Call for Papers
8th International Conference of the Utopian Studies Society
University of Plymouth, UK, July 12-14, 2007.

The 8th international conference of the Utopian Studies Society will be held at the University of Plymouth, July 12th to 14th , 2007. The conference will examine a range of topics related to utopia and utopianisms, its historical articulation and contemporary realisation. Keynote speakers are Dr Esther Leslie (Birkbeck) and Lalit Kishor Bhati (Auroville, India).

Proposals are invited for papers and strands on the following broad themes and other areas of utopian studies:

Histories of Utopia;
Theories of Utopia;
Politics of Utopia;
Utopia and Literature;
Arts of Utopia;
Contemporary Utopias, Eco-villages and Intentional Communities;
Aesthetics of Utopia;
Landscapes of Utopia;
Utopian architectures;
Environmental Utopias.

Proposals may be for individual papers of 20 minutes, which if accepted will be grouped with others of relevant interest as far as practicality allows; or for strands of 3, 4, 6 or 8 papers with a nominated chair and respondent.

Abstracts should be 250 words (max.), submitted by e-mail as file attachments in word (only) to mfmiles_at_plymouth.ac.uk <mailto:mfmiles_at_plymouth.ac.uk> , and should include (in this order): name and affiliation, e-mail address, title of paper, abstract, 3 keywords if possible on one side of A4 in a typeface no smaller than 10.

Abstracts will be refereed by two members of a steering group constituted by the organisers and committee of the Utopian Studies Society. The aim is to be inclusive.

Deadline for abstracts: Thursday 1st March, 2007.
Responses by 5th April, 2007
Deadline for registration at standard fee: May 28th 2007

Background

The Utopian Studies Society is an interdisciplinary society that aims to co-ordinate and encourage the diverse work currently taking place on the subject of utopianism. Members include people researching literature, philosophy, sociology, history, architecture, politics and anthropology. The Society was established in 1988 by a group of British scholars, following an international conference on utopianism at New Lanark. (www.utopianstudies.eu <http://www.utopianstudies.eu/> ).

The University of Plymouth (www.plymouth.ac.uk <http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/> ) hosts the Critical Spaces Research Group in the Faculty of Arts; and features Utopian Studies as a pathway in its Masters in Research programme (from October 2007). Critical Spaces is convening a 1-day pre-conference workshop on July 12th (10am to 4pm) on culture, agency and social change, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the Dynamics of Creativity programme. Subject to space, this workshop is open to registered conference participants at no additional cost (priority for research students).

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Received on Sat Feb 24 2007 - 13:12:09 EST