 E or W
Merge onto 35W North
Exit 21A for New Brighton Blvd
Turn Right onto County Rd 27/Stinson Blvd
Turn Right into 730 Stinson Blvd NE (CW Lofts)

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Radical History Review - Call for Papers

The Radical History Review has issued a call for papers for an upcoming issue on "Genealogies of Neoliberalism." Short abstracts are due June 15, 2010. For more information, see http://chnm.gmu.edu/rhr/calls.htm

UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies Post Doctoral Fellowship

UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin invites applications for a temporary, 1-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Ph.D. required by August 2010. The Fellow will be expected to engage in teaching the MA and undergraduate programs and contribute to the research and publications of the institute. Application deadline: April 29, 2010.

UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies Post Doctoral Fellowship
Applications are invited for a temporary, 1-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies. Applications are sought from candidates who hold a PhD in a relevant discipline or who will do so by 1st August 2010. The Fellowship is worth €30,119 per annum. The Fellow will be expected to engage in teaching of the MA and undergraduate programmes and contribute to the research and publications of the Institute.
In addition to their application, candidates should submit a statement (500 words max) on their teaching experience and on the contributions they could make to the teaching programmes of the Clinton Institute.
Closing date for applications: Thursday 29th April 2010
For job description and to apply visit http://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies/

Doing Queer Studies Now - Call for Papers

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is pleased to announce a call for papers for the Graduate Conference, "Doing Queer Studies Now", October 21-23, 2010. The purpose of this conference is to take stock of and provide a showcase for innovative practices and pursuits in queer studies, both in the humanities and social sciences, as well as emerging fields that bridge the two. Abstract deadline: June 1, 2010.

Doing Queer Studies Now - Call for Papers
- Doing Queer Studies Now -
Graduate Conference
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
October 21-23, 2010
*Confirmed Speakers*: Paul Amar (Law & Society Program, Global Studies, Feminist Studies, UC-Santa Barbara), Adam Green (Sociology, U. of Toronto), Joon Lee (English, Rhode Island School of Design), Heather Love (English, U. of Pennsylvania).
What is queer about queer studies? Does queer refer to a set of topics or a mode of inquiry? What is the role of theory in queer studies? How is new scholarship bridging the social sciences and the humanities? What is the relationship between actual queer practices and queer studies? What is the relationship between scholarship and activism? How are radical sex critique and queer studies related? What are the limitations of queer?
These are some of the questions we are interested in twenty years after the emergence of queer theory. The purpose of this conference is to take stock of and provide a showcase for innovative practices and pursuits in queer studies, both in the humanities and social sciences, as well as emerging fields that bridge the two.
*We are not calling for papers that engage these questions at a meta-level, but rather for work that is conditioned by them.*
While we welcome a range of topics, some of the topics we are interested in include:
- the role of historical, political and economic forces in shaping queerness
- governmentality, state and biopolitics
- transnational flows of capital and migrations
- queer intersections with race, gender, class, ability, age, etc.
- queer subjectivities, experiences and identities
- queer historiography, phenomenology and temporality
- visual culture, new media
Paper abstracts of 250 to 300 words should be sent by June 1, 2010 to _doingqueerstudiesnow2010@umich.edu _. We wish to notify presenters by Monday, June 21. We will ask for the completed paper for respondents by October 1, 2010.

Professor Seeks TA - Fall 2010

A Teaching Assistant is sought for Fall 2010 AFRO/ENGL 3592W: "Introduction to Black Women Writers in the United States" (either 25% = 10 hours a week or 50% = 20 hours a week).

Professor Seeks TA - Fall 2010
A Teaching Assistant is sought for AFRO/ENGL 3592W: "Introduction to Black Women Writers in the United States" (either 25% = 10 hours a week or 50% = 20 hours a week).
The TA should preferably be:
(i) A graduate major or minor in African American and African Studies with a concentration in African World Literatures; or
(ii) A graduate major or minor in black studies, postcolonial studies, diaspora studies, world literatures, or gender studies ... with a strong background in literary studies; or
(iii) A graduate student majoring in literatures and/or languages with a strong background in literary and critical approaches and theories.
TA duties will ordinarily include all of the following:
• attending lectures
• holding office hours
• keeping records of attendance and absence
• coordinating the list serve and students' inquiries • attending meetings with the course instructor
• grading homework and exams (mainly essays) in a confident, skilful, and competent manner
Please contact Professor Njeri Githire (ngithire@umn.edu)

The Newberry Library Seminar on Women and Gender 2010-2011

The Newberry Seminar on Women and Gender is pleased to announce a call for papers for the 2010-2011 academic year. The seminar will be open to graduate students, independent scholars, and faculty. The seminar will meet on selected Fridays during the academic year, 3:00-5:00 p.m., at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Submission deadline: April 25, 2010.

The Newberry Library Seminar on Women and Gender 2010-2011
CALL FOR PAPERS
for the 2010-2011 academic year
Deadline for Submission: 25 April 2010
The Newberry Seminar on Women and Gender is intended to bring together scholars
from a variety of historical fields to share their works in progress. The seminar will
explore diverse topics and genres--such as race/ethnicity, biography, war, family,
sexuality, education, feminism, and work, for example--through the prisms of women
and/or gender. Our focus will be on the United States and North America across all time
periods; however, we welcome papers on non-American aspects of the history of women
and gender. Ideally our meetings will stimulate wide-ranging discussions applicable for
use in classrooms and professional forums.
The seminar will be open to graduate students, independent scholars, and faculty. To
maximize time for discussion, papers will be circulated electronically in advance. Priority
will be given to individuals who are at a stage in their research at which they can best
profit from discussion, and to individuals who need a venue to present their work. The
seminar will meet on selected Fridays during the academic year, 3:00-5:00 PM, at the
Newberry Library in Chicago.
To propose a paper, please send a one-page proposal, a statement explaining the
relationship of the paper to your other work, and a brief c.v. to Heather Radke, Program
Assistant, Dr. William M. Scholl Center for American History and Culture, The
Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton Street; Chicago, IL, 60610. Please send all materials
as electronic attachments via email to scholl@newberry.org.
If you are interested in presenting and have questions, please contact one of the seminar
coordinators, Francesca Morgan (Northeastern Illinois University;
f-morgan@neiu.edu; or Joan Marie Johnson (Northeastern Illinois University;
joanmjohnson@comcast.net.

Call for Papers -- The Ethics of Racial Identity, PAMLA 2010 Special Session

The Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) is pleased to announce a call for papers for the 2010 conference, "The Ethics of Racial Identity: PAMLA Special Session", on November 13-14, 2010 at Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii. This special session invites papers addressing the role of social media in researching, analyzing, and writing about literature. Proposal deadline: April 5, 2010.

Call for Papers -- The Ethics of Racial Identity, PAMLA 2010 Special Session
PAMLA (Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association) is the western regional affiliate of MLA. The 2010 conference will take place November 13-14 at Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii. This special session invites papers addressing the role of social media (Twitter, Facebook, wikis, blogs, tags) in researching, analyzing, and writing about literature. Presenters may discuss specific applications, case-studies, or general theories about online collaboration and research.
The Ethics of Racial Identity: PAMLA Special Session
Barack Obama benefited from the spirit of tolerance that defined Hawaii's racial climate. This special session envisions a mixed-race literature in the age of Obama that forwards not solely theorizations of what mixed race identities are, but an ethics for treating mixed race identification in literature. It is designed to re-situate mixedness/interraciality within the field of literary inquiry as a question of the ethical treatment of racialized figures.
Submit proposals online by April 5 at http://www.pamla.org/2010 or send abstracts of 500 words or less to adebe_@hotmail.com

9th International Conference of the Collegium for African American Research on April 6-9, 2011

Université Paris Diderot in Paris is pleased to announce a call for papers for the 9th International Conference of the Collegium for African American Research, "Black States of Desire: Dispossession, Circulations, Transformation", April 6-7, 2011. Proposal deadline: September 5, 2010.

9th International Conference of the Collegium for African American Research on April 6-9, 2011
Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7
Call for Papers
Black States of Desire: Dispossession, Circulation, Transformation
« If we - and now I mean the relatively conscious whites and the relatively conscious blacks, who must, like lovers, insist on, or create, the consciousness of the others - do not falter in our duty now, we may be able, handful that we are, to end the racial nightmare, and achieve our country, and change the history of the world. »
(James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time, 1963)
« a call to action, a call to consciousness. »
(Assotto Saint, Spells of Voodoo Doll, 1996)
Bridging the 2009 Conference in Bremen on black epistemologies and struggles, and the 2013 Conference in Atlanta, the 9th International Conference of the Collegium for African American Research will be held in Paris in 2011. Placing the emphasis on the conditions of social transformation in the black world, it will articulate two main axes of analysis and reflection: the intersection of a socioeconomic approach with a multicultural and identity-focused perspective; the relation between theorizing processes and material transformation, between intellectual activity and political action, and between different communities with specific agendas.
The conference will highlight the recognition of the central historical contribution of black feminist studies and movements, notably lesbian, in the American and South African contexts. In both their sought after inclusiveness and productive failures they are exemplary of individual change and collective reformation. This goal, once pursued by Audre Lorde and James Baldwin, and still to be reached, is here emblematized by the figures of desire and the black states. In the wake of Lorde's esthetical and political alliance of the self and the community, of Baldwin's desiring consciousness and ethics of inclusion, desire and the black states are together rich with conscious revolutions to come. They work as immaterial and physical orientations, symbols of shifting identifications, of the diversity of black lived experiences. The black states of desire therefore set out to describe lack turned into impetus and actualization, the movement from what exists to what can be imagined and created, from words to the building stone, from statement to establishment.
In this broad perspective, we invite proposals from scholars in any discipline, but also from intellectual, artistic and cultural conversants, and socioeconomic, political, and institutional actors who aim at anchoring Black studies and creations in a social world to be concretely changed with innovative projects. Without being limited, either in number, scope, nor aims, the desired states of being black that the conference hopes to sketch will be related to the key notions of dispossession, circulation, and transformation. Cardinal poles of the worldwide black experience, they also open up the space for mapping and materializing the much-needed black utopias of the 21st century.
Black islands and alternatives to isolation may be one such. Instrumental in slavery, colonization, and in the shaping of modernity, with its long-ingrained racism, isolation has taken many forms including political subjugation, socioeconomic subordination and de-historicization, as the media coverage of the recent Haitian earthquake has shown. It has overshadowed that Saint-Domingue turned Haiti was the first black republic whose social transformation was spread throughout the worldwide 20th century anti-colonial movements of national liberation, especially African. The sister islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique may represent the Haitian utopia passed on to the black 21st century.
This is what seems to prove the February 2009 Martiniquan Manifest, which, among others, Patrick Chamoiseau and Edouard Glissant signed in the heat of the Guadeloupean collective mobilization. Its key word, poetical and political, is Lyannaj, which signifies in Creole dynamic and praxis linking individuals, peoples, communities. This urgent need of linkage has also always been carried through the African American text ― from Zora Neale Hurston's polyphonic voices to Toni Morrison's re-membered selves and others, from Richard Wright's political commitments to Melvin Dixon's instruments of love.
In opposition to the further dispossession of the dispossessed, and in order to generate a worldwide community based on solidarity, the circulation of black experiences, past and present, is thus of paramount importance. It also needs to include other islanders, unacknowledged or vanishing, such as Blacks of and in Europe, gays and lesbians in Africa or persons with AIDS, whose fundamental rights are denied. Cut off from the wealth and health of the North, they all call out for justice and, from their specific situations and conditions, for a profound reflection on communities ― be they inherited or elective: how do they culturally intersect? How can they be politically articulated?
To reach the necessary coalition-building between black communities, it is necessary to consider the multiple identifications and identities that found them, and the cross-cutting issues that impact them. While revisiting the African American literary esthetics of optics, through which things unseen are made evident, contemporary writers and artists, often activists as well, such as Essex Hemphill, Assotto Saint, or Sapphire, have complied with this double agenda. Their commitment to both art and the world prolongs the organic bond between literature and sociopolitical struggles, while eschewing academic aporias, conceptualizations disconnected from black reality, or, up until recently, the delusions promised by the proclaimed advent of, in the United States, the postrace, and in South Africa, the postcolony.
That is the task of all, and particularly of scholars and actors in the Humanities. If reconnected to the social world, starting with a productive connection between disciplines, to which CAAR has been dedicated since its creation, the call for transformation from worldwide black philosophies, arts and literatures may not remain unanswered. In the spirit of the Black Writers Conference, some fifty years earlier, the 2011 Paris Conference "Black States of Desire: Dispossession, Circulation, Transformation" hopes to offer such a reuniting space.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstracts should be sent to the principal organizer of the conference at: jprocchi@wanadoo.fr
The deadline for paper proposals is 5 September 2010.
Presenters are expected to pay conference fees and membership to the Collegium for African American Research. More information can be found at: http://caar-web.org

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

PCard Receipt Reminder

Please submit receipts for all March PCard purchases to date to Laura by Thursday, April 1, 2010.

PCard Receipt Reminder
Please submit receipts for all February PCard purchases to date to Laura by Monday, March 1, 2010. See attachment below for generic coversheet.
COVERSHEET generic-1.xlsx

Teaching with Writing: Five-Day Faculty Seminar

The Center for Writing is now accepting registrations for its annual pre-fall Teaching with Writing seminar for faculty. This is the ninth year for the 5-day seminar which takes place August 23-27, 2010. Available 25 spots fill up quickly so please apply ASAP.

Teaching with Writing: Five-Day Faculty Seminar
The Center for Writing is now accepting registrations for its annual
pre-fall Teaching with Writing seminar for faculty. This is the ninth
year for the seminar and we've learned that it fills quickly.
Teaching with Writing: A five-day faculty seminar: (9:30 AM-12:30 PM
August 23-27, 2010) Cap: 25 (see registration information below)
This seminar presents an opportunity for busy faculty members and
instructors to focus exclusively on strategies for integrating
meaningful writing instruction into their courses. All discussions are
interdisciplinary, lively, and practical and each session involves
participants in hands-on activities using sample writing assignments
and student-written drafts. By week's end, participants will have...
considered discipline- and course-specific modes of writing instruction,
designed at least two practical, low-stakes writing activities for use
in a specific course,
devised (or revised) a lengthier, formal writing assignment for use in
a specific course,
commented on sample drafts in ways that encourage revision,
created (or revised) assignment-specific grading schemes that ensure
fair assessment,
experimented with time-saving techniques,
have a handbook filled with instructional support materials, and
had a great week filled with of dynamic discussions and applicable solutions.
Facilitator: Pamela Flash, Director, Writing Across the Curriculum;
Director, Writing-Enriched Curriculum Project
To date, participants have come from: Accounting; African American
Studies; American Studies, Agronomy and Plant Genetics, Applied
Linguistics; Architecture; Art; Art History; Asian Languages &
Literatures; Biochemistry; Chemical Engineering; Biology; Chemistry;
Communication Disorders; Civil Engineering; Computer Science &
Engineering; Conservation Biology, Design, Housing, & Apparel;
Ecology, Evolution & Behavior; Economics; Education; Educational
Psychology; English; English as a Second Language; Epidemiology;
Family Social Science; Finance; Fisheries & Wildlife; Food Science &
Nutrition; Forest Resources; French & Italian; Genetics; Geography;
Global Studies; German, Scandinavian & Dutch; History; History of
Medicine; History of Science & Technology; Horticultural Science;
Journalism; Linguistics; Mathematics; Mechanical Engineering; Music;
Pharmaceutical Care & Health Sciences; Philosophy; Physiology; Plant
Biology; Political Science; Preventive Sciences; Political Science;
Spanish & Portuguese; Social Work; Soil, Water, Cliimate; Surgery;
Theatre & Dance; Veterinary Medicine; Writing Studies; Work & Human
Resource Education.
IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Seats in this seminar are
available to faculty members on a first-come-first-served basis, and
priority is given to faculty members. Non-faculty instructors are
initially put on a waitlist and will be notified if/when their
registrations are approved. The seminar caps at 25. Registered
participants commit to the entire week-long session. Browser
requirement: online registration requires Mozilla Firefox (versus
Microsoft Explorer). Graduate student instructors should be aware of
our annual two-day TA seminar, offered this year on Aug. 31 and Sept.
1 (information forthcoming).
Registration: Online: http://writing.umn.edu/myC4W Campus Mail:
Center for Writing, 10 Nicholson Hall; FAX: 612-626-7580
For descriptive flyer, please see
http://www.writing.umn.edu/prefallseminar/index.html

Call for Papers: Minnesota Symposium on Disability Studies and Inclusive Education-University of Minnesota

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Group in Disability Studies (IGGDS), Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA), and Center for German and European Studies (CGES) of the University of Minnesota are pleased to announce a call for proposals for the first Minnesota Symposium in Disability Studies and Inclusive Education, July 23-25, 2010.

Call for Papers: Minnesota Symposium on Disability Studies and Inclusive Education-University of Minnesota
July 23-25, 2010
Keynote Speakers: Andrew Azzopardi (University of Malta) and
Marcia Rioux (York University)
The Interdisciplinary Graduate Group in Disability Studies (IGGDS), Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA), and Center for German and European Studies (CGES) of the University of Minnesota are pleased to announce a call for proposals for the first Minnesota Symposium in Disability Studies and Inclusive Education.
Format: Organized as an intensive workshop meeting, the symposium features research projects by a group of 10-15 (?) scholars. We solicit the submission of projects-in-progress of any length. The selected papers, book chapters, and other writings will be made available online to all participants well in advance of the meeting. Each work will be the subject of an hour-long session, in which the author will give a brief introduction, followed by discussion. This format will give a small group of authors extraordinary attention.
The symposium will be devoted to three themes:
1) Disability Studies Curriculum: This symposium is the culmination of the first year of the IGGDS, whose mission is the creation of a disability studies program at the U of M. We are interested in learning about all aspects of curriculum and program development, assessment, and reception.
2) Disability Studies Methodology: We are looking for examples of research that model diverse ways of knowing and discovering.
3) Inclusive Education: The 1st Minnesota Symposium is also the final phase of a CGES Research Collaborative on inclusive education that brings together scholars from the University of Minnesota and the University of Malta. We are interested in inclusive education at all levels, in all subjects, and facets, from implementation to politics.
There is no registration fee. We will attempt to provide all meals, some nightlife, and recommendations for accommodations. Late July is a great time to enjoy the Twin Cities. A publishing collaborative will be formed from conference attendees to identify the best forum for dissemination of research.
Please send 250-word abstracts by May 15 to conference
Chair Alex Lubet at lubet001@umn.edu.
See link below for conference's official website:
http://assets.cla.umn.edu/gara0030/iggds/symposium/

THE ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM AT HUNTER COLLEGE, CUNY, SEEKS ADJUNCT FACULTY FOR JUNE 10 - JULY 12, 2010

The Asian American Studies Program (AASP) at Hunter College, The City University of New York, invites applications for an adjunct faculty position to teach June 10 - July 12, 2010, "Asians in the U.S.," an interdisciplinary introduction to Asian American Studies. Applicants must have an M.A. or ABD in a relevant field, as well as a record of successful undergraduate teaching. Position will remain open until filled.

THE ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM AT HUNTER COLLEGE, CUNY, SEEKS ADJUNCT FACULTY FOR JUNE 10 - JULY 12, 2010
The Asian American Studies Program at Hunter College, The City University of New York, currently seeks candidates to teach "Asians in the U.S.," their interdisciplinary introduction to Asian American Studies. Applicants must have an M.A. or ABD in a relevant field, as well as a record of successful undergraduate teaching.
The Asian American Studies Program (AASP) at Hunter College was founded in 1993 on the initiative of students and faculty. Today, they are a small but dynamic program with a growing number of minors, and they offer approximately 12 courses per semester, ranging from our interdisciplinary survey courses to more advanced courses in Literature, Cultural Studies, and Diasporic community formations -- West Asian American, Chinese American, and Korean American in particular. Located in the heart of New York City, the AASP works closely with Asian American organizations to build and sustain ties to local communities and concerns. Affiliated full-time faculty in the College are located in areas as diverse as Urban Studies, Film and Media, Sociology, English, and Dance.
Applicants should be prepared to teach "Asians in the U.S." to a cross-section of undergraduate students from all majors. The majority of the courses are taught by adjunct faculty, and as a result, the work you will do in their program is crucial to the process of introducing undergraduates to concepts concerning Asian American history and experience; they hope to work with dedicated, effective, and intelligent educators, and they seek to provide a welcoming and supportive work environment for their faculty.
For more information concerning our course offerings, faculty, or student activities, please visit: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/aasp/
Please send CV, letter of intent, and contact information for at least 3 references to:
Jennifer Hayashida, Acting Director
Asian American Studies Program
Hunter College, CUNY
695 Park Avenue, Room 1037HE
New York, NY 10065

2010-2011 Southeast Asian Archive Anne Frank Visiting Researcher Award

The University of California, Irvine Libraries is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 Southeast Asian Archive Anne Frank Visiting Research Award. The winner will be awarded $500 to use the research collections in the Southeast Asian Archive for June 2010 through March 2011. All are encouraged to apply. Application deadline: May 3, 2010.

2010-2011 Southeast Asian Archive Anne Frank Visiting Researcher Award
Please see the details, including application requirements, at this site:
http://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries/collections/special/coll/seaa/award.html
Please note: Applications must include a letter of reference--also due by May 3--from someone familiar with the applicant's research
Applicants need not be academics (faculty, students, post-docs). Others, such as playwrights, filmmakers, policy makers, members of social service organizations, etc., are also encouraged to apply. Please share this announcement with your colleagues, friends, students, faculty, co-workers, and others who may be interested. If possible, please post it on your department's website.
For details about the first recipient of this award (2009-2010), see http://www.lib.uci.edu/libraries/collections/special/coll/seaa/award-recipients.html

American Studies PhD Workshop on Career Prospects

Save the date: A workshop on career prospects for American Studies PhD's inside and outside of the academy will be held Monday, May 3, 2010 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m in Scott Hall room 4. Please contact DGS Kevin Murphy (kpmurphy@umn.edu) with any thoughts about topics to be covered or any suggestions for prospective panelists.

Recruitment Weekend Dinner

Recruitment Dinner: We now have confirmation on the location. The dinner will be held at CW Lofts Clubroom, directions and address will be in next week's digest. However, we haven't received many RSVPs, so we wanted to remind you to RSVP to Laura at domin047@umn.edu as soon as possible.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

MIZNA Film Festival Schedule

MIZNA presents a wide-ranging and thought-provoking selection of feature-length and short films made about Arabs and Arab Americans. Originating in Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, among others, the films highlight the sixth edition of the Arab Film Festival.

Fellowships for Trans-Atlantic Summer Institute in European Studies, July 19 - July 30, 2010
The Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave, N.E.
Columbia Heights, MN, 55421
*MIZNA presents a wide-ranging and thought-provoking selection of feature-length and short films made about Arabs and Arab Americans. Originating in Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, among others, the films highlight the sixth edition of the Arab Film Festival.*
* *
*We are offering the highest standard of Arab films that give a fresh outlook on life via windows most people have not looked through. **Here are some festival highlights:*
* *
• On opening night, Thursday, March 11^th at 7:00pm, New York-based filmmaker Mai Iskander will introduce her highly acclaimed new documentary */Garbage Dreams/*, the story of the Zabbeleen or "garbage people" of Cairo who recycle trash in order to survive. /Garbage Dreams/ caught the attention of former vice president and environmental activist Al Gore, who honored the film with his REEL Current Award at this year's Nashville Film Festival. Iskander will participate in a panel discussion at The Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs about the Zabelleen, whose traditional methods of waste management reuse 0ver 80% of the garbage they collect, as compared to the approximately 25% in developed nations.
• Belgian director Nabil Ben Yadir makes his US premiere with */Les Barons/*, a coming-of-age comedy/drama set in Brussels about Hassan, Aziz and Mounir-buddies who call themselves "The Barons," who lead a life of pleasant apathy until life and love get in the way. It garnered the Jury Prize at the Marrakech Film Festival.Screening Friday, March 12^th at 6:30pm.
• Palestinian director Najwa Najjar's sensuous, first feature */Pomegranates and Myrrh/* overcame huge obstacles to production as her cast and crew negotiated filming across checkpoints throughout the Occupied Territories. The romantic love triangle plays out against a politically charged landscape. Screening Saturday, March 13^th at 8:oopm, with director in attendance.
• Paris-based, Lebanese filmmaker Shirin Abu Shaqra offers up */Hold On, My Glamorous/* an aesthetically evocative, poetic essay about a once famous Arab diva named Wadad, which premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival, as well as her animation short, */Walking Distance/*. Sunday, March 14^th at 12:00pm.
• Egyptian director Ibrahim El-Batout's */Ein Shams/Eye of the Sun/*. Ein Shams has become one of Cairo's poorest and most neglected neighborhoods. Through the eyes of Shams, an 11-year-old girl, an inhabitant of this shantytown, the film captures the sadness and magic that envelopes daily life in Egypt.Screening Saturday, March 14^th at 5:oopm.
• */Tea on the Axis of Evil/* is a Syrian-American documentary from director Jean Marie Offenbacher about everyday life in Syria--in part, aiming to counter the former Bush administration's politically motivated label of "terrorist" ascribed to the state, and by implication, to its people.Screening Saturday, March 13^th at 12:oopm, with director in attendance.
• Focus on The Filmmaker: Shorts by Local Lebanese filmmaker and University of Minnesota film professor *Hisham Bizri*. His abstract narratives and visual meditations often reflect themes of exile and melancholy, and are steeped in formalist film aesthetics and experimentation.
• On closing night, Sunday, March 14^th at 7:30pm, Mizna wraps up the 6^th Twin Cities Arab Film Festival with/ *Laila's Birthday*/, a New York Times Critic's Choice. Only 71 minutes in length, /Laila's Birthday/ is a "fleet, dark urban comedy that registers outrage in glancing jabs of absurdist observation." Written and directed by Rashid Masharawi, the movie features Mohammad Bakri who plays a judge earning a living as a driver in Ramallah.
*"Garbage Dreams: How One Community's *
*Zero Waste Practices Can Be Achieved Globally" *
March 11, 4:00-5:30pm, 180 Humphrey Center,
University of Minnesota Campus
Free - Registration required: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/stpp/events_zero_waste.html
For film festival schedule, trailers and ticket information, go to: www.mizna.org Festival passes are $40 in advance and $55 at the door. Single tickets are $8 general admission and $5 for students/low income.
For more information, go to www.mizna.org/arabfilmfest10preview/index.html or contact: Marya Morstad, Festival Coordinator, 612-961-2528 mgm@bitstream.net or Mohannad Ghawanmeh, 612-963-7851, mohannadghawanmeh@yahoo.com , Festival Curator.
We need volunteers to be ushers and help out. Volunteers get in free! If you are available, please call the Mizna office.
Mizna, Inc., 2205 California Street NE, #109A, Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-6920 | mizna@mizna.org | www.mizna.org

National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships

The NEH is currently accepting fellowship applications. Fellowships support continuous full-time work for a period of six to twelve months. These applications are to be routed through the Sponsored Projects Admin (SPA) at the U of M, and are due on April 28, 2010. CLA does provide assistance in this process.

National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships
The NEH is currently accepting fellowship applications. Fellowships support individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Fellowships support continuous full-time work for a period of six to twelve months. For full information about the program and application please visit the NEH website: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.html Applications are to be routed through the Sponsored Projects Admin (SPA) at the U of M, and are due on April 28, 2010. CLA does provide assistance in this process. For assistance with humanities applications, please see Alexandra Brown (akbrown@umn.edu, 5-6570). For social science applications, contact Barbara Scott Murdock (murdo004@umn.edu, 4-274

Critical Dialogues: Crossings in American Studies March 30, 2010

Please join Crossings on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 featuring Lori Young-Williams and Sherry Quan Lee for an adapted performance of Chinese Black White Women Got the Beat (revised). This event will take place in Appleby Hall 103 from 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Critical Dialogues: Crossings in American Studies March 30, 2010
Chinese Black White Women Got the Beat (revised)
featuring Lori Young-Williams & Sherry Quan Lee
Two mixed-race women, 20 years apart in age, discuss their lives. See how different, and not so different, they are...
Tuesday, March 30
3:30-5:00pm
*Note Location Change: Appleby Hall 103
Refreshments will be provided
My birth certificate says Mama's race Negro, father's race Chinese? Did Hostess Twinkies, Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup, tuna noodle casserole, Banquet TV Dinners, and Wonder Bread make me a white girl? Raised on welfare, we stood in long government lines for canned meat, powdered milk, and cheese. Am I white? Am I Black? Am I Chinese? Am I invisible? Race is a social construct. I've never been sociable.
1948, Quan Lee, girl baby, baby girl number four, father couldn't wait for the son who would eventually appear, so father disappeared.
This Chinese Black Baby Boomer Cowboy, don't got the rhythm, but got the beat.
I ate the Twinkies, the Wonder bread, the Kraft Miracle Whip, Betty Crocker boxed scalloped potatoes, & Banquet Frozen Chicken & Kraft Velveeta Cheese. We didn't have government cheese. We were a working-class family that moved to the suburbs trying to look middle-class while watching American Bandstand, but when it's all said and done, I still say my mother's white, my father's black and they met at a church in Rondo, St. Paul. Am I Black enough? Am I white enough?
1967, two days before New Year's Day, baby girl number four entered the world over dinner. Able to write me off on the taxes. Large & in charge, 11 lbs. and 23.5 inches long, I made a mark.
This Black/White Gen-X, classy lady, got the rhythm, got the beat.
Sponsored by the Department of American Studies
----
Lori Young-Williams is a 41-year-old prose poet, born in St. Paul. She comes from a working-class family that believes in laughing, crying, and praying when times are good, bad or otherwise. Lori has one brother, one sister, and another sister who passed away when she was 14. She received her degree in Human Relationships with an emphasis in family relationships at the University of Minnesota, 1992. Lori works a 9-5 job in Human Resources and Finance, but her passion is her writing. Most of her poetry is about her family--family relationships and how they impact her life. She has been published in Interrace Magazine, the Turtle River Press, the National Library of Poetry, Quill Books, "Dust & Fire," and other anthologies. Also, she has self-published two chapbooks. She has read in various bookstores, coffee shops, and spoken word events in the Twin Cities. Lori recently was accepted as a participant for the Givens Black Writers Retreat, with Sonia Sanchez and Carolyn Holbrook. She is currently working on her Master's thesis through the Master of Liberal Studies program at the University of Minnesota. She has studied with Rose Brewer, Carolyn Holbrook, Sherry Quan Lee, and others.

Sherry Quan Lee approaches writing as a community resource and as culturally based art of an ordinary everyday practical aesthetic. Quan Lee taught Creative Writing at Metropolitan State University for ten years, and now teaches community-based workshops such as Stories that Save Lives, and Bookmaking. She is also a mentor. For the past eight years, Quan Lee has been, and currently is, a Program Associate for the Split Rock Arts Program Summer Workshops, College of Continuing Education. Quan Lee earned an AA degree at North Hennepin Community College (honored as a Distinguished Alumni in 2004), and a BA and MFA (first Chinese/Black woman, in 1996, to graduate from the, then, newly established MFA Program) at the University of Minnesota.
Quan Lee is the author of A Little Mixed Up, Guild Press, 1982 (second printing), Chinese Blackbird, a memoir in verse, published in 2002 by the Asian American Renaissance, republished 2008 by Loving Healing Press, and How to Write a Suicide Note: serial essays that saved a woman's life, Loving Healing Press, 2008. http://blog.sherryquanlee.com

"Explosive Past, Radiant Future" An International Colloquium

The University of Toronto and the Centre for Comparative Literature invites all to, "Explosive Past, Radiant Future", an international colloquium on March 18-20, 2010 in Alumni Hall, Room 112 Victoria College.

"Explosive Past, Radiant Future" An International Colloquium
The Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto presents:
"Explosive Past, Radiant Future" an international colloquium
March 18-20, 2010
Keynote Lectures to be delivered by:
Svetlana Boym (Harvard University, USA)
Carl Freedman (Louisiana State University, USA)
Linda Hutcheon and J. Edward Chamberlin Lecture in Literary Theory
to be delivered by:
Eva-Lynn Jagoe (University of Toronto)
The lingering spectre of the past and the beckoning formlessness of the future are the two highly charged images that act as the starting points of the 21st annual international colloquium at the Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto. Negotiating the troubled terrain between them has been the work of cultural texts and an ongoing problem for cultural and literary criticism. The struggle to establish a meaningful present, which incorporates the triumphs and horrors of historical memory and enables comprehensible directions toward the future, is a shared task of art, philosophy, religion and political thought, among other activities. We suggest that narration - in its various poetic modes - is nothing more than this struggle for meaning, occurring over a multiplicity of social and cultural spaces. Likewise, we suggest that art, philosophy, political thought and religion, to the extent that they are concerned with the problems of meaning and temporality, may also be understood as essentially narrative endeavours. We seek papers from diverse disciplines that bring the problems of narration, thus defined, to the fore and offer innovative solutions to them.
The arts have offered us rich and enduring images embodying the complex antinomies of this struggle, from the time bomb ticking in a sardine can in Petersburg to the ghost of Sethe's murdered baby in Beloved to Paul Klee's painting Angelus Novus, so eloquently described by Walter Benjamin as having its face turned to the past, wishing "to piece together what has been smashed," but blown by a wind from Paradise "irresistible into the future." We take seriously Benjamin's subsequent suggestion that the dialectical object - the historical ruin, the aesthetic text, the political moment - contains the latent potential to "explode the continuum of history." We seek papers that interrogate the status of such objects and their relations to the problems of temporality in general, to current cultural and political situations, and to the ways we understand cultural and political situations of the past.
We also invite papers that consider the phenomenological and/or existential nature of time, its relation to the experiences of consciousness and the limitations (or impossibilities) of translating it into public language. Such papers may follow Heidegger in the contention that the subjective experience of time - "the horizon of being" - shapes the contours of social and cultural historical realities; or they may follow Freud in the counter-contention that the temporal imperatives of organized domination are introverted against the living memory of primordial, liberated time (situated in the unconscious). It was perhaps Augustine who most clearly illuminated the phenomenological problem: "What is time? If no one asks me, I know. If I want to explain it to someone who asks, I do not know." We seek re-evaluations of the relationship of subjectivity to culture, mediated by the experience of time.
Suggested topics include (but are not limited to):
•science fictions, possible worlds, and literary utopias/dystopias; utopian planning in art and politics; utopian philosophy; lived utopias/dystopias;
•the status and temporality of memory, trauma and nostalgia, rooted in the present and directed toward both past and future.
•the study of texts from various historical periods; the political and intellectual goals of revisiting older texts; the selection of historical texts and critical modes of approaching them from the present;
•canonization/re-canonization/de-canonization and their relationship to temporality in general and their own historical moment (the problem of cultural history);
•the emergence of "historical thought" within history itself, and related artistic, political and philosophical movements (i.e. "the rise of the novel"; "enlightenment" thought; new teleologies; the explosion of imperialism); alternative modes of temporality and historical thought within modernity;
•revisionist approaches to history and historical thought based on subjective experience (i.e. women*s history, queer history, indigenous people*s history); the political projects and philosophical stakes of such revisions, and new directions for revisionism (i.e. moving beyond "herstory"; moving beyond the "outing" of history; moving beyond the postcolonial and "new" historicism);
•the role of capitalism and its social/cultural logic in the narration of history and the possibilities of the present; the limits within capitalism of imagining alternative futures, and literary, philosophical, or political challenges to those limits;
•the challenges of globalization and the crossing of political, social, cultural, and philosophical boundaries; the clashes and hybrids of opposing temporalities;
•the role of technology and science in articulations of modernity, and the relationship of these spheres to literary forms, political agendas, and philosophical discourses;
Presentations should be limited to 20 minutes and should touch on the major theoretical, literary, or philosophical concerns of the colloquium. We invite scholars from all disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. We welcome graduate students, university faculty members and independent scholars alike as presenters (typically, we strive for a balance of graduate students and faculty/independent scholars).
For any questions regarding the conference please contact the organizing committee at the following email address: colloquium2010@gmail.com .
For more information: http://chass.utoronto.ca/complit/09-01colloquium/

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Erickson Graduate Fellowship in Law and History Summer 2010

The Program in Law and History is pleased to invite applications for the Erickson Graduate Fellowship in Law and History for Summer 2010. The Program in Law and History is an interdisciplinary collaborative of faculty and law and graduate students interested in questions that address law in historical perspective. Must be enrolled in graduate program in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Application deadline: April 5, 2010.

Erickson Graduate Fellowship in Law and History Summer 2010
The Program in Law and History is pleased to invite applications for the Erickson Graduate Fellowship in Law and History for Summer 2010.
Description: The Program in Law and History is an interdisciplinary collaborative of faculty and law and graduate students interested in questions that address law in historical perspective. The Program includes a year-long workshop/colloquium, an annual distinguished lecture, a range of courses cross-listed in Law and History, and the fellowship announced here to support summer research by a student.
The Erickson Graduate Fellowship in Law and History is made possible by a generous gift from Kristine S. Erickson (Law, class of 1972) and Ronald A. Erickson (Law, class of 1960). The Fellowship for 2010 will support summer research in legal history by a University of Minnesota law student or graduate student in History or a related field. The Fellow will be expected to present from his/her summer research at the Legal History Workshop in Spring 2011 and to participate in the activities of the Program in Law and History for the 2010-11 academic year. The Fellowship provides a summer stipend of $4,000 and up to $500 for research expenses.
Eligibility: Applicants must be currently enrolled in either the Law School or a graduate program in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Students receiving other University of Minnesota fellowships during the period are ineligible, as are students holding summer teaching appointments.
Application Procedure and Requirements: 1) 1-2 page research proposal (single-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman), including a specific description of the project's significance for legal history, the work the student will accomplish for the summer, and the expected outcome of the summer's work (e.g., conference paper, scholarly article, dissertation chapter, etc.); 2) curriculum vitae; 3) a University of Minnesota law/graduate transcript; and 4) a confidential letter of recommendation from advisor or other faculty member familiar with your research (in a sealed envelope with date and faculty signature across the seal).
Application Deadline: All materials must be submitted in a single packet by the candidate no later than noon, Monday, April 5, 2010 (announcement of the award will be made by April 15).
Selection Criteria:
· the quality and significance of the scholarship for the field of legal history;
· demonstrated interest in legal history and the program in law and history;
· evidence that the student is making timely progress toward degree.
Submit Materials to: Professor Barbara Y. Welke, Director, Program in Law and History, University of Minnesota Law School, 229 19th Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

Comparative Ethnic Studies at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee - Visiting Assistant Professor Position

The Program in Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor for AY 2010-11 to teach introductory Comparative Ethnic Studies courses as well as courses in area(s) of specialization. Ph.D. required. Review of applications begins: April 5, 2010.

Comparative Ethnic Studies at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee - Visiting Assistant Professor Position
The Program in Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor for AY 2010-11 to teach introductory Comparative Ethnic Studies courses as well as courses in area(s) of specialization. The position also involves some advising and administrative work for the program. This work includes scheduling and advertising courses as well as advising undergraduate students and consulting with instructors in the program. Candidate must have autonomous teaching experience that will be conducive to creating survey and special topics courses in Comparative Ethnic Studies and must have completed a PhD by August, 2010. Preference for candidate with background in Hmong/Southeast Asian Diaspora, Asian American, and/or Migration/Refugee Studies; preference also for candidate with some experience with student advising, curriculum design, supervising TA's, and/or program administration. To apply please see www.jobs.uwm.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=51200.
Review of applications will begin April 5, 2010, and continue until the position is filled. UWM is an AA/EO Employer.

Speaker Series in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Comparative U.S. Race and Ethnicity Studies (CRES) Interdisciplinary Graduate Group at the University of Minnesota invites all to attend their 2010 Speaker Series. The Speaker Series is an opportunity to hear from top scholars in the field of Ethnic Studies regarding the best methods, practices, and approaches to the study of Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies.

Speaker Series in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies
The Speaker Series is an opportunity to hear from top scholars in the field of Ethnic Studies regarding the best methods, practices, and approaches to the study of Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies. They are thrilled to have May Fu present on March 25 and George S√°nchez on April 22.
Both events will take place at the Fireplace Room in 135 Nicholson Hall at 3:30-5pm. A catered reception featuring both vegan and non-vegetarian options will be served immediately following the event.
Please see the attached flyer for more information about the two events, along with details regarding RSVP. Please feel free to pass along the flyer to interested parties.
For directions and parking information, please visit http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/maps/NichH/
MAY C. FU is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego. Her current book project examines Asian American community organizing in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, and New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. Drawing on dozens of oral histories with movement activists, it explores the panethnic, interracial, and international affiliations that shaped Asian American radicalism. Her articles have appeared in Social Justice and Amerasia Journal. She teaches classes on the comparative histories of racialized groups, womyn of color feminisms, race and social movements, and Asian American radicalism. She works with grassroots organizations around womyn and transfolks of color against violence and is piloting a program at USD that allows Native American junior and senior high school students to take college courses and eventually enroll at the university.
GEORGE J. SÁNCHEZ is Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity and History at the University of Southern California. He is the author of Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945 (1993) and co-editor of Los Angeles and the Future of Urban Cultures (2005) and Civic Engagement in the Wake of Katrina (2009). His academic work focuses on both historical and contemporary topics of race, gender, ethnicity, labor, and immigration. He is currently working on a historical study of the ethnic interaction of Mexican Americans, Japanese Americans, African Americans, and Jews in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, California in the twentieth century.
See flyer below:
Flyer.pdf

The 3rd Annual Middle East Studies Conference Call for Proposals

The Middle East Studies Program (MESP) of California State University,
Fresno, is pleased to announce the third annual conference on Middle East
Studies to be held on the campus of Fresno State, October 7-9, 2010. The conference intends to bring together faculty, scholars, and graduate students whose area of
research focuses on the Modern Middle East. Proposal deadline: June 1, 2010.

The 3rd Annual Middle East Studies Conference Call for Proposals
California State University, Fresno
Fresno, California, USA
Deadline for Abstract Submission: June 1, 2010
The Middle East Studies Program (MESP) of California State University,
Fresno, is pleased to announce the third annual conference on Middle East
Studies to be held on the campus of Fresno State. The conference intends to
bring together faculty, scholars, and graduate students whose area of
research focuses on the Modern Middle East.
CONFERENCE THEME
While the conference is concerned mostly with teaching about the Middle
East, other areas dealing with the modern Middle East will be considered as
well. In particular, priority will be given to the following research
topics:
. Art, Architecture, Visual & Performing Arts
. Academic Freedom
. Human Rights
. History & Historiography
. Literature, Literary Studies & Linguistics
. Culture and Society
. Diaspora & Migration Culture
. Middle East Politics & Representations
. U.S. Foreign Policy
. Media Studies (including Film, Broadcast, Print, News, etc.)
. Economic development, Sustainability and Democratic transitions
. Business and Finance
. Religion in the context of the Middle East
PROPOSALS
Proposals for complete panels will be given priority. However, the
conference is also open to individual proposals.
Panel Proposals: Panel proposals should be submitted by a moderator,
inviting three to four presenters to discuss a topic relevant to the themes
mentioned above. The topic should be one that would benefit from diverse
opinions and open discussion. Panel presentations will be limited to 90
minutes.
Paper Proposals: Exploring original research on the Middle East by one or
more authors. Presentations will be 20 minutes long.
All submissions should be in MS Word and mailed electronically to
Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh (sasanf@csufresno.edu)
Program Committee Chair
Department of Economics
California State University, Fresno
5245 N. Backer MS/PB20
Fresno CA 93740-8001
Please include the following:
. Cover Sheet: Required for all submissions. On a separate cover sheet, list
the title of the presentation, author name(s), school affiliation(s),
contact person address, and audio-visual requirements. Please make a
separate cover sheet for each submission.
. Abstracts: Abstract submissions should be approximately 500 words and must
be in English. Abstract and full paper submissions should be sent in MS Word
or PDF document format. Please include title but do not include author
name(s) or school affiliation(s).
DEADLINES
Deadline for abstracts: June 1, 2010
Notification of acceptance: August 1, 2010
CONFERENCE FEES, REGISTRATION & ACCOMMODATION
Participants are expected to complete the registration process before
September 1, 2010. Failing to send the registration fees on or before this
date might result in excluding the paper from the proceedings. Registration
fee is $75 for conference participants and $25 for students. An additional
$25 will be charged for late registration. Accommodation is available at
Piccadilly Inn University Hotel, 4961 North Cedar Avenue, Fresno, CA 93726,
(559) 224-4200.

Comparative American Studies Program at Oberlin College- Visiting Assistant Professor Position

The Comparative American Studies Program at Oberlin College invites applications for a full-time non-continuing faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences. Appointment to begin Fall 2010 for a term of one year. The position will carry the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor. Ph.D. required. Application deadline: April 5, 2010.

Comparative American Studies Program at Oberlin College- Visiting Assistant Professor Position
The Comparative American Studies Program at Oberlin College invites
applications for a full-time non-continuing faculty position in the
College of Arts and Sciences. Appointment to this position will be for
a term of one year, beginning in the Fall semester of 2010, and will
carry the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor.
The incumbent will teach courses in Comparative Race and Ethnicity. For
this position, preference will be given to candidates with training in
history and/or the social sciences with research and teaching interests
in comparative race and ethnicity, transnational social movements,
gender and sexuality, and/or urban studies. The Comparative American
Studies Program is committed to interdisciplinary and theoretically
informed intersectional pedagogy at the undergraduate level. Faculty
are expected to integrate issues of gender, race, ethnicity, class,
sexuality, and citizenship within comparative and/or transnational frames throughout their teaching.
Successful candidates will also be expected to participate in the full
range of faculty responsibilities. Faculty will teach five courses per year.
Among the qualifications required for the appointment is the Ph.D.
degree (in hand or expected by the first semester of 2010). Candidates
must demonstrate interest and potential excellence in undergraduate teaching.
Successful teaching experience at the college level is desirable.
To be assured of consideration, letters of application, including a
Curriculum vitae, graduate academic transcripts, a short writing
sample, course syllabi if available, title and one sentence description
of 2-3 courses candidate could teach, and at least three letters of
reference should be sent to CAST Search Committee, King 141, Oberlin,
OH 44074, by by April 5, 2010. For job description and application
instructions, contact Judi Davidson, Comparative American Studies
Program, Phone: 440-755-5290; fax 440-775-8644.
Judi.Davidson@oberlin.edu. AA/EOE
Application materials received after that date may be considered until
the position is filled. Salary will depend on qualifications and experience.
Oberlin College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
with a strong institutional commitment to the development of a climate
that supports equality of opportunity and respect of differences based
on gender, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation. Oberlin was
the first coeducational institution to grant bachelor's degrees to
women and historically has been a leader in the education of
African-Americans; the college was also among the first to prohibit
discrimination based on sexual orientation. In that spirit, we are
particularly interested in receiving applications from individuals who
would contribute to the diversity of our faculty.

Call for Submissions for a Special Issue: Teaching Sex

The editors of Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy seek articles and media essays on the pedagogy of sexuality. They welcome essays from all disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Transformations publishes only essays that focus on pedagogical praxis and/or theory. Submission deadline: June 15, 2010.

Call for Submissions for a Special Issue: Teaching Sex
Guest Editor: Hiram Perez
Deadline: June 15th, 2010
The editors of Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy seek articles (5,000-10,000 words) and media essays (overviews of books, film, video, performance, art, music, websites, etc.--3,000 to 5,000 words) on the pedagogy of sexuality. Submissions should explore sexuality from within pedagogical contexts and spaces such as colleges and universities; prisons; HIV risk reduction interventions; K-12; law schools; pre-med, medical school, and nursing programs; museums, libraries and archives; global justice movements; virtual public spheres; and community outreach. For a new, occasional feature on "The Material Culture of Teaching," they also seek essays that offer historical perspectives on pedagogy or examine material practices/artifacts of pedagogy. They welcome essays from all disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Transformations publishes only essays that focus on pedagogical praxis and/or theory.
Topics might include:
· Queer pedagogies
· Sex work
· Thinking sex transnationally and across cultures
· Transgenderism, intersexuality, and gender-variance
· Human rights discourse and its critiques
· The erotics of pedagogy
· Gender, sexuality and the medical gaze
· Nonhuman sexualities
· Sex in the archive
· Queer diasporas
· Sexual citizenship/sexual dissidence
· Porn studies
· Sex tourism
· Rural sexualities
· Sex and technology
· Sexuality and disability studies
· Sex in the ancient world
· Rethinking frameworks and debates (i.e. essentialism vs. social construction,
queer utopia vs. negativity, local vs. universal, acts vs. identities)
· Children's sexuality
· HIV prevention education
· New approaches to teaching key figures in the study of sexuality (Foucault,
Sedgwick, Freud, Butler, etc...)
· New contexts for teaching sexology and eugenics
· The institutionalization of sexuality or queer studies
· Sexuality and the nation/imperial sexualities
· Marriage, the family, and alternative kinship models (beyond marriage)
· Feminism and queer theory
Send submissions or inquiries in MLA format (6th ed.) as attachments in MS Word or Rich Text format to: Jacqueline Ellis and Ellen Gruber Garvey, Editors, transformations@njcu.edu Author(s) name and contact information should be included on a SEPARATE page.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Summer Dissertation Writing Funds requests due by April 15, 2010

American Studies Summer Dissertation Writing Funds (up to $3,500) are available to ABD American Studies students for summer 2010 if they have not received the funds previously. Deadline for requests: April 15, 2010.

Summer Dissertation Writing Funds requests due by April 15, 2010
Summer Dissertation Writing Funds are awarded only once in your PhD career. The current award is an amount of up to $3,500. Criteria for requesting available funds are that the student must be ABD and not have received the funds previously.
The request should include:
1) Your name, student ID, Dissertation Title and a statement that you have not received these funds previously.
2) A description (1 page) of your dissertation if you do not have a Graduate School approved thesis proposal on file.
3) A description detailing what you will undertake over the summer (up to 1 page). Be as specific as possible about the use of archives, libraries, interviews, writing schedule, etc.
Submit your request to Melanie (stein196@umn.edu) by the April 15, 2010 deadline.
You may expect a response to your request by early May.

Audrey Christensen Award Applications due April 15, 2010

The American Studies department announces the Audrey Christensen Award. All American Studies graduate students in good standing may apply for this $500.00 award for the purchase of books for use in research and study. Applications are due April 15, 2010.

Audrey Christensen Award Applications due April 15, 2010
The American Studies department announces the Audrey Christensen Award. Up to two recipients will be awarded $500.00 each for the purchase of books for use in research and study. All students in good standing pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies may apply. American Studies was given a small endowed fund to allow graduate students to create a library for their research and study.
NOTE: The conditions of the award require that funds be used only for books and no other media. In addition, given the nature of the award, the cost of the books can only be reimbursed. We are unable to provide an outright grant of funds. This is an award for fiscal year 2011; all funds must be expended between July 1, 2010 and June 1, 2011 and any unused monies will remain in the department. If you receive the award, you will be expected to report on the books you purchase with the donor.
Applicants will be notified of results in early May.
Criteria:
Funds will be awarded to the graduate student who best does the following:
1) Clearly describe the connection between books requested and their research
2) Explain how receipt of this grant will aid their education.
How to Apply:
In a 1 page essay, describe what books you want to buy and how they will aid your education and dissertation research.
Submit your application to Melanie at stein196@umn.edu by the April 15, 2010 deadline.

Mulford Q. Sibley Graduate Fellowship for Summer Research Support Applications due April 15, 2010

The American Studies department announces the Mulford Q. Sibley Graduate Fellowship for Summer Research Support open to pre-ABD students in their first and second year. $2,000 per fellowship for up to three fellowships may be awarded. Applications are due April 15, 2010.

Mulford Q. Sibley Graduate Fellowship for Summer Research Support Applications due April 15, 2010
The American Studies department announces the Mulford Q. Sibley Graduate Fellowship for Summer Research Support. This is a $2,000.00 fellowship and up to three (3) fellowships may be awarded. Eligible applicants are pre-ABD students who are in their first or second year who are in good standing and pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies. Applicants will be notified of results in early May.
Criteria:
Funds will be awarded to the graduate student who does not have other summer fellowship support and who best does the following:
1) Clearly establish significance of the research (e.g. archive to investigate materials; explore an important historical or cultural site; develop preliminary interviews),
2) Submit a sensible schedule for project work
How to Apply:
Submit a 1-2 page essay describing the research project you will be pursuing this summer. In the description, also answer the following questions:
What is your research topic and what is its significance?
How will you spend your time on the project over the summer?
Submit your application to Melanie at stein196@umn.edu by the April 15, 2010 deadline.

Josie Fowler Peace and Justice Prize Applications due April 15, 2010

The Josie Fowler Peace and Justice Prize is a $250 book prize awarded to a student whose research is in the areas of: labor history, Asian immigration, the history of the American Left, the pursuit of peace, or other topics that are related to work on social justice and change. Applications are due April 15, 2010.

Josie Fowler Peace and Justice Prize Applications due April 15, 2010
Josephine Fowler, known as Josie to her friends, died of breast cancer in 2006, just three years after completing her Ph.D. in American studies. Her life spanned just 49 years, but was by any measure remarkably rich, impassioned, and accomplished. In tribute to Josie's amazing spirit, friends and colleagues have established a fund to provide an annual $250 award for the purchase of books to a U of M American studies graduate student doing research in the areas Josie valued and changed with her life and labor--work that documents and fights for positive change in the world. The prize, established in Fall 2007, is intended to facilitate the purchase of books helpful to the recipient's dissertation. Through this prize Josie will continue to serve as a model of how to meld committed activism and principled scholarship.
Eligible applicants are students in good standing pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies whose research is in the areas of: labor history, Asian immigration, the history of the American Left, the pursuit of peace, or other topics that are related to work on social justice and change. Along with $250.00 to cover the cost of books, the recipient will also receive a copy of Josie's book, Japanese & Chinese Immigrant Activists: Organizing in American & International Communist Movements, 1919 - 1933.
Applicants will be notified of results in early May.
Criteria:
Funds will be awarded to the graduate student who best does the following:
1) Demonstrates how their dissertation contributes to the study of peace and justice
2) Explains how the books purchased with this grant will aid their dissertation.
How to Apply:
In a 1 page essay, describe your dissertation topic and its relationship to the area(s) listed above. Please list what books you want to buy and how they will aid your dissertation research.
Submit your application to Melanie at stein196@umn.edu by the April 15, 2010 deadline.

Dept. of American Studies Summer 2010 Instructor Application

The Department of American Studies is looking for instructors for three courses this summer. Instructors are needed for AMST 3113W, AMST 3252W and AMST 3253W. The deadline for application is April 7, 2010.

Dept. of American Studies Summer 2010 Instructor Application
For application form and further information see attachment below:
App Teaching Pool summer.docx

Graduate Student Recruitment Weekend Dinner

A catered dinner for the American Studies Graduate Student Recruitment Weekend will be held Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 6 p.m., location TBA. All graduate students, staff, faculty and associate faculty are invited to attend. Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 17 to Laura at Domin047@umn.edu.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

UCLA Queer Studies Conference 2010

University of California-Los Angeles is pleased to announce a call for papers for their Queer Studies Conference 2010, October 8-9, on the UCLA campus. They invite presentations by graduate students and faculty scholars. See full blog detail for a list of topics/questions/concerns. Proposal deadline: June 25, 2010.

UCLA Queer Studies Conference 2010
Friday and Saturday, October 8-9, 2010 Royce Hall
University of California - Los Angeles
This year's UCLA QUEER Studies Conference welcomes talks or pre-planned panels dealing with any of the following diverse topics/questions/concerns:
· Queering trans-nationalism; queer & trans-nationalism
· Queer Globalization: On cultural and/or economic exchanges
· Queer politics and theories of migrations
· Queer translations: How "to do queer studies" in non-US contexts
· Between Sex and Gender: On the politics and poetics of trans/inter sexuality
· Does queer have a race; is race queer?
· The future of queer activism
· The ethical impetus of queer criticism
· Queer embodiment: Performance, Affect, Style
Proposals for individual papers should take the form of abstracts of not more than 300 words; panel proposals of less than 500 words and should include both a list of participants and paper abstracts.
Since one of the goals of the conference is to encourage the exchange of ideas across academic generations, we invite presentations by graduate students, undergraduate students and faculty scholars. Submissions from undergraduates should be accompanied by a brief letter from a faculty member highlighting the strengths of both the student and the student's proposal.
Deadline for Proposals: June 25th 2010
Send abstracts and C.V.s to
lgbts@humnet.ucla.edu
Contact: Catharine McGraw (310) 206-1145 and email above
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/lgbts/

From Vices to Verses: A New Era of Hip Hop & Action

From April 9-11, 2010, the University of Minnesota will be hosting "From Vices to Verses" a conference featuring workshops, performances, discussions, and educational events centered around how hip hop pedagogy, activism, and culture can educate, empower, and transform communities. Registration for the conference is free.

From Vices to Verses: A New Era of Hip Hop & Action
Three-day conference at the University of Minnesota to highlight hip hop activism and urban arts.
Weisman Art Museum, April 9-1, 2010
From April 9 to April 11, the University of Minnesota will be hosting "From Vices to Verses" a conference featuring workshops, performances, discussions, and educational events centered around how hip hop pedagogy, activism and culture can educate, empower and transform communities.
Organized by Voices Merging at the U of MN, along with the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and other University and community partners. The conference will focus on three central themes:
• April 9: "I Used to Love H.E.R.: Bring Back the Love," exploring hip hop feminism and women's roles--past, present and future--in hip hop culture. Keynote speaker: hip hop activist and former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate Rosa Clemente.
• April 10: "Remixing Borders, Transcending Boundaries," focusing on using hip hop as a tool to create unity and move beyond generational, national and cultural boundaries. Keynote speaker: hip hop activist and author Bakari Kitwana.
• April 11: "Us," focusing on hip hop's power to heal and transform individuals and communities through organizing, activism and youth engagement. Keynote speaker: educator and multidisciplinary artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph.
Other presenters include filmmaker Rachel Ramist, Chaka Mkali of the Hope Community Center, Sage Morgan Hubbard of Northwestern University, Ruth Nicole Brown of the University of Illinois, poet and activist Tish Jones, rapper/poet/writer Kyle "Guante" Myhre, photographer B-Fresh and many more.
Workshops on spoken word, breakdancing, drumming, MC-ing and community organizing. Come learn, celebrate and participate in contemporary hip hop culture in the Twin Cities.
On Saturday, April 10, noted Twin Cities performers Toki Wright, Maria Isa, PosNoSys, Ill Chemistry, the Tru Ruts crew and others will take over the Cabooze for a special concert.
For more information please contact Idalia Robles at 612-624-6006.
Registration for the conference is free. For updates, see http://vicestoverses.blogspot.com.

Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association 2010 Call for Papers

The American Studies Area of the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association is seeking papers from interdisciplinary perspectives that investigate actions, influences, or phenomena that have formed American society for their 2010 Annual Conference on October 28-31, 2010 in Alexandria, Virginia. Submission deadline: June 15, 2010.

Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association 2010 Call for Papers
2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OCTOBER 28-OCTOBER 31, 2010
CROWN PLAZA HOTEL, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
The American Studies Area of the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture
Association is seeking papers from interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary
perspectives that investigate the actions, influences, and phenomena that
have formed American society. Though the field of American Studies may
approach American culture from a variety of directions, it focuses on
America as a whole; as a result, papers on all facets of American society
and/or culture are welcome.
SUBMISSIONS: Interested persons should submit an abstract and a recent
c.v. by JUNE 15, 2010 to: Brian E. Hack and Caterina Y. Pierre, Area
Chairs, 402 Graham Avenue #173, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Email submissions are
also acceptable and should be sent to both bhack@kingsborough.edu and to
cpierre@kingsborough.edu.
Topics can include, but are not limited to:
Advertising and Print Media
American History
American Literature
Cultural Diversity
Cultural Phenomena
Eugenics and American Culture
Expressive Forms
Historical Toys and Games
History of Ideas
House and Garden
Secret Societies
Subcultures and Movements

Phil Zwickler Memorial Research Grants

Cornell University Library is now accepting applications for the Phil Zwickler Memorial Research Grants. Grants are given for research conducted on sexuality with sources in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC). One or more awards of up to $1,350 will be made annually. Application deadline: March 31, 2010.

Phil Zwickler Memorial Research Grants
Since 2002, Cornell University Library has been able to offer select scholars financial assistance for expenses incurred when they come to conduct research on sexuality with sources in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC). The Phil Zwickler Memorial Research Grants, made possible through the generosity of the Phil Zwickler Charitable and Memorial Foundation, have assisted numerous exciting projects. Applications are due annually by March 31.
Zwickler, a filmmaker and journalist who devoted his talents to communicating ideas about lesbian and gay rights and the AIDS crisis, died in 1991 at age 36. Documentation of his life and work are preserved in Cornell's Human Sexuality Collection, a program in RMC that seeks to encourage the study of sexuality and sexual politics by preserving and making accessible relevant primary sources that document historical shifts in the social construction of sexuality. Collecting efforts go especially to groups excluded from mainstream culture and focus primarily in the United States from the 19th century onward. Our primary sources include print material, manuscript collections, as well as some ephemera, artwork, and audio-visual material.
More information about our holdings can be found through:
* Cornell's online catalog (http://catalog.library.cornell.edu/)
* the RMC web site (http://rmc.library.cornell.edu)
* and the Human Sexuality Collection's web site (http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/HSC/)
REQUIREMENTS: Any researcher with a project that can be augmented by research with the Human Sexuality Collection and related sources is eligible to apply. Preference is given to projects that have a high probability of publication or other public dissemination.
At the end of the research, awardees are expected to submit a brief final report on their research experience. Awardees should also send a copy of publications that result from this research. Awardees may be invited to discuss their work at a public event during their stay.
AWARDS: One or more awards of up to $1,350 will be made annually.
DEADLINES: Applications are due annually by March 31. Awards are made by May 1. Research must be completed within a year.
APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT:
1. A cover page indicating name, address, phone, fax, e-mail, institutional affiliation, current position/title, project title, and project abstract.
2. The research proposal, including methodology or planned approach to interpreting the material. Comment on the significance of the work and its potential contribution to the understanding of the history of sexuality. If appropriate, indicate how this project fits into a larger work in progress. Also:
* Please list by Title and Collection/Call Number the Cornell materials you plan to use.
* Briefly describe your plans for publishing or otherwise disseminating the results of your project.
* Describe when you expect to visit and the anticipated length of your stay.
3. A current resume.
4. Graduate students should also submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor or thesis director on the significance of the topic and the abilities of the candidate. Other applicants may submit one or two letters of reference, but are not required to do so.
5. A budget showing the expenses for which support is requested. Eligible expenses include travel, lodging, and photocopying or other reproductions. Please read budget and tax information for grant applicants.
Send 5 copies of all application materials to:
Curator
Human Sexuality Collection
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
2B Kroch Library
Cornell University Library
Ithaca, NY 14853-5302
or e-mail at bjm4@cornell.edu
For more information, contact curator Brenda J. Marston at bjm4@cornell.edu, 607-255-3530, or at the address above.
To view web site please visit: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/HSC/zwickler.html

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

CLA Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP) Fellowship Applications due April 15, 2010

American Studies is able to award CLA Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP) fellowships to two students in good standing, currently enrolled in the Ph.D program. The fellowship includes a summer stipend of $4,000, and the possibility of research funds up to $500. The deadline for application is April 15, 2010.

CLA Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP) Fellowship Applications due April 15, 2010
American Studies is able to award CLA Graduate Research Partnership Program (GRPP) fellowships to two students in good standing, currently enrolled in the Ph.D program. Students are ineligible if they are not in good standing, have incompletes in official program coursework from a prior term on their transcript, or if they have previously received a GRPP. Students receiving other U of M fellowships, including department fellowships, during the period are also ineligible
GRPP Fellows will be provided a research stipend of $4000 for summer 2010. American Studies may also provide up to $500 to cover the cost of materials, travel, and expendables associated with the research project. GRPP Fellows are eligible for summer health insurance coverage through CLA's Office of Graduate Programs.
A complete proposal in addition to the application and budget proposal form (attached) should include:
-Research proposal which includes the following sections:
1. Background. Give a brief overview of the research project and place it in the context of the relevant research in the field of inquiry
2. Describe the anticipated outcome of the project (e.g. article, book chapter, an artistic work).
3. Explain the importance or scholarly/creative contribution of the project.
4. Explain how the project will contribute to your academic experience, professional development, and degree progress.
5. Describe the mentoring relationship that will take place between you and the faculty project adviser endorsing this proposal.
- Student curriculum vitae (two-pages or less)
Selection criteria will include:
The quality and significance of the scholarship proposed; the role of the faculty mentor in the summer project; value of the experience to the applicant's development; the value of the fellowship to achievement of the project; and the applicant is in good standing.
Submit your application materials to Melanie ( stein196@umn.edu ) by the April 15, 2010 deadline.
GRPP Application Form.doc

2010-2011 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Fellowships

The Gilder Lehrman Institute invites doctoral candidates, postdoctoral scholars, college and university faculty at every rank, and independent scholars to apply for research fellowships in American history. The 2010-11 fellowships will reward ten GLI Fellows who will receive $3,000 to support research within an American history archive in the New York City metropolitan area. Research must be completed within one year of the award. Application deadline: May 1, 2010.

2010-2011 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Fellowships
2010-2011 Research Fellowships for Historians:
Call for Applications
The Gilder Lehrman Institute invites doctoral candidates, postdoctoral scholars, college and university faculty at every rank, and independent scholars to apply for research fellowships in American history.
For 2010-11, ten GLI Fellows will receive $3,000 to support research within an American history archive in the New York City metropolitan area. Research must be completed within one year of the award.
Past fellows have worked in the archives of the Gilder Lehrman Collection, the New-York Historical Society, the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, among others.
Applications must be postmarked or submitted online by May 1, 2010.
To read the complete guidelines and begin your application, visit www.gilderlehrman.org/fellowships.html
Questions about GLI Research Fellowships?
Email fellowships@gilderlehrman.org

Grinnell College Replacement Position for 2010-2011

The Department of Sociology at Grinnell College is pleased to announce a 1-year leave replacement position to begin fall 2010. Assistant professor (Ph.D.) preferred, instructor (ABD) possible. The teaching schedule of five courses over two semesters will include courses at all levels of a rigorous undergraduate curriculum, including introductory sociology, and mid-level and upper-level courses. Applicants should apply as soon as possible.

Grinnell College Replacement Position for 2010-2011
GRINNELL COLLEGE. One-year leave replacement position in Sociology (area of specialization open). Preference given to candidates who can cover some combination of the following fields: introduction to sociology, research methods, social inequality, sociology of culture, social demography, sociology of law, sociology of religion, or can complement current course offerings in sociology consistent with the missions of the College and the Department. Assistant Professor (Ph.D.) preferred; Instructor (ABD) possible. Grinnell College is a highly selective undergraduate liberal arts college. The College's curriculum is founded on a strong advising system and close student-faculty interaction, with few college-wide requirements beyond the completion of a major. The teaching schedule of five courses over two semesters will include courses at all levels of a rigorous undergraduate curriculum, including introductory sociology, and mid-level and upper-level courses.
In letters of application, candidates should discuss their interest in developing as a teacher and scholar in an undergraduate, liberal-arts college that emphasizes close student-faculty interaction. They also should discuss what they can contribute to efforts to cultivate a wide diversity of people and perspectives, a core value of Grinnell College. Review of complete applications will begin immediately. Candidates are encouraged to submit all application materials as soon as possible to be considered. Please submit applications online by visiting our application website at https://jobs.grinnell.edu. Candidates will need to upload a letter of application, curriculum vitae, transcripts (copies are acceptable), a brief writing sample, and provide e-mail addresses for three references. Questions about this position should be directed to the search chair, Professor David Cook-Martín, at SociologySearch@grinnell.edu or 641-269-4409.
Grinnell College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to attracting and retaining highly qualified individuals who collectively reflect the diversity of the nation. No applicant shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, religion, creed, or disability. For further information about Grinnell College, see our website at http://www.grinnell.edu.

"Texting Obama" Call for Proposals & Conference

The English Research Institute, the Manchester Writing School at MMU and The Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences Research are pleased to announce an interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences conference, "Texting Obama", on September 7-10, 2010. Proposal deadline: March 26, 2010.

"Texting Obama" Call for Proposals & Conference
Confirmed keynote speakers
Paul Cammack (MMU), Bonnie Greer (London), Simon Gikandi (Princeton), David
Theo Goldberg (UCI), Anna Hartnell (Birmingham), Carl Pedersen (Copenhagen),
Ato Quayson (Toronto) and Patricia J. Williams (Columbia).
Readings from - among others - Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay and SuAndi.
Organising Committee: Dr. Ellie Byrne, Dr. Julie Mullaney, Prof. Berthold Schoene,
Department of English, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
Barack Obama's presidency is widely seen as the beginning of a new era, not only in
world politics but also in global culture, with the present increasingly glossed as the 'Age
of Obama'. Our conference will ask what the terms of this naming might mean by addressing the diverse range of representational forms attached to Obama in contemporary world culture - as a person, icon and phenomenon.
The conference will map and explore the specific historical, political and cultural climates
in which Obama('s) texts operate. It will interrogate the signifiers, signs and processes
that circulate around Barack Obama, and explore his own contributions and interventions
across diverse media.
Proposals are invited for papers or panels that engage with these diverse textualities.
Questions might include:• In what ways do Obama texts 'travel' and
under what conditions?
• How might travelling theory or diaspora
theory engage with Obama texts?
• In what ways might attention to Obama
texts interrogate or develop extant
or emerging frameworks at work in
postcolonial, globalisation, media and
cultural studies?
• How might a focus on transnational Obamas
include or obscure local or national politics
and expressions of black activism?
• How ought we to theorise pronouncements
of a 'post-racial' America or/and a 'post-
Katrina' America?
Possible streams might include:
Postcolonial Obama: Kenya and Indonesia, Globalisation and Cosmopolitanism, Aloha
Obama! Negotiating Hawaii, Obama and African-America, Rhetoric/Orature /Life writing,
The Obama Families, Screening Obama, Obama and Hospitality, Black and Bi-Racial
Masculinities, Race & Racial Politics, Obama in Europe, Publishing/Merchandising Obama, Ghosting Kennedy, Race and Fatherhood, Obama's 100 days, Obama in the Academy, Law and Civil Rights, Black Activism, Obama's Blackberry: New Technologies/Media and Race, Obama and Popular Culture: Watching The
Wire, Obama and pedagogy.
Proposals should be emailed to:
textingobama@mmu.ac.uk
by no later than 26 March 2010.