CFP: Rhetorics of Social Formation (5/1/06; 1/19/07-1/20/07)
Rhetorics of Social Formation
University of Redlands, Redlands, CA
19 - 20 January 2007
The Centre for Rhetorics & Hermeneutics and the New Testament
Rhetoric Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity is
pleased to announce Rhetorics of Social Formation, the sixth in a
series of highly successful international conferences exploring
rhetorical theory in the context of pressing public issues.
This conference will examine the role of rhetoric in creating,
elaborating, and sustaining social formation and small group
communication - how is group identity formed? How must it change in
order to meet new and unforeseen contexts? How does it social
formation break down? How are new group identities formed from out of
old? How are conflicting identities of members of multiple, if
casual, group identities negotiated? What can we learn from groups
whose success is seen by their growth and longetivity?
The organizers start with the premise that much of group identity and
the devices that support that identity, including belief systems and
ideologies, are derived from rhetorical constructs and represent the
convergence of arguments meant to describe and explain realities as
experienced by the group.
We invite papers that either illustrate or challenge that premise,
using theoretical models and/or analytical methods, etc., from the
disciplinary perspective of the presenter. All disciplines are
welcome, including biblical studies, anthropology, ethnology,
rhetoric, culture criticism, public sphere, and other social sciences
and the humanities. We have traditionally provided a unique space
for dialogue and cross-, inter- and transdisciplinary exchange.
We welcome papers examining the phenomenon of group and social
formation from any area and any part of the world. Additionally, we
welcome papers that deal with the formation of the gospel tradition
and the emergence of diverse early Jesus and Christian communities.
Proposals should be no more than 500 words long, and must include
identification of institutional affiliation of the applicant, or, in
the case of independent scholars, a brief resume.
In the past we have had presenters from Australia, Botswana, Canada,
Columbia, France, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the USA.
As in the past, we strongly encourage foreign scholars to continue to
submit proposals.
Each presenter must submit their paper several weeks in advance. The
programmatic assumption of our dialogues is that every participant
has read the submitted works prior to arriving on site. Each
presenter is given 10 minutes to offer a summary of your paper, and
we then dedicate 45-50 minutes of unmoderated, roundtable discussion
regarding the implications and contributions of your work. In this
way, we are unique in both the care with which we approach your work
and the ways in which your work is brought into conversation with
others.
Proposals are due to the organizers by 1 May 2006 (though the date is
not firm). For more information, please go to www.ars-rhetorica.net.
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Received on Wed Apr 12 2006 - 10:27:25 EDT