[eccr] Fw: [NextGENDERation] Call for Papers: Identities and Alterities (ASCA conference)

> > Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA)
> > University of Amsterdam
> >
> >
> > CALL FOR PAPERS
> >
> >
> > IDENTITIES AND ALTERITIES
> >
> >
> > Amsterdam, March 24-26, 2004
> >
> > Keynote speakers: Peter Hitchcock, Brian McHale, N.N.
> >
> > The Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) invites proposals for an
> > international conference on Identities and Alterities, to be held in
> > Amsterdam on March 24-26, 2004.
> >
> > The conference will explore the concepts of identities and alterities,
> > their interrelations and their relevance in current academic, public, and
> > political discourse and practice. The usability of the concepts of
>identity,
> > identities and identity politics is highly disputed, but it nevertheless
> > functions as an important term for the self-definition, articulation and
> > emancipation of individuals and groups. The concept of "identity" has been
> > much-criticized for its presumed tendency to essentialism, where identity
>is
> > primordial, given and determinate, as well as for its alleged positing of
> > the subject as a complete, centered, being in complete control of his or
>her
> > actions. However, as Paul Gilroy has pointed out, "we make our identities,
> > but with inherited resources and not under the circumstances of our own
> > choosing."
> >
> > In recent years, identity has ceased to be an individual, internal term
>for
> > subjectivity, but has evolved into a collective term with an inextricable
> > link to alterity, making it a highly useful tool for political and
> > historical analyses. Identities are continually re-constructed,
>re-invented
> > and re-interpreted in the light of political developments (such as
> > decolonisation), in the light of interactions with the actual, external
> > other (intersubjectivity), and in the light of our position in a
>postmodern
> > discourse.
> >
> > We want to approach the concepts of identity and alterity from three
> > different angles:
> >
> > * Postcolonialism: Formation as Representation/Representation as
>Formation:
> >
> > This angle explores the concepts of identity and alterity in changing
> > societies in terms of Stuart Hall's ideas on the politics of articulation
> > and representation, and their tactical value for establishing identity in
> > terms of shifting alliances and a continuous redefinition of boundaries.
>The
> > very nature of the postcolonial necessitates an approach that takes its
> > complexity into consideration. The colonial experience is diverse in space
> > and time and should not be essentialised as a unifying force between
> > different communities. As Richard Werbner puts it: "The postcolonial
> > describes at once a presence and absence. The now in tension with the
> > not-now, which creates a politicized reality."
> >
> > In the contemporary postcolonial context we are faced with numerous
> > identity formations and representations. The question arises whether and
>how
> > these can be systematically accounted for. How do we deal with identity
> > formations that are "open-ended, productive and fraught with ambivalence"
> > (James Clifford), yet constitute and represent communities with regard to
> > cultural politics and global economies? And if identity is dependent on
> > history and culture, what are the effects of colonization and
>decolonization
> > on its conceptualization? Can indigenous identities transcend colonial
> > disruptions in terms of a shared past? In what way can a non-essentialist
> > theory of identity engage with the reality of conservative manifestations
>of
> > identity politics?
> >
> >
> > * Intersubjectivity: Identities in-between self and other:
> >
> > We want to explore how identities are established and re-established in
>and
> > through intersubjectivity, in and through relations between self and
>other,
> > both individual and collective. The empirical, external other emerges as a
> > crucial force in relation to subjectivity, embodiment and identity in the
> > work of Mikhail Bakhtin and in Peter Hitchcock's elaboration of Bakhtin's
> > concept of exotopy, which posits "outsideness as a form of affirmative
> > alienation." Similar priority to the other as a positive force has been
> > given in various recent psychoanalytic approaches (Jean Laplanche, Kaja
> > Silverman, Jessica Benjamin).
> > Questions we want to raise are: Can there be a subject or self without the
> > other? Is there identity without alterity (without difference, otherness,
> > the other)? In which ways can the other form and reform the self, both in
> > line with and contrary to dominant cultural representations? What role do
> > language, vision, the body, space-time, and translation play in the
>process
> > of establishing identities in-between self and other? How can we formulate
> > an ethics or politics of intersubjectivity? How do we conceptualize
> > intersubjectivity on the collective level of social or political groups
> > and/or in relation to postcolonialism and transnationalism?
> >
> >
> > * Postmodernism: after and beyond the "death of the subject":
> >
> > Postmodernism, understood as a discourse (Brian McHale), is preoccupied
>less
> > with the formation of identities than with their fragmentation and
> > ultimately, dissolution. However, the talk about the "death of the
>subject"
> > has by now grown somewhat stale and it also cannot account for those
> > individuals and groups who are not granted identity and subjectivity in
>the
> > first place. The third panel will therefore raise the following question:
> > how can we theorize the identity of individuals and groups within a
> > postmodernist discourse, but in such a way that they retain or gain
>agency?
> >
> > Postmodern theories have to a large extent been preoccupied with the
> > epistemology of subjectivity as it had already been envisioned in German
> > idealism, and have neglected the active and narrative processes involved
>in
> > identity formation. We will therefore consider what role the performative
> > and performativity (Mieke Bal) play in producing identities and
>alterities.
> > It is in this context that the concept of alterity can develop its full
> > analytic potential, because it allows for an intersubjective interplay
> > between real, empirical groups and individuals. Questions to be asked
> > include: what is the relation between identity and alterity, between self
> > and other in postmodernist discourses, artworks and political practices?
>How
> > are identities and alterities produced, performed, and challenged?
> >
> > *   *   *
> >
> > Participants should outline what conception(s) of identities and/or
> > alterities they are proposing, as well as their theoretical, political,
> > practical or cultural relevance. The concepts may be addressed together or
> > separately and they may be correlated with cultural objects such as film,
> > artworks, television, literature, photography, music, museums, scientific
> > objects/practices, religious objects/practices, etc.
> >
> > This conference is the latest in a series of ASCA graduate conferences and
> > is inspired by the Theory Seminar organized by Mieke Bal in 2002-2003 on
> > "How to do Cultural Analysis."
> > Participants will be expected to explain how their work connects to the
> > practice of cultural analysis. Papers should aim to establish a dialogue
> > between theory and cultural objects, asking not only what the theory says
> > about the object, but also what the object says about the theory, how it
> > prompts theoretical reformulations - what Mieke Bal calls "letting the
> > object speak back."
> >
> > Please send your one-page proposal, accompanied by a short CV, by October
> > 1st 2003.
> >
> > Proposals will be selected according to their relevance to the topics of
>the
> > conference.
> > The workshop format of the conference is designed to stimulate the
> > discussion in the panels. Participants will be asked to send the final
> > version of their papers (4000 word maximum) by January 15th, 2004. A
>reader
> > will be prepared for each of the panels, which will be circulated before
>the
> > conference.
> > Instead of "reading" their papers at the conference, participants will be
> > asked to give a 15-minute presentation on their work, connecting their
>paper
> > to the other papers in their panel and to the overall concerns of the
> > conference.
> >
> > Please send your proposal to the ASCA office:
> >
> > Dr. Eloe Kingma (Managing Director ASCA),
> > Spuistraat 210
> > 1012 VT Amsterdam
> > The Netherlands
> >
> > Tel. +31 20 525 3874,
> > Fax: +31 20 525 3052,
> > (asca /at/ hum.uva.nl)
> > http://www.hum.uva.nl/asca
> >
> > Organizing committee:
> > Silke Horstkotte, Anette Hoffmann, Saskia Lourens, Esther Peeren
> >
> >
> >

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Carpentier Nico (Phd)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Free University Brussels
Studies on Media, Information & Telecommunication (SMIT)
Centre for Media Sociology (CeMeSO)
Office: C0.05
Pleinlaan 2 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-629.18.30
F: ++ 32 (0)2-629.28.61
E-mail: (Nico.Carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
W1: http://smit.vub.ac.be/
W2: http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~ncarpent/
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