Cultural Studies Issues within the Second World Spaces

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Modern Language Association (MLA) Philadelphia, PA, January 2017
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How are new(er) cultural studies issues received, negotiated, challenged, embraced, or rejected within the spaces of the Second World?

Since the various countries of the Second World have only opened up to Western thought pertaining to cultural studies within the last couple of decades, cultural studies theories previously developed have started penetrating sociopolitical systems that are still hybrid with the residuals of the old regimes. Paradoxically, Marxist approaches to the advancement of underrepresented population groups in the West have not been mirrored by the (post‐)Marxist governments of the Second World. Which cultural studies concepts worked better during the socialist/communist regimes of the past? Which concepts and theories are still encountered with resistance? What are the reasons for this resistance?

We encourage discussions on gender, environmental, ethnic/racial, class, and nationality studies that engage with the particular sociopolitical systems of countries in transition to democratic capitalism.

Please send a short abstract and a bio to ada_g@att.net (Adriana Gradea, Illinois State University) by March 15, 2016.