We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.

 - Ursula LeGuin, 2014

Since launching its hugely popular “Countdown to Christmas” made-for-TV movie series in 2009, Hallmark has expanded its offerings of American small-town romances to include Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, New Year’s, and Hanukkah, as well as winter, spring, summer, fall, and “Christmas in July.” Dozens of original films are planned and shot each year, often in Canadian locations such as Vancouver and Ottawa. These now-year-round productions are formulaic, heteronormative, Christian, and overwhelmingly white—and they have been undeniably commercially successful, rocketing Hallmark to cable success and spawning imitations across multiple platforms.

Amodern 12: Alternative Print Technologies and Revolution

Edited by Thomas S. Mullaney and Andrew Amstutz

The MMLA’s permanent session on American Literature pre-1870 seeks papers that engage with the conference theme, “Post-Now,” in a pre- and post-Revolutionary context. The moment of the Revolution was simultaneously a moment of explosive ideological change and continued oppression for millions of marginalized individuals in the colonies and subsequent United States. How do authors, artists, politicians, intellectuals, and writers of any background confront this division, and how are they able to propose a future for the new nation that recognizes continued tyranny in its social and political structures? Interdisciplinary and multinational perspectives welcome.

Description:

In 2015, the case of Rachel Doležal sparked a heated debate about transraciality and helped to establish an academic examination of the subject.  The scholarly consideration of transraciality is in its formative stages and this edited collection is an effort to expand and develop the existing discussion.  The first of its kind, this volume will include interdisciplinary contributions from scholars who bring a wide range of perspectives and approaches to the subject.  We are interested in chapters that help us, as an academic community, better understand transraciality as a concept or practice.