Perhaps "imperative" seems too insistent a term to describe the spread of
contractual logic and rhetoric in the English 18th century; yet, the "will
to influence the behavior of another" is evident in 18th century
periodicals, conduct manuals and novels. Are there terms that better
describe this phenomena, or analyses that better illuminate it?

This panel will explore the ways in which the logic of contract and the
rhetoric of promise permeate and organize British culture in the eighteenth
century. Victoria Kahn's Wayward Contracts is one of the more noteworthy
recent studies that interpret the ways in which this logic and rhetoric
contribute to cultural formation. Her formulation of contract as a "new
poetics of the subject" is one of many possible engagements with this
theme.
In the past decade the cultural, marriage, mimetic, sociable, social and
racial contracts have received comment and analysis.
This panel welcomes one to two page proposals that address the history and
impact of contract, not only as a Hobbesian legacy, but also as a social
formation whose influence is reproduced across an array of cultural
phenomena. Of particular interest are papers that will engage the cultural
assumptions that propel this influence.
The deadline is September 15. Please forward your proposal or enquiries
to Prof. Stephen Meagher at Stephen_Meagher_at_baruch.cuny.edu

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Received on Sun Sep 04 2005 - 08:47:01 EDT