[ecrea] Mad Dogs & Englishness: Popular Music and English Identities

‘Mad Dogs and Englishness’: Popular Music and English Identities - A Two 
Day
Symposium

Date: 20-21 June 2013

Venue: St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, London.

Symposium Organisers: Richard Mills, Mark Donnelly & Lee Brooks

Call for Papers

This conference seeks to develop the remit of current debates on the 
subject of English national identities. Examining the major figures in 
20^th and 21^st century English popular music the conference will 
address a number of key questions regarding English iconography in 
contemporary popular music. These areas are: the relationship of the 
artist to place; stereotypical national identities; lyrical evocations 
of Englishness; and whether or whether not major English pop stars put 
into effect a pluralistic and malleable vision of Englishness through 
their iconography and their music and lyrics. Icons to be discussed may 
include: Nick Drake, Noel Coward, Billy Bragg, Ray Davies, XTC, Jake 
Thackray, Kate Rusby, Mike Skinner, P.J. Harvey, Paul Weller, Anne 
Briggs, Shirley Collins, Tricky, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Roots Manuva, 
Soul to Soul, Two Tone, The Beatles, The Specials, Morrissey and The Smiths.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

Hybridity
Post-colonialism
Englishness and Regional identity
The  Folk tradition
English pastoral music
Urban tradition
Visual Culture including album covers and posters

Abstracts of 500 words should be sent to (richard.mills /at/ smuc.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(millsr /at/ smuc.ac.uk)>   Programme Director and Senior Lecturer in 
Cultural Studies, St Mary’s University College, Twickenham TW1 4SX. The 
closing date for submitting abstracts is Wednesday 20 March 2013.