The Politics and Poetics of Paper (NeMLA 2023)
Since its invention around 100 BC in China, paper has shaped and supported an incredibly wide range of social, cultural, and artistic practices all over the world and of all ages. This interdisciplinary panel seeks case studies that interrogate the political and aesthetic potential of paper. It welcomes contributions from all disciplines, areas, periods, and geographies. Topics may include but are not limited to: paper as a trade commodity; the materiality of paper; paper artifacts; paper as a tool for governance; epistolary cultures; manuscripts and printed matters.