[ecrea] CFP: Hollywood and the Culture Wars, 1 March 2007, De Montfort Un iversity

>Hollywood and the Culture Wars: A Study Day
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>1 March 2007, De Montfort University, UK.
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>Call For Papers.
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>Under the leadership of George W. Bush, public opinion in America seems more
>polarised than it has been in decades. Divisions between liberals and
>conservatives, secular humanists and religious fundamentalists, red states
>and blue states, have widened to the point where many Americans now seem to
>hold fundamentally opposed views of the nation's purpose and identity. This
>cultural division is by no means new, but it has become a far more visible
>feature of American life since the inauguration of Bush Jnr, and the
>terrorist attacks of 9/11. In particular, the political, spiritual and
>social disputes which make up these so-called 'Culture Wars' have been
>focused on the media. For those on the right, Hollywood productions
>invariably exhibit an offensive, even damaging, liberal bias (despite
>frequent academic claims that Hollywood is innately conservative).
>Alternatively, liberals have voiced concern about the rise of highly
>partisan conservative alternatives to the Hollywood mainstream. Again, these
>debates about the influence and moral purpose of the media have deep roots,
>but they have become burning issues for many Americans in the last six
>years.
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>'Hollywood and the Culture Wars' looks specifically at the relationship
>between the political and spiritual polarisation of popular opinion in
>American, and the media itself. For secular European scholars the increased
>power and visibility of the Christian right in America can provoke
>bafflement and dismay. However, this event seeks to move beyond simplistic
>assumptions about American exceptionalism, and will take shifts in American
>attitudes seriously. We believe that the international research community
>can offer a valuable perspective on questions of American identity.
>Therefore, we invite papers from both established scholars and research
>students on any aspect of American attitudes and the media, but topics that
>we are particularly interested in include:
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>*       The representation of politics and religion in mainstream Hollywood
>productions.
>*       The emergence of movies and television shows aimed specifically at
>Christian audiences.
>*       The influence of lobbying groups on the media.
>*       Liberal and conservative political activism in Hollywood.
>*       The rise of right leaning media institutions, such as Fox News and
>Walden Media.
>*       Popular and institutional responses to controversial texts (such as
>The Passion of the Christ, or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas).
>*       The ways that disputes over gender, sexuality and identity more
>generally are incorporated into media texts.
>*       Uses of the media by audience groups.
>*       The question of bias in the media.
>*       European or other international responses to the Culture Wars.
>*       Cultural division and Hollywood history.
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>Keynote speaker TBC.
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>If you wish to take part in the study day, please submit a 300 word abstract
>of your paper by email attachment to (JRussell /at/ dmu.ac.uk). The deadline for
>submissions is 3 November 2006. We will also accept papers via mail, which
>should be sent to the address below.
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>
>
>Dr James Russell
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>Faculty of Humanities
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>De Montfort University
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>The Gateway
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>Leicester LE1 9BH

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Carpentier Nico (Phd)
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