Call for Papers: American Literature, Literary Theory, and Constitutional
Law
38th Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
March 1 - 4, 2007
Baltimore, Maryland
How might we explain the recent proliferation of scholarly activity taking
place at the intersections of American literature, literary theory, and
Constitutional law? Critical texts that discuss literature and the law usually
utilize fiction to discuss the law and legal system as they are represented in
literature, or they utilize the methodology of literary criticism to assess and
interpret laws as well as legal processes. Most literary critics who engage
legal discourses see law as literature and treat the law as a text that is
open to interpretation and revision. How might interdisciplinary and
theoretical exchange between literary and legal scholars work to augment or improve
legal studies and the law? How do the reciprocal interventions in the fields
of literary criticism and legal studies open up possibilities for thinking
about the law, ethics, and responsibility?
This panel will provide an opportunity for us to think about the
relationships between literature and law within the aforementioned contexts and invites
submissions that explore the intersections between Constitutional law and
American literature. Papers should build their discussions around the following
topics: judging, choice, and ethical responsibility; formalism and the
letter of the law; law, norms, and power; the paradoxes of equity; identity,
subjectivity, and conformity; interpretation, authority, and legitimacy;
punishment, retribution, and redemption.
Please email inquiries or 500 word abstracts (MSWord attachments only) to:
Trisha Brady
S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo
Department of English
College of Arts and Sciences
306 Clemens Hall
Buffalo, NY 14260-4610
Email: _Rubeebuzz_at_aol.com_ (mailto:Rubeebuzz_at_aol.com) or
tmbrady_at_buffalo.edu
Abstracts may be sent via email or snail mail, but must be received by
September 15th, 2006. Please, include the following information with your
abstract:
Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any)
For the complete Call for Papers for the 2007 Convention, please visit:
_www.nemla.org_ (http://www.nemla.org) .
Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA panel;
however panelists can only present one paper. Convention participants may
present at a paper session panel and also present at a creative session or
participate in a roundtable.

         ==========================================================
              From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
                        CFP_at_english.upenn.edu
                         Full Information at
                     http://cfp.english.upenn.edu
         or write Jennifer Higginbotham: higginbj_at_english.upenn.edu
         ==========================================================
Received on Wed Jun 07 2006 - 11:24:24 EDT