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The American Studies Association of Korea
The 48th International Conference

Place: Seoul, South Korea
Date: November 1-2, 2013
Title: “Refashioning America: Critiques, Narratives and Aesthetics of Transculturation”

The American Studies Association of Korea (ASAK) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for its 48th international conference that is to be held in Seoul, South Korea on November 1-2, 2013. Founded in 1965, the ASAK has led the scholarly discourse on the culture and history of the U.S. Dedicated to the holistic vision of interdisciplinary scholarship, the association encompasses many fields of inquiry, including history, literature, sociology, anthropology, political science, media, communication, and others.

Entitled “Refashioning America: Critiques, Narratives and Aesthetics of Transculturation,” the 2013 conference aims to focus on ‘transculturation’ that refers to the phenomenon of merging and converging cultures. One of the best examples of the on-going transcultural exchanges is perhaps the so-called K-Pop Phenomenon that has been rocking around the world in the last few years. Recently, PSY and his “Gangnam Style” music video that have now turned into a new global brand also demonstrated the expanding scope and power of new media as a dynamic route of transculturation.

The emphasis on transnational/transcultural perspectives has motivated scholars to develop new parameters to critically explore American identity and culture that cannot be explained on narrow national grounds any longer. At this point, we ask the following questions. What types of cultural texts have emerged out of those new perspectives and in what ways have they challenged or reconstructed conventional discourses of US society and culture? What kinds of narrative patterns do the texts reveal and what constitute new discourses? How do such narratives engage transcultural dynamics, and how important and effective are they in reenacting or contesting the dominant discourse of American Studies and Cultural Studies in general?

Implied in these questions is that transcultural processes are always bi- or multi-directional and they do not happen between stable, unified national cultures but work through controversies, debates, and negotiations between them. In other words, there are always several different versions of transculturation, which is why we need to investigate the changing modes and public representations of cultures and to explore the complex and often contested cultural flows from different locations and in different discourses. With that in mind, the 2013 ASAK conference seeks to address a wide range of topics/areas as follows:

- global/glocal America
- cultural hybridities/border discourses
- nationalism/postnationalism/postcolonialism
- race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, sexuality, space, place and etc.
- cultural diplomacy: domestic and international political, economic, and social policies
- politics of memory, identity, and representation
- strategic alliance (military, political, economic, and cultural)
- war, ethnic/racial conflict
- multiculturalism, cross-culturalism, transnationalism
- emigration/immigration
- interracial marriage
- diasporic identities and communities
- commodities, marketing, consumerism
- fashion and cuisine
- women’s rights/abolition
- labor unionism
- LGBT
- WWW, SNS(Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, etc.), and new media
- folklores, films, music, and arts
- language and education
- research methods and pedagogical matters
- international American Studies

Proposals on other topics related to the overarching theme of the conference will also be considered. Interdisciplinary perspectives and new research methodologies are especially welcome. We encourage participation of scholars in various areas, whose inquiries highlight transnational, transcultural connections and exchanges between the U.S. and other regions in the world.

Proposals may be submitted as individual paper proposals or as session proposals. Individual proposals should include a brief abstract of no more than 250 words and a one-page CV. Session proposals should include a one-page proposal with title and topics for a session of three to four presentation papers along with individual abstracts and bios. Each presentation, delivered in either Korean or English, will be limited to twenty minutes followed by discussion and Q&A. Graduate students are also welcome to submit their proposals and participate in the conference. All proposals should be sent to the Organizing Committee at asakorea2013@gmail.com by March 31, 2013. Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their proposals by September 15, 2013. For more information on the ASAK 2013 Conference, please visit the website (www.asak.or.kr) or contact the Organizing Committee by email.

Important dates:
▷ Deadline for submitting abstracts: March 31, 2013
▷ Notification of acceptance of papers: September 15, 2013
▷ Submission of papers for the conference proceedings: September 30, 2013

Registration fees (Required):
▷ Standard (registration after July 31, 2013) USD 100
▷ Students and Early Bird (registration before July 31, 2013) USD 75
▷ Accommodation and meals per day (Optional): To be announced later
**Participants will be responsible for travel expenses, including airfare and medical insurance, if applicable.