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[ecrea] Screens of Terror: call for papers

Tue May 18 16:57:59 GMT 2010



Screens of Terror:
representations of war and terrorism since 9/11
in film, TV drama & documentary

 

International Conference, Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 September 2010

Centre for Media & Culture Research, London South Bank University

 

Deadline for abstracts (200 words): 11 June 2010.  Submit proposals to (Phil.Hammond /at/ lsbu.ac.uk)

 

CONFERENCE WEBSITE: http://screensofterror.blogspot.com/

 

Call for papers:

Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, the US government announced that it was engaged in ‘a new kind of war’.  At least part of what was thought to be new was the war’s ideological importance: it would be a global battle for hearts and minds comparable to the Cold War.  In an effort to ‘re-brand’ US foreign policy, Washington consulted with the advertising and PR industries and within days of 9/11 – itself often described as being ‘like a movie’ – also consulted Hollywood.  At the time, it was widely expected that the film and television industries would help out with the ‘war on terror’ declared by the Bush administration after 9/11.  Nearly ten years on, this conference examines whether those initial expectations have been borne out.  It asks:

 
 

So far, appraisals have been contradictory and the evidence apparently mixed.  The TV drama 24 has been accused of directly encouraging the abuse of ‘enemy combatants’ at Guantanamo, and of supporting a broader legitimation of torture.  Yet films such as Rendition (2007) have offered a much more critical appraisal of such practices, and have not shied away from depicting war crimes committed by coalition forces (Redacted (2007), Battle for Haditha (2007)).  Some critics have contrasted the way that mainstream news coverage positions the audience as ‘innocents and idiots’, with the presumption of audience sophistication and knowingness in films such as Syriana (2005).  Others, however, have argued that films about 9/11 itself – United 93 (2006), and World Trade Center (2006) – ‘obliterate the historical context’ of the events they depict, discouraging critical thought and understanding.

 

Films about Iraq or Afghanistan have mostly failed to attract large audiences, leading some to suggest that there is little public appetite for a critical view of ongoing conflicts.  Yet some film and TV documentaries taking a critical view of the war on terror – Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), The Power of Nightmares (2004) – have been hits.  Post-9/11 war films have sometimes explicitly sought to question media myth-making about war, yet their largely post-heroic portrayal of war is arguably one in which the Western soldier is the main victim, thereby limiting any wider political critique.  This conference will offer an opportunity to take stock and to assess the overall shape and significance of the post-9/11 cultural moment.

 

Screens of Terror is an international and trans-disciplinary conference, bringing together European and North American scholars in Politics and International Relations with those working in Film/Media/Communications/Cultural Studies and cognate disciplines.  Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

 
 

The conference is planned for September 2010, with selected papers to be published in September 2011 to coincide with the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  For further details please contact (Phil.Hammond /at/ lsbu.ac.uk)

 

 

CONFIRMED speakers SO FAR include:

 
 

 

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION:

register by 9 July to get these discount rates

 

Full conference:

£150 standard rate

£50 concession rate*

 

Thursday evening only:

£30 standard rate

£10 concession rate*

 

Friday only:

£75 standard rate

£25 concession rate*

 

Saturday only:

£75 standard rate

£25 concession rate*

 
* Concession rate available for students, unwaged, senior citizens. You may be asked to provide proof of status.
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