cfp.english.upenn.edu

UPDATE:

We are glad to announce that the Science Fiction Foundation (http://www.sf-foundation.org) has kindly agreed to support our conference by offering four £50 bursaries for postgraduates who have their paper presented in this conference.

We still welcome submissions by 1 September and are looking forward to receiving abstracts from those interested in our event.

Original CFP follows below:

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Whereas visions of destruction and fantasies of the end have always haunted humankind, the modern period in particular has been increasingly characterised by a mixed sense of concern for and fascination with the apocalypse, and even more so during the twentieth century. Today we are surrounded by scenarios of imminent destruction and annihilation, by politicians, scientists, religious groups, and writers, among others. This conference aims to explore and even question the widespread appeal of the apocalypse and we are particularly interested in narratives that either challenge or offer alternative responses to the apocalypse.

We are seeking interdisciplinary papers exploring cultural responses to apocalypse, its discourses and counter-discourses. Topics may include (but are not restricted to):

Anti-Apocalypse, Counter-Apocalypse, Ironic Apocalypse
Utopia, Redemption and Rebirth
Commodification of Apocalypse
'Death Tourism'
Disaster Capitalism
Disaster and the Media - Real Event Theory
Apocalypse and Everyday Life
The Age of Terror
Global Warming and its Denial
History as Apocalypse
Trauma theory
Viral Terrorism
Endings and Aftermaths
2012
Technology and Mass Destruction.

Keynote Speakers:
Prof Adam Roberts (Royal Holloway, University of London)
Prof John R. Hall (UC Davies, California)
Dr. Patricia Wheeler (University of Hertfordshire)

Please email 500-word abstracts and brief bio to all conference organisers by 1 September 2010:

Dr Monica Germanà, m.germana@westminster.ac.uk
Dr Aris Mousoutzanis, a.mousoutzanis@kingston.ac.uk
Christopher Daley, c.daley@my.westminster.ac.uk