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BATTLEGROUND STATES
COLLAPSING CULTURES & DARKENED DREAMSCAPES:
SOCIETIES AND IMAGINATIONS IN A STATE OF DISORDER
CALL FOR PAPERS FEBRUARY 25-26, 2011

In eras of economic, social, and political collapse, scholars and citizens are often forced to examine the ruins of the past and work towards a unified and productive future. Where ideologies of demoralization and disunity urge us into disarray, opportunities for reconstruction exist in the interplay of imagination and social alliance. From literature, history, and the arts, to the sciences and the study of the virtual, academics and activists are called to consider the notions of catastrophe and cultural nightmares as theoretical paradigms for the study of culture itself. The sixth annual Battleground States Conference asks: How do we envision, represent, and analyze societies and imaginations in a state of disorder?

We welcome creative interpretations on the conference theme, including, but not limited to:

--Malady, Moral Panic, Mental Illness
--Architectures of Fantasy, Idealism, & Dreams
--Apathy & Pandemonium --Trauma, Disintegration, Violence --Blurred boundaries of chaos and order --Natural and Supernatural Catastrophes
--Decadence and Disaster Capitalism --Anomalies, Mutations, Liminality
--Urban & Geographic Decay --Disciplinary & Theoretical Deconstructions

Potential questions to consider:

--How are fatalistic narratives of collapse and disorder represented?
--Why do our political, social, and cultural models seem productive but fall short in practice?
--What sends thriving and prosperous cultures/societies into decline?
--Are we able to create a vision of an ideal world? What are the limits of our imagination?
--What exists on the fringes of culture?

The Culture Club: Cultural Studies Scholars’ Association is pleased to announce David Oaks as our keynote speaker. As a psychiatric survivor and the Director of MindFreedom International, Oaks has been a tireless activist since the 1970’s. Oaks began community organizing in 1976 and today continues fighting for human rights, humane alternatives in mental health, and social justice.

Battleground States 2011 will take place February 25-26 at Bowling Green State University. The Culture Club encourages presentations that transgress disciplinary boundaries. We invite proposals from graduate students, emerging and independent scholars, junior faculty, artists, activists, filmmakers, and educators.

Abstract Guidelines: Abstracts of 300 words should be sent to battlegroundstates@gmail.com and must be submitted no later than December 15th, 2010. Submissions should include AV equipment requests, and special needs, if any. Panel proposals are welcome and should include contact information and abstracts for all participants, along with a 300-word abstract of the panel’s objective.

Please visit our website for information about The Culture Club and Battleground States: www.battlegroundstates.org