Battleground States: Scholarship in Times of Crisis.

Friday March, 31-Saturday, April 1, 2006

Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio

As subjects and scholars, we negotiate contested spaces daily.
We live in a time of global military and political battles,
deterritorialized "wars" against drugs and "terror," and a
heightened contestation over discourses that define
patriotism, "values" and national identity. These broad
battles over political, economic, cultural, and (inter)national
borders are localized in struggles over battleground states and
responses to crisis and tragedy.

Recently in northwest Ohio, we have been at the center of the
battle for the White House, academic freedom, definitions of
marriage, and have struggled to understand the devastation
brought by a cataclysmic tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
Therefore, the graduate students of the American Culture
Studies Program at Bowling Green State University are convening
an interdisciplinary conference of active scholars engaged in
developing critical approaches and interrogations of
discriminatory discourses, (re)imagining and (re)constructing
an inclusive culture of democratic values.

Grounded in the rich tradition of multi- and transdisciplinary
dialogues that are the hallmark of both American and Cultural
Studies, this conference will draw from and include a range of
academic and activist concerns, methodologies and voices. The
Battleground States Conference will critically engage current
battlegrounds and crises. In particular, we are interested in
presentations that map the terrains of battlegrounds such as:
• Bodies and Subjectivity
• Refugees, Asylees, and Detainees
• Health Care
• Public Media
• Education, Standardization, and Academic Freedom
• Memory and National Identity
• Religion/Religious Identities in Secular/Public Spaces
We are also interested in bringing together scholars and
activists whose work reflects on and critically engages with
moments of and responses to crisis. Topics might include:
• Media and Race in Hurricane Katrina
• Technology, Journalism, and New Media
• Institutional Responses to Crisis
We are interested in drawing together scholars from all fields
of inquiry and are committed to fostering a space in which
academic voices can actively engage and foster social and
political activism.

This conference invites proposals for conference presentations
by scholars, policymakers, practitioners, artists, filmmakers,
activists, and other professionals whose work engages the
borders and battles facing the world today. We invite
proposals from traditional academic disciplines—such as
history, English, sociology—and their related interdisciplines—
such as American studies, cultural studies, comparative ethnic
studies, women's studies.

To be considered as a presenter, please send a presentation
proposal, not to exceed 500 words. To propose a panel, please
submit a session proposal describing the panel topic, not to
exceed 500 words. We will accept proposals by regular mail and
email (include abstract in both message body as well as an
attachment) to the following:

Mail: Attn: Adam Franklin
101 East Hall
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403

Email: acsconf_at_bgsu.edu

Please direct any and all questions to Adam Franklin via email
at acsconf_at_bgsu.edu or by phone at (419)372-0509. You can
also find additional information on our conference webpage:
www.bgsu.edu/departments/acs/acsconf

Paper Proposals—due by December 15st—should include the
following information:
• Name
• Institutional Affiliation (if applicable)
• Mailing Address (including zip code)
• Phone Number
• Email address
• Title for the proposed presentation
• Abstract
• A-V equipment needs, if any
• Special needs, if any

Panel Proposals –due Jan 1st - should include the above
information for all proposed participants.

Important Information
- To preserve time for discussion, ACS limits all presentations
to 15 minutes
- Notification of proposal status will be sent around January
25th
- You may read more than one paper at the conference; however,
each paper must be submitted separately
- To promote discussion, all papers must be read by their
authors; persons not in attendance may not have papers read
by colleagues.
- ACS does not sponsor or fund travel or underwrite participant
costs.

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Received on Sun Oct 23 2005 - 23:10:45 EDT