States of the Book - 23 and 24 September, 2016

full name / name of organization: 
Department of English and Philosophy, West Point
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The Department of English and Philosophy at West Point will host an interdisciplinary symposium to consider the relation of the material text to the formation and function of states and state-like structures. In particular, we seek to investigate the methods and effects of state and institutional manipulation of textual materialities to create, control, or shape responses. We welcome abstracts that consider texts from the oral ancient to the digital contemporary.

Keynote speaker: Michael F. Suarez, S.J. (University Professor and Director of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, Member of the National Council on the Humanities).

Proposals for papers or panels might consider the following themes, though this list is not exhaustive:

• Relationships between political structure and the material production of texts
• Government printing, distribution, and control of text
• State-sponsored translation and adaptation
• Academic publishing and university presses
• "Official" fonts and typefaces
• Libraries, collections, archival practices
• Mediums of propaganda
• Excisions, additions, and marginalia
• Subversive or illicit texts or publications
• Textual formations of community and culture
• Texts and diasporas
• Coterie publication in the digital age
• The use of new media and social media to form a state identity

Please limit abstracts to 250 words, and include a short bio. Abstracts for papers are due 31 March 2016. Please send to adam.karr@usma.edu.

This event has been generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Critical Bibliography at the Rare Book School.