cfp.english.upenn.edu

Crisis Carnival 2010: Spectacle! The Seduction of Illusion

What do the Olympic opening ceremony, drag queens, and Shakespeare have in common?

Linguistic theorists such as Judith Butler, Jean Baudrillard, and Guy Debord have all conjectured that we engage daily in performances that obscure the line between illusion and reality. These performances both re-affirm and challenge society’s values, boundaries, and taboos. By analyzing these spectacles, we can question the relationship between performance and the “real,” with the hopes of discovering the motivations behind these seductive visions.

In a society dominated by media constructions of our cultural values, it is more important than ever to evaluate the role that spectacle plays. What is the social significance of illusions – to inspire change, to help us distinguish the values most important to us, or to help us escape?

The goal of this conference will be to bring the conversation into a contemporary context. How are social anxieties personified in the spectacle of monstrosity? What role do today’s avatars, clones, and digital doppelgangers play in our conceptions of our “real” selves? How has the relationship between performance and the real changed since Shakespeare?

We encourage paper and panel proposals with a broad interpretation of spectacle across disciplines. Some possible areas of inquiry:

AVATARS
CINEMA
CLASS
FAN CLUBS
FANTASY
GENDER
GLADIATORS
GRAPHIC MEDIA
MAGIC
MONARCHY
MYTHS, MONSTERS, and GHOSTS
PANOPTICISM (AUDIENCE INFLUENCE)
PERFORMANCE ART
PERFORMATIVITY
PERSONA (INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, ACADEMIA, SOCIAL NETWORKING)
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS
REALITY TV
RELIGIOUS RITUAL
SCIENCE FICTION
SPORTS (OLYMPICS, WORLD CUP, DANCE)
STOCK MARKET (IMAGINARY MARKERS OF PERFORMANCE)
TEACHING (SAGE ON A STAGE, THE POWER OF A PODIUM)
THE UNDEAD

Submission Procedures

This conference is open to graduate students everywhere, from all fields and disciplines. Creative works are welcomed. Each submission should include: One cover page and one 250 word abstract for a 10-12 page paper, short story, selection of poems, art object, or 15 minute film. Please include your title, contact information, and area of study on your cover page. Artwork should be submitted as photos with the titles written on the back. Each performance piece is limited to 15 minutes; please send a DVD.

The deadline for submissions is March 25, 2010. The conference will be held on April 30, 2010.

Electronic submissions and/or questions may be sent to: sdsu.grad.conference@gmail.com.

Send physical submissions to:

Crisis Carnival/Erica Aguillon and Rose Burt
The Department of English and Comparative Literature
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-6020