[Commlist] IASPM 2023 Conference call for papers

CFP: XXII BIENNIAL IASPM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

June 26–30, 2023


Theme: Popular Music in Crisis


It is not hyperbolic to claim that crisis characterizes the state of the 
world in the 2020s. The COVID-19 virus still rages across the globe. In 
many countries, this public health crisis intersects with a crisis of 
political legitimacy caused by increased polarization and the rise of 
right-wing populism. The refusal of many to vaccinate themselves against 
COVID-19 has led to the continuing spread of the disease. Elsewhere, 
similar dynamics are exacerbated by lack of effective vaccines, 
little-to-no capacity to make them, and the hesitancy of wealthier 
countries to distribute vaccines beyond their national borders. An ever 
smaller number of people control most of the world’s wealth as the gap 
between the wealthy and the poor has become a seemingly unbridgeable 
chasm.The ongoing crisis of climate change manifests in many ways: 
increasingly dangerous storms, displaced populations, out-of-control 
fires, financial and material devastation, rising sea levels, and more, 
unfortunately exacerbated by politics and the destructive impact of late 
capitalism. Wars, civil and otherwise, have also increased the numbers 
of migrants whose home countries are devastated but who are not welcomed 
elsewhere, leading to a crisis of the displaced and, with the ongoing 
conflict in the Ukraine compounding continued struggles in Afghanistan, 
Israel-Palestine, Syria, and many other regions, heightened tension 
between global powers that at times evokes the Cold War. The rise of 
neo-fascism has accompanied the return of dangerous nationalisms that 
attempt to disenfranchise certain members of society, often by race, 
gender, and sexuality, while reinforcing existing social and racial 
constructions. Other crises abound, as white supremacy rises again in 
North America and Europe, women’s rights are under attack in various 
repressive regimes across the globe, and we learn of human rights abuses 
perpetrated during military crises and civil unrest.


Music is often implicated in these crises, and it also has crises of its 
own in terms of its production, distribution, and consumption - thus the 
double meaning of the conference theme. Artificial intelligence offers 
new creative possibilities for music composition and arrangement, but 
when combined with unbridled capitalism threatens to make musicians 
obsolete by replacing them with AI-generated musical algorithms or 
denying them their livelihoods with paltry payouts from streaming 
services. The ontological status of popular music is indeed under 
threat, if not already in crisis. Music scenes globally are struggling 
to recover from COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, with continued 
uncertainty as new variants emerge. But COVID-19 has also reminded us of 
the importance of music and demonstrated the resilience of musicians. 
Music has been central to the social movements—both left and right—that 
have emerged in response to crises such as #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, 
the effort to defend the safety and personhood of LGBTQIA communities, 
and the continued fight for Indigenous rights in numerous countries. 
Music is thus central worldwide to demands for change, to addressing the 
structural inequities that continue to affect so many communities and 
disproportionate impacts of the public health crisis, and to provide 
solace during a time when many individuals have experienced heightened 
mental and physical health challenges. Conversely, popular music is also 
deployed skillfully by the movements and power structures that oppose 
and stifle these efforts. This conference will explore how popular music 
shapes and has been shaped by these ongoing global crises.


The International Association for the Study of Popular Music invites 
proposals for the twenty-second conference, to be held at the University 
of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, June 26–30, 2023. 
This conference will also serve as the annual meeting of IASPM-US, so 
will be a joint conference between the U.S. and international branches 
of IASPM. The theme is divided into 6 interrelated streams discussing 
popular music’s role within various sites of crisis, from the most 
global to the most individual levels, historically and in the present-day:


 1.

    Pandemics and health crises including those stemming from the
    treatment or experience of disability: How has the current Covid-19
    pandemic affected popular music? How have music artists, fans, or
    music industries, responded to the pandemic? How do these
    contemporary conditions compare with past instances where public
    health has had an impact upon popular music? More generally, how
    does popular music function as a medium for addressing issues
    concerning health and well-being, or ability and disability?

 2.

    Ecological or environmental crises: How have global warming, climate
    change, and other broad environmental issues impacted popular music
    performance, production, and consumption? How have musicians and
    music industries been affected by changing or diminishing access to
    natural resources? How do we measure the environmental impact of
    popular music, and what measures should be taken to address its
    effects?

 3.

    Political, military, and humanitarian crises at global, national, or
    local levels: What does the global rise of right-wing nationalist or
    totalitarian political forces mean for popular music’s producers and
    its audiences? How is popular music implicated in these political
    movements? What political role can, or should, popular music play in
    the current political climate? What role has it played in past
    moments of political crisis or confrontation?

 4.

    Economic crises, including those directly affecting musical
    consumption and production: What effect do rising inflation,
    investment market volatility, growing unemployment, and heightened
    gaps in wealth between the rich and the poor have upon the value of
    popular music, broadly conceived? How have music industries in
    different parts of the world responded to economic instability
    recently or in the past? How has the nature of musical labor been
    affected by broader economic shifts? What rights should musical
    artists or consumers have?

 5.

    Crises in the flow of media, data, and information: How has the
    economy of streaming music altered the boundaries between public and
    private musical experience? Can music be widely streamed and shared
    without songs, artists, and users themselves being reduced to data
    points? Where does popular music fit into the culture of
    disinformation that has intensified in recent years?

 6.

    Crises of identity, subjectivity, and self- or political
    representation: What relationship exists between popular music and
    social justice movements in support of racial, gender, class, or
    sexual equity, or disability justice? How has popular music’s
    historical significance as a vehicle for performing, expressing, and
    refashioning identities been transformed by contemporary political
    struggles? What resources can popular music provide for populations
    seeking to combat political erasure?


Although proposals should be tied to one of the thematic streams, the 
program committee welcomes work that interprets these streams broadly 
and all proposals, regardless of theme or topic, will be given full 
consideration if they follow the other submission guidelines.


Program Committee

  *

    Steve Waksman, chair

  *

    Andres Amado

  *

    Christine Feldman-Barrett

  *

    Emily Gale

  *

    Martin Lussier

  *

    Áine Mangaoang

  *

    Julio Mendivil

  *

    Toshiyuki Ohwada

  *

    Elliott Powell

  *

    Rosa Reitsamer

  *

    Catherine Rudent

  *

    Christi Jay Wells

Local Arrangements Committee

  *

    Norma Coates, co-chair

  *

    Andrew Mall, co-chair

  *

    Alyssa Barna

  *

    Jay Beck

  *

    Andy Flory

  *

    Mark Pedalty

  *

    Arun Saldanha

  *

    Matt Sumera

  *

    Suzanne Wint

Abstracts

There will be four options: panels (of 3 or 4 presenters), individual 
papers, film/video presentations, or poster sessions. For all proposals, 
please specify at least oneand as many as threethematic streams to which 
the proposed work might be linked.

Panels

Proposals for organized panels are encouraged (two-hour long sessions 
with four papers, or three papers and a discussant). Each session should 
leave at least 30 minutes for discussion or for comments by a discussant 
immediately following the presentations. The panel organizer should 
submit the panel abstract and all individual abstracts (200 words each) 
in one document, with a full list of participant names and email 
addresses. Where an independently submitted abstract appears to fit a 
panel, the Academic Committee may suggest the addition of a panelist. 
The program committee will prioritize panels that foster collaboration 
between presenters with a diversity of perspectives and experiences.

Papers

We invite abstracts of no longer than 200 words, including an optional 
list of references (max 10). Individual paper presentations are 20 
minutes long to be followed by 10 minutes of discussion.

Film/video session

Recently completed films introduced by their author and discussed by 
conference participants may be proposed. Submit a 200-word abstract 
including titles, subjects, and formats, and indicate the duration of 
the proposed films/videos and introduction/discussion.


Poster session

A space for Poster Exhibition will be provided. A 200-word abstract by 
the poster’s author must be submitted.

Submission

Please submit your proposal no later than 18 November 2022to 
https://iaspm-us.wildapricot.org/IASPM-International-2023 
<https://iaspm-us.wildapricot.org/IASPM-International-2023>.

  *

    Each participant must be a member of any branch of IASPM:
    www.iaspm.net/how-to-join <http://www.iaspm.net/how-to-join>.

  *

    Each participant may present only one paper at the Conference, but
    may also preside over a panel or serve as a discussant.

  *

    Abstracts will be accepted in English, IASPM’s official language.

  *

    Letters of acceptance will be sent by 15 January, 2023.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact program chair Steve 
Waksman at (swaksman /at/ smith.edu) <mailto:(swaksman /at/ smith.edu)>.

Covid 19 Information

We are aware of the global pandemic’s impact across the world and take 
issues of safety seriously. Our plan is to have a conference that is 
predominantly in person, but with the option for remote participation, 
and we hope that the threat posed by Covid will have diminished 
significantly by the time of the conference. We will be monitoring the 
situation closely and will advise members accordingly.

Virtual Presentations

We are aware of the environmental impact of global travel as well as a 
plethora of other accessibility issues involved with travel and 
in-person conference attendance, especially in light of the subject of 
the conference. We hope that moving some of the conference online will 
be one way of addressing these issues. Circumstances surrounding the 
current pandemic have also made virtual research sharing more necessary. 
We are preparing so that at least some portions of the conference can 
take place online and interested parties may be able to attend the 
conference virtually. More information will be published when it is 
available.

The conference organizers look forward to receiving your submissions!

With kindest regards,

IASPM Executive Committee:

  *

    Chris Anderton (Treasurer)

  *

    Andrea Dankić (Member-at-large)

  *

    Ali C. Gedik (Member-at-large)

  *

    Beatriz Goubert (General Secretary)

  *

    Kimi Kärki (Web/Publications)

  *

    Keewoong Lee (Daegu Conference representative)

  *

    Andrew Mall (United States Conference representative)

  *

    Bernhard Steinbrecher (Membership secretary)

  *

    Catherine Strong (Member-at-large)


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