Call for Papers

Films of Terrorism

40th Anniversary Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
Feb. 26-March 1, 2009
Hyatt Regency - Boston, Massachusetts

This panel seeks to examine the concept and meaning of the term
"terrorism," and to explore the very many diverse and contradictory
depictions of its enactment in films from around the globe, throughout film
history, and across cinematic genres. In this, we will investigate the
cultural, historical and social moments that created these films and study
the perceived impact and reception of these films by their spectators, and
the many differing contexts within which the varied terminology of
terrorism enters into filmic language and is delivered to movie audiences.
As J. David Slocum points out, there is “an inextricable relation between
political violence as a complex category of action and mediation as a
process of framing such actions and perceptions of their meaning.” This
mediation of the concept of terrorism as it has appeared in film
intertwines and conflates itself with notions and representations of
nationalism, identity, gender and hegemony, crossing through varied filmic
texts. The significance of this panel is mirrored not only in current
international political discourses which seek to produce and disseminate
particular culturally derived definitions of “terrorism,” but also through
the recent abundance of 21st century films that then frame these
politicized concepts and deliver them to audiences. This panel, then, will
open up a discussion of the ways in which ideas and representations of
terrorism have permeated the history of film, reflecting and resonating
with the ever-changing cultures and technologies that produce, cope with,
and seek to understand political violence.

Send 250-300-word abstracts to Rebecca Fine Romanow, University of Rhode
Island @ rromanow_at_mail.uri.edu
Please include with your abstract: your name and affiliation, postal
address, and A/V requirements, if any.
Deadline: Sept 15, 2008

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Received on Fri May 30 2008 - 14:19:57 EDT