Displacement and Community: Using Oral History to Document Transitions, Evolutions, and Adaptations

Displacement and Community: Using Oral History to Document
Transitions, Evolutions, and Adaptations


Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region (OHMAR) announces its Spring
2011 Conference to be held April 20-21 at the Chemical Heritage
Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

How have oral history and personal narratives helped communities
document and deal with incidents of displacement and dislocation? How
have oral history and personal narratives helped communities build
connections and grow stronger?

These are two of the questions that guide the OHMAR program committee
as we prepare for our 2011 conference. We invite individual papers as
well as entire panels that address displacement and community building
in the context of environmental crises; regional, national and global
migrations; changes in the economy and workforce; social movements;
culture and the arts; the built environment; changing land use
patterns in countryside, suburb and city; politics and political
culture; and actions related to health and medicine. Topics may
include but are not limited to issues of pollution, gentrification,
modified political boundaries, gerrymandering, imminent domain, war or
civil unrest, and health, healthcare, and medicine. Presenters may
also want to address how new media and new technologies are
transforming how we conduct, preserve, and present oral histories.

The mid-Atlantic region, with its great variety of people and places,
is an ideal place to explore the themes of displacement and community.
The program committee invites participants to interpret the theme
expansively and to propose panels and roundtables that include voices
and images. OHMAR welcomes participants from a wide variety of
fields---history, anthropology, folklore, literature, political
science, and others---who work in the academic and public sectors.
OHMAR also welcomes submissions from archivists, librarians, web
designers, museum curators, and other oral history practitioners
engaged in work relevant to the 2011 conference theme.

For more information or questions about the call for papers, please
contact the conference co-chairs:

LuAnn Jones (LuAnn_Jones@nps.gov)

or David J. Caruso
(dcaruso@chemheritage.org dcaruso@chemheritage.org)

Details about the call for papers, proposal submission guidelines, and the
conference location are available at OHMAR's website,
http://www.ohmar.org/confercurrent.html
<http://www.ohmar.org/confer.html>.

Proposals are due no later than 15 January 2011.

Society for the Study of American Women Writers

The Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW) has extended deadline for proposals to February 28.

Conference details are as follows:

Title: Fourth Conference of the Society for the Study of American Women Writers
Date: October 21-24, 2009
Location: Sheraton Society Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SSAWW invites submissions of proposals for panels, roundtables, workshops, or individual papers. They welcome sessions on U.S. women authors and themes from the 17th through the 21st century; sessions and papers that compare U.S. women writers to writers of other nations are also welcome.

All conference participants must be members of SSAWW.

Proposals for entire sessions should include: (1) a paragraph describing the session as a whole; (2) a one-page abstract of each paper; (3) a one-page cv for each participant. The conference prefers four presenters per session, excluding the chair, although submissions for panels of three presenters will be considered.

Proposals for individual papers should include a one-page abstract and a one-page c.v.

Please specify if audio/visual equipment is needed.

Proposals may be submitted to Carolyn Sorisio at csorisio@wcupa.edu

First International Conference on Gloria E. Anzaldua

The SSGA (Society for the Study of Gloria Anzaldua) is currently seeking proposals for papers, panels of 3-4 papers, roundtables, workshops, or performances for its First International Conference on the work and life of Gloria E. Anzaldúa on the fifth anniversary of her passing.

We welcome proposals involving all facets of Anzaldúa's life and work. The following tracks are merely suggested conceptual groupings for panel and performance presentations:

· BORDERS—explorations of border theory, borderlands ethos and other concepts of Anzaldúan thought focused on this key concept of her work
· QUEER STUDIES—el mundo zurdo and the atravesados, key to Anzaldúa's thinking and application of her philosophical work
· EDUCATION—pedagogical concerns surrounding her literary and philosophical works. Some questions that may arise: what are some challenges of teaching Anzaldúa? How does Anzaldúa's thought apply to teaching?
· INTERNATIONAL AND TRANSFRONTERA—The effects of globalization and market economies on culture. What is the status of Anzaldúa studies at the international level?
· SPIRITUALITY—Explorations of Anzaldúa's spiritual teachings. How can we heal the earth and ourselves?

Guidelines
Proposals must include the following:
· 250-word proposal narrative
· 100-word abstract suitable for publication in the conference program book
· Submissions for Panels must include proposals and abstracts for each paper and the name, address, phone number(s), e-mail address, and institutional affiliation of each participant
· Audio/visual needs
· Contact person's name, address, phone number(s), e-mail address, and institutional affiliation

All materials must be electronically date-stamped by February 15, 2009. Proposers will be notified of acceptance by March 15, 2009.

Questions about the submission process may be sent to:
gloria.anzaldua.society@gmail.com

Memory: Rhetoric's Forgotten Canon

Memory: Rhetoric’s Forgotten Canon

***Open to faculty, graduates, independent scholars, and
undergraduates***

Federation Rhetoric Symposium 2009
Texas A&M University-Commerce
February 6, 2009

Submission Deadline: November 21, 2008

Acceptance Notification: December 31, 2008

“Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.”
—Cicero, De Oratore

At the Federation Rhetoric Symposium two years ago,
composition scholar Kathleen Blake Yancey focused our
attention on The Fifth Canon  Delivery, foregrounding the
many ways that this largely forgotten canon shapes and
defines 21st century literacies. This year we’re extending
the discussion by considering the fourth canon  Memory.

In what ways does memory live in current rhetorical
practices?
How does this classical device both focus and fragment our
research?
How does memory mediate our pedagogy and practice?
How are 21st century literacies mediated by memory?
How does new/old media mediate memory? (And vice versa?)

Deborah Brandt (University of Wisconsin-Madison), noted
scholar in literacy studies, is the keynote speaker this
year. Her book Literacy in American Lives (2001) was awarded
the 2002 MLA Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize, the 2003 Grawemeyer
Award in Education, and the 2003 CCCC Outstanding Book
Award. Brandt has additionally published Literacy as
Involvement: The Acts of Writers, Readers, and Texts (1990)
and has Literacy and Learning: Reflections on Reading,
Writing, and Society forthcoming.

We welcome submissions from all areas including but not
limited to: Rhetoric and Composition, English, Journalism,
Political Science, Education, History, Film Studies, Media
Studies, Art, Psychology, and Sociology. We also welcome
presentations via non-traditional modalities  video,
audio-/image-based.

Suggestions of possible areas of interest:
Literacy Studies
Critical Theory
Pedagogy
Rhetoric & Technology
Composition & Rhetoric
Creative Writing
Memoir
Writing Center Theory & Practice
Basic Writing Theory & Practice
Rhetoric & Philosophy
TESOL, ESL & Composition
Pop Culture
Film Studies
Rhetoric of Mass Media
New Media
Literature, All Genres

Individual and Panel Proposals Welcome. Prizes for
outstanding student papers will be awarded!

Deadline for Submission of a 250-Word Abstract (electronic
format preferred): November 21, 2008.

Submissions and Additional Information:
Rhetoric_Symposium@tamu-commerce.edu

Via USPS:
Federation Rhetoric Symposium 2009
c/o Melissa Knous
Department of Literature and Language
PO Box 3011
Texas A&M University  Commerce
Commerce, TX 75429-3011

For more information, see the conference website at:
http://orgs.tamu-commerce.edu/FRS/

Brandi Westmoreland
Texas A&M University - Commerce
Co-Chair, Federation Rhetoric Symposium 2009

Rhetoric and Public Memory

Call for NCA Preconference Seminar Participants

Title: Rhetoric and the Study of Public Memory

Thursday Nov.20: 9:00am to 5:00 pm

Conveners:

Kendall R. Phillips, Syracuse University

G. Mitchell Reyes, Lewis & Clark College

Rationale:

The study of public memory has achieved remarkable prominence in the humanities over the past few decades. Not surprisingly, rhetoricians have been heavily involved in this trend and our journals are filled with articles engaging the rhetoric involved in public acts of remembrance. The preconference is designed to provide a space for rhetoricians engaged in questions of public memory to consider the broader relationships between rhetoric and public memory and to consider the role of rhetorical studies in the larger growth of public memory studies.

With this goal in mind, the preconference format will integrate three sets of concerns: 1) the theoretical relationship between rhetoric and public memory; 2) the contribution rhetorical criticisms can make to the study of public memory; and 3) the ways that rhetorical studies can be positioned within the broader community of public memory studies. In order to facilitate this conversation, scholars interested in public memory should submit a short position paper (no more than 2 pages single spaced) addressing one of these broad issues:

1) Theoretical Relationships: The rhetorical tradition is replete with references to memory and collective remembrance and contemporary theories of rhetoric continue to develop that connection. Scholars interested in the intersections between theories of rhetoric ­ from classical to contemporary ­ and public memory should submit papers that expand, explore, question, or challenge contemporary thought

2) Critical Interventions: Case studies constitute much of the work on the rhetoric of public memory. Scholars interested in analyzing the rhetorical dimensions of public memory within a specific context should submit papers offering short but instructive readings that explore the rhetoric of remembrance or the ways that critical case studies expand our understanding of public memory.

3) Disciplinary Issues: In spite of the important work on public memory within rhetorical studies, many of the most prominent public memory scholars are operating within other disciplinary frameworks. Papers under this section should address the relationship between rhetorical approaches and other disciplinary approaches and consider the avenues that rhetoricians might pursue in making rhetoric a more prominent part of the interdisciplinary conversation on public memory.

Please send your two page position papers to G. Mitchell Reyes at mreyes@lclark.edu by September 1, 2008. Please include the issue you are addressing, your current position, and your contact information in your submission.

Note: In order to be included as a presenter at the preconference in the NCA program you must register for the conference and submit your position paper to us by August 5. You need not pay the additional preconference fee when registering for the conference. If you submit after August 5 you may still be selected to participate, but your name will not be listed as a preconference presenter in the program.

G. Mitchell Reyes, Ph.D.Department of Communication, MSC 35Lewis and Clark College0615 SW Palatine Hill RdPortland, OR 97219

(above photo courtesy of Keith Dotson)

UCLA LGBT Conference 10th Anniversary

"LOS ANGELES QUEER STUDIES CONFERENCE 2008

CALL FOR PAPERS

Friday and Saturday, October 10-11, 2008
Royce Hall, UCLA

Plenary speakers
Steven Epstein
Gayatri Gopinath
Catherine Lord
Heather Love
Richard Meyer
Juana María Rodríguez
Valerie Traub
David Valentine

Film
Cheryl Dunye will present material from the Outfest Legacy Project, housed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Performances by
Dynasty Handbag
My Barbarian

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Los Angeles Queer Studies Conference welcomes presentations of research and other work in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies, on queer topics, sexuality and gender. Since one of the principal goals of the conference is to encourage the exchange of ideas across academic generations, we invite participation of both graduate students and faculty scholars.

Please send your proposal (not more than 750 words) for a 20-minute presentation and a cv (not more than 1 page) to one of the addresses below. Only one proposal per person. We will not consider proposals that exceed the specified length.

If you would like to organize a panel of three speakers, please feel free to do so. Panel submissions must include not only the proposals and cvs of each of the participants but also a brief statement presenting the panel as a whole. Those who submit proposals as part of a panel should indicate whether, if the whole panel is not accepted, we should consider their proposals individually for possible acceptance.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: June 23, 2008

Submissions by US Postal Service:
UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Program
3300 Rolfe Hall
Box 951531
Los Angeles, California 90095-1531

Email submissions: lgbs@humnet.ucla.edu

For further information, please contact the LGBTS office at 310 206 0516 or lgbs@humnet.ucla.edu

Organized by the UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Program"

Vive L'Resistance!

Noted scholars Paul Rainbow, Donna Haraway, James Clifford, and Hayden White (among others) will reunite to examine and discuss the work of Michel Foucault at a conference that is free to the public on March 1-2, 2008 @ UC Santa Cruz. Don't miss it!

Check out the description to the conference below or click here:

"Foucault Across the Disciplines will be a national conference providing a forum for assessing and reassessing the tremendous impact of Michel Foucault’s thought across the disciplines over the past half century. This conference will convene an interdisciplinary group of scholars of world and national renown to explore the many ways in which Foucault’s work is being deployed across the disciplines. These cross-disciplinary deployments assume at least two forms: they are challenges to the disciplines that define our academic research formations, and they are critiques of specific disciplinary apparatuses. We hope to establish lines of engagement that will extend innovative research paths beyond the current limits of inquiry."

Check out the blog for the conference: Click here

"Third Gender: Subverting the Conventional in Queer Discourse"

"Third Gender: Subverting the Conventional in Queer Discourse"

Venue:

2008 National Communication Association’s Convention

San Diego, California (Nov. 21 – Nov. 24, 2008)

"The constructs of “queer” and queer theory have enriched popular and scholarly discourse specifically because they signify a refusal to restrict sex, gender, and sexual identity to the terminologies that reify dominant epistemologies. However, the English-speaking public, its popular media, and many in the academy still insist on maintaining, limiting and reducing these constructs to articulate the lived gender identity expressions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender identified experience. Despite a prolific generation of gender-bending and gender-challenging activism and scholarship, and despite increasingly documented life experiences that cannot be captured by or implicated in upholding “male/female” and “man/woman” dichotomies, the language used to describe and depict sex, sexuality, and gender in English language cultures still fails to reflect the rethinking, revision, and reform that “queerness” and queer theory suggest.

Responding to an apparent stagnation in developing deconstructive language that challenges the continued naturalization of dichotomous identities, panel organizers seek presenters whose research centers on third gender (gender variant) identification, and the challenges, relevance and significance of developing terminology for unrecognized populations that remain unnamed in English language cultures."

"Discussing History and Representation: Rememembering and Reconstructing the Experiences of Slavery and the Slave Trade"

The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples

"Discussing History and Representation: Remembering and Reconstructing the Experiences of Slavery and the Slave Trade"

to be held at the 123rd American Historical Association Annual Meeting
New York City, 2 – 5, January 2009

Organizers:

Paul E. Lovejoy (Director, Tubman Institute, York University)

Ana Lucia Araujo (Post-Doctoral Fellow, Tubman Institute, York University)

"In the last twenty years, the experiences of capture, enslavement, deportation, and life under slavery have been the focus of novels, films and works of art. The historical understanding of the forced global migrations of African peoples as depicted in these genres requires comparison in different historical contexts, including: a) the ways in which trans-Atlantic slavery from the 16th-19th centuries has been interpreted; b) the depiction of slavery in the Islamic world of North Africa and the Middle East; and c) the views of slavery in the Indian Ocean global world system.Admittedly, the experiences of people in these different contexts varied, and not all of those who were enslaved in these different settings were Africans – in the Americas, the enslavement of Amerindians has also been subjected to various forms of representation, while in the Islamic world and the broader Indian Ocean region, many other peoples were enslaved besides Africans. The extent of enslavement of native peoples in the Americas as well as in parts of Europe and Asia requires a reconsideration of the ways in which Africans and people of African descent have been represented in various artistic, cultural and intellectual genres. The centrality of slavery in all parts of these regions, not just in the Americas, requires comparison. The purpose of this workshop is to consider how the various historical actors have been represented, whether slaves, ship captains, market officials, merchants, plantation managers, concubines in harems, or members of royalty. This workshop aims to explore the forms of representation as a means of focusing on the multiple experiences of slavery. Participants are asked to review the strengths and weaknesses of using archival documentation, as well as travel accounts, films, images, art, music, novels, monuments and artifacts, in the reconstruction of our understanding of the experiences of slavery. Can an examination of the different voices that emerge from such representations help in exposing the experiences of the multiple actors involved in slavery and the slave trade?It is our hypothesis that notions of history and memory can be better understand through a dialogue over the interpretations of archival data, «fictionalized » works of art and literature, and stereotypes of public discourse that have emerged with renewed interest in slavery issues."

2008 RSA Conference Call for Papers

RSA Conference
13th Biennial Conference The Westin - Seattle, Washington 23-26 May 2008
RSA 2008: Call for Proposals
Theme: The Responsibilities of Rhetoric

"Seattle, the location of RSA 2008, by virtue of its identity and its imagery compels us to meditate together on the macroforces that are currently shaping our discipline and our democracy.

Seattle means coffee and Boeing and the Port--all of them symbols of the international, globalized market economy and its attendant perils. Seattle means Microsoft and Amazon.com --megacorporations produced by and producing new (and sometimes vexing) communications technologies and practices. Seattle means "metronatural" life: REI (Recreation Equipment Inc.) and bicycles, eco-consciousness and the just-launched Puget Sound Partnership, urban spaces surrounded by Elliott Bay and Mt. Rainier--all of it a reminder of ecological challenges that must be negotiated through rhetoric. And Seattle means multiculturalism: the polyglot citizens who gather at Pike Place Market or Starbucks are African American and native American, Anglo and Asian, Latino and mestizo, native and immigrant.

Let us come together in Seattle, therefore, to consider The Responsibilities of Rhetoric. How can the study and practice of rhetoric contribute to social progress? What does rhetoric offer as means of understanding and coping with globalization, particularly at a time when "global" is associated with "terror" and "exploitation"? What do rhetorical studies have to offer in a presidential election year when political discourses and popular fundamentalisms are polarizing, confrontational, divisive? How do new media affect civic participation and the conduct of argument half a century after The New Rhetoric, The Uses of Argument, and The Rhetoric of Motives? How can rhetorical studies contribute to scientific exchange, technology transfer, and risk management--all in the interest of public and disciplinary good, and particularly on environmental issues? In a nation suspicious of difference, concerned with security, and newly armed with snooping technologies, can rhetorical pedagogies nevertheless protect civil liberties, sustain civic cooperation, and promote understanding and identification? And how can our professional society be sure that our scholarly methodologies and assumptions are themselves highly ethical?

While participants are invited to present their current research on all the topics that fall within the domain of rhetorical studies, the Program Committee will especially appreciate proposals that engage with The Responsibilities of Rhetoric.

Proposals for sessions, special events, and individual presentations – due by September 15, 2007 – must be submitted electronically: click on the "Submit a Proposal" tab (above left) for directions. There you will also find information (and regular updates) on housing, registration, special features, and other aspects of RSA 2008."