Call for Papers: Virginia Humanities Conference (April 7-8, 2017)
The 2017 Virginia Humanities Conference at Shenandoah University invites proposals for papers, panel sessions, and performances that investigate any aspect of unbearableness within the humanities. This conference seeks to explore the concept of the unbearable—that which cannot be endured or tolerated—with scholars, activists, and students from a wide variety of disciplines and institutions. VHC 2017 will examine how and what kinds of knowledge the humanities produce that existing structures cannot bear; how and why approaches to this unbearableness that are grounded in the humanities are met with resistance; and, finally, how we in the humanities value, make use of, and respond to contemporary, and sometimes unbearable, issues.
Possible interdisciplinary themes include but are not limited to the following:
Unbearable People: How do humanities studies challenge conversations about what it means to be human?
- The unbearable in mass media, social media, and/or popular culture
- Celebrity and fan culture
- Refugees, migrants, and the undocumented
- Cyborgs, werewolves, zombies, superheroes, and/or the transhuman
Unbearable Ambiguity: How does ambiguity serve as a structuring mechanism of social life?
- Ambiguous identities (racial, linguistic, gender, etc.)
- In-between spaces
- Living with ambiguity
- Teaching the ambiguous
Unbearable Futures: How do humanities studies trouble the assumption of a happy future?
- Social activism and/or social movements
- Eco-cultural studies
- Future role of the humanities and the arts
- Future of the academy and/or free speech on college campuses
Please submit 250-word abstracts to vhc@su.edu, or use this online form. Individual, panel, and roundtable proposals are welcome. Undergraduate students are invited to present their research via interactive poster sessions or individual papers with the support of a faculty member. Deadline for submission is February 15, 2017. Conference will be held April 7-8, 2017, on Shenandoah University’s main campus in Winchester, VA.
Download the updated 2017 CFP
