The Black Humanities Collective and The Center for Afroamerican and African Studies of the University of Michigan invite individual papers and panel proposals for the 2009 symposium, "Heart of the City: Black Urban Life on "The Wire". Abstracts Due: Dec. 1, 2008.
HEART OF THE CITY: BLACK URBAN LIFE ON 'THE WIRE'
January 29-30, 2009
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sponsored by
The Black Humanities Collective
and The Center for Afroamerican and African Studies
CALL FOR PAPERS
The Black Humanities Collective (BHC) and The Center for Afroamerican and
African Studies (CAAS) of the University of Michigan invite individual papers
and panel proposals for our 2009 symposium, "Heart of the City: Black Urban Life on "The Wire".
Critically acclaimed and nationally syndicated, HBO's series *The
Wire* depicts a racialized postindustrial cityscape, marred by the brutal
provenance of the drug economy. In its five seasons, the series is as much
a dramatic achievement as it is a complex portrait of a black urban
experience. Featuring a predominantly black cast, The Wire is an
exceptional cultural text from which to examine a wide range of urban
issues, to be approached from literary, historical, political, and
sociological perspectives.
This symposium proposes a critical consideration of *The Wire*, which treats
The show as both a topic and a model of critique. Our aim is to create a
space that is open and interdisciplinary. Graduate students, professors, and
independent scholars working in the Humanities, the Arts, Social Sciences,
Public Policy, and elsewhere are encouraged to join this collective
discussion. In this sense, *The Wire* can serve as a common point of
discussion, as a viable vehicle of social engagement in its own right and a
text worthy of careful and extended investigation.
Potential paper/panel topics include :
- Urban Renewal and Decline
- Race, Place, and Visual Culture
- The Black Family
- The City as a Transnational Conduit
- Critical Masculinities and Femininities
- Media Ethics and Issues of Representation
- Sex and Sexualities in the City
- (Counter-)Public and (Counter-)Private Spheres
- Pedagogy and Educational Practice
- City and Regional Planning
- Performance and Performativity in Urban Space
To submit a paper or panel proposal, please send a 250 word abstract via
Email to heartofthecityconference@gmail.com.
Abstracts and proposals are due:
Monday, December 1, 2008.
Acceptance notifications will be emailed by:
Monday December 15, 2008.
The Black Humanities Collective is an interdisciplinary graduate student and
faculty organization at the University of Michigan dedicated to the
intellectual and professional development of those studying Africa and its
diaspora.
