[ecrea] CFP: Contagion - First Forum USC Graduate Conference

*Contagion *

USC Cinema and Media Studies Graduate Conference

Los Angeles, CA

October 20th-21st, 2017


First Forum invites submissions that explore the multiple valences of 
the term ‘contagion’ in relation to the movements of cinema and media. 
Embedded in medicalized discourses of the body, the word has often been 
negatively associated with the spread of disease and illness. Even as 
theories of globalization imagine the uninterrupted flow of information 
and commodities, the fear of contagion calls for the containment of 
populations and territories. The Ebola virus, the terrorist, the 
computer bug, and the zombie alike threaten to breach the boundaries of 
the body and the nation. Derived from the Latin con(together with) and 
tangere (to touch), the word ‘contagion’ also implies a proximity of 
sentiments and sensations. While it may be connected to the risk of 
contamination and danger, the term might also open up a zone of 
empathetic contact. Taking its etymological potential as a starting 
point, this conference seeks out papers that consider the broad 
implications of the term. Can ‘contagion’ be a productive model for 
thinking about the movement and organization of ideas, cultures, and 
peoples? How can contagious border crossings queer seemingly stable 
categories of identity, revealing the artificial and arbitrary nature of 
their construction? What impact do existing representations of contagion 
-whether of affect, disease, or environmental agents -have on our 
cultural imaginaries? Can cinema be considered a contagious medium that 
invites bodily and sensory engagement rather than relying on the distant 
gaze? How are the material dimensions of this contagious transmission 
reconfigured through the networks of digital circulation? Topics may 
include but are not limited to:


  *

    Swarms, insect, and viral media

  *

    Touch, haptics and phenomenologies of film

  *

    Zombies, vampires, and body horror

  *

    Discourses of racial purity and miscegenation

  *

    Gender-bending and queer representations in cinema

  *

    Immigrants, refugees and diasporas in film and media

  *

    Biopower, technology, and national security

  *

    Environmental contamination, pollution, and ecocide

  *

    HIV/AIDS and other epidemic media

  *

    Medical media (radiography, stethoscopy, and medical imaging)

  *

    Educational and pedagogical films on contagion


In addition to panel presentations, we will have a keynote speaker, 
alumni respondents, and a faculty roundtable.


Please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words for a 20 minute 
panel presentation and a short bio. Non-traditional, creative projects 
are welcome, as are individual papers or pre-constituted panels. Please 
email your submissions and inquiries to (firstforumusc /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(firstforumusc /at/ gmail.com)> by June 20th, 2017.

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