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York University 2012 English Graduate Students’ Association Colloquium: FRENZY

But everybody is drugged with his own frenzy, and the pageant marches at all hours, with music and banner and badge.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Prophecies of a 2012 end of days; Black Friday at Wal-Mart; Howard Beale in Network inciting viewers to scream “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” While the anxieties and demands of contemporary life might make agitated states more visible, frenzy is a culturally and historically pervasive phenomenon. This year’s EGSA Colloquium will focus on representations of FRENZY—and frenzied representations. From mass hysteria to individual neuroses, frenzy is a pivotal moment of excess that at once invites and confounds theoretical inquiry. This interdisciplinary graduate student conference seeks to situate and theorize compelling, influential, and/or problematic outbursts. Are these moments of crisis? Or can we conceive of frenzy as a generative force?

Papers may focus upon, but should not be limited to:

Hysteria, Paranoia, Neurosis; Chaos and/or Disorder; Mob Mentality and Group Psychology; The Carnivalesque; Economic Frenzies, Disaster Capitalism, and/or Mass Consumption; Erotic Frenzy or Desire; Political Riot and Upheaval; Rituals, Scapegoating, and Witch Hunts; Hooliganism and Sports Riot; Fanatics and Fandom; Dystopia or Apocalypse; Hyperactivity; Theatrical Frenzy and Catharsis; Frenzied Creation or Artistry; Psychopathology or Abnormal Psychology; Censorship and Puritanical Frenzy; Religious Fervor or Ecstasy; Narcotic Trances; Contagion and Pandemics; Violence, Torture, and Militarism; Infectious or Nervous Laughter

Those interested in presenting may submit a 300-word abstract and a short biographical statement to 2012frenzyconference@gmail.com by April 7th, 2012. Participants will be restricted to presentations of 20 minutes in length. The colloquium will take place in Stong College at York University on May 11th and 12th, 2012.