Please distribute. Apologies for x-posting.

We would like to invite paper proposals for consideration for the =20
session
'Anti-Consumerism and Cultural Studies ' at the Cultural Studies =20
Crossroads Conference, Istanbul 2006 (www.crossroads2006.org =20
<http://www.crossroads2006.org> ).

See below for further session details. Final date for abstracts: 31st =20=

January
2006.

Please sent abstracts (150 words maximum) to
Sam Binkley Samuel_Binkley_at_emerson.edu
Jo Littler jo.littler_at_ntlworld.com

Regards,
Sam Binkley and Jo Littler (session organisers)

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---Call for papers:Open session onAnti-Consumerism and Cultural StudiesPlease note: this open panel is run in conjunction with another =20(closed) panel of the same name which shares its themes and =20preoccupationsAnti-consumerism has become a conspicuous part of contemporary =20activism and popular culture, from =91culture jams=92 and actions =against =20Esso and Starbucks, through green consumption and simplicity =20movements, and on to films and books like Supersize Me! and No Logo. =20A rising awareness of labor conditions in overseas plants, the =20environmental impact of intensified consumer lifestyles and the =20effects of neo-liberal privatization have all stimulated such popular =20=cultural opposition. However, the subject of anti-consumerism has =20received relatively little theoretical attention =96 particularly from =20=cultural studies, which is surprising given the discipline=92s =20historical investments in extending radical politics and exploring =20the complexities of consumer desire.This panel therefore seeks to consider how the expanding resources of =20=contemporary cultural theory might be drawn upon to understand anti-=20consumerist identifications and practices. For example: is it =20possible for anti-consumerism to be both part of a late capitalist =20niche market and part of =91progressive=92 social change? How might we =20=theorise the strategies and networks of anti-consumer activisms to =20understand their =91openness=92 or their narcissistic limitations? What =20=tools might we use to navigate the issues of corporate co-option, or =20commodification as dissemination? To what extent is it possible to =20engage with anti-consumerism without occupying a position of Puritan =20didactism (or considerable cultural capital)? What are the =20performative roles of fiction, film, or digital media in mediating =20modes of green, anti-consumerism? What are the complexities of the =20=91simplicity=92 movement, with its various drives towards =91simple =20living=92 and the downsizing of desire? What are the ethics of ethical =20=consumerism?As well as =91using=92 cultural studies to analyse anti-consumerism, we =20=are also keen to use this theme to open up a discussion about the =20position/s of cultural studies, and the theoretical tools it draws =20from, in relation to such developments. In other words, we welcome =20papers that ask what the implications of these developments are for =20the variety of emergent and residual traditions coalescing under the =20banner of cultural studies. For instance: How might cultural studies =20engage most effectively with anti-consumerist formations? What types =20of =91cultural studies=92 are such discourses practicing? Why has it =20taken so long to engage with some of these issues? Do popular forms =20of anti-consumerism necessitate a reappraisal and extension of the =20debate about speaking of consumption as the site of =91resistant =20practices=92? Do these movements demand that we rethink the positioning =20=of the =91intellectual commons=92 within Cultural Studies and other =20fields? Are the modes of interdisciplinary engagement which mark the =20current conjuncture of =91cultural studies=92 sufficient, or do we need =20=to extend them into less explored areas? ========================================================== From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List CFP_at_english.upenn.edu Full Information at http://cfp.english.upenn.edu or write Jennifer Higginbotham: higginbj_at_english.upenn.edu ==========================================================Received on Wed Dec 21 2005 - 14:03:12 EST