Visual Culture Papers for the 2018 Meeting of the American Studies Association

deadline for submissions: 
January 26, 2018
full name / name of organization: 
Visual Culture Caucus of the American Studies Association
contact email: 

CFP: Visual Culture Papers at the 2018 American Studies Association, Atlanta, GA

The Visual Culture Caucus (http://www.theasa.net/communities/caucuses/visual-culture-caucus) of the American Studies Association (ASA) promotes the participation of visual culture scholars at the ASA annual meeting in Atlanta on November 8-11, 2018. The conference theme this year is “States of Emergence” (http://www.theasa.net/annual-meeting/about-meeting/future-annual-meetings/). We are looking for papers or panels that investigate or interrogate visual culture in its many forms. Topics might include a variety of visual practices both within and outside the art world, emerging vehicles of expression such as the Internet and social media, methods of studying visual culture, and issues of pedagogy.

We are eager to help individuals construct compelling visual-culture-related panels. Our mentorship committee can facilitate networking among scholars who are looking for session participants, chairs, or commentators, as well as provide critical feedback. If you, your colleagues, or doctoral students need help putting together a panel or are looking for a visual culture panel to join, please email your panel CFP, abstract, or paper idea to Matt Johnston (mnj@lclark.edu) as soon as possible for maximum and expedient support. Mentorship requests will be accepted no later than January 15, 2018.

The caucus in particular invites panel submissions for its sponsored sessions at the 2018 annual meeting. Caucus sponsorship does not guarantee acceptance by the ASA, but it can improve a panel’s appeal. To submit your bid for sponsorship, please send a full packet of panel and paper abstracts and biographical statements, all formatted according to the ASA’s specifications, to John-Michael Warner (jwarne26@kent.edu) by January 26, 2017, with abstracts and CVs bundled as a single dossier in PDF format. Our general criteria for sponsoring panels are:

·       Emphasis on visual culture, how images and practices of looking actively shape social concerns and relations.

·       Potential to contribute new scholarship to American studies.

·       Interdisciplinarity, incorporation of disciplines in addition to art history.

·       Relevance to the 2018 conference theme.

We also encourage scholars to submit panel CFPs to the caucus Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/921405551242337/.