The Society for American Travel Writing seeks paper proposals for a panel to be hosted at the 2012 American Literature Association Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, CA, May 24-27 2012.

Travel is subject to the legal policies and social practices that influence all aspects of American life. Passage through geographic space often entails the crossing of political boundaries, participation in a politicized industry of tourism, and the reevaluation of one's personal political leanings or traditions. The SATW invites proposals for papers that explore the intersections between travel writing and American politics.
Possible questions include: How do American politics restrict, facilitate, or mandate travel? In what capacity does travel writing serve as a vehicle for American politics? Historically, how have writers adapted the genre of travel writing to accommodate changes in the American political climate? Are there remarkable differences in the ways that foreign and domestic travelers respond to American politics? How do politics affect the publication, dissemination, and reception of travel narratives? Alternatively, how do accounts of travel influence American politics?

Please send 300 word proposals by January 15, 2012 to Andrew Vogel at vogel@kutztown.edu or Melanie Scriptunas at mscript@udel.edu. For further information, please consult the ALA website at www.americanliterature.org.