A conference of the Media Fields Research Collective and the Film and Media
Studies Graduate Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara
March 31 - April 1, 2011
Santa Barbara, California
The Media Fields research collective is excited to announce Contested
Territories, its third conference exploring the relationship between media
and space. We are interested in work that considers media about contested
territories, media as contested territories, as well as the contested
territories of media space. As a theme, "contested territories" encompasses
a range of sites, both physical and conceptual, where new possibilities can
be born from struggle. The etymology of the terms lends to various
interpretations of their meaning. For example, "contested" might immediately
evoke thoughts of conflict and dispute but it can also refer to acts of
questioning and doubting, or even witnessing and giving testimony. Although
"territory" literally references an "earth place," embedded within the term
is also a sense of fear that things are somehow out of order. Territories
and their contestations are both imagined and visceral; they are at once
formed discursively and felt materially as lived experience.
We are interested in papers that approach the conference theme in multiple
and even contradictory ways. Like past Media Fields conferences, Contested
Territories is meant to deepen critical explorations of media and space
across disciplines. The following topics might serve as a starting point for
that conversation:
. representations and simulations
. maps and geographies
. broadcast spectrum and technological platforms
. public, private, and the boundaries in between
. identities, bodies, and performances
. borders and borderlands
. communities, regions, and nations
. programming and distribution
. virtual and digital realms
. niche audiences and fan communities
. war zones, green zones, and camps
. imaginaries and diasporas
. terrorism and counter-terrorism
. activist spaces and protest sites
We seek proposals for individual paper presentations that broadly explore
and interpret the theme Contested Territories. Scholars working across
departments and disciplines are welcome, though a focus on media and media
space is encouraged.
Paper Proposal Due Date
February 15th, 2011. Please email your 300-500 word proposal (in Word
format) to conference committee co-chairs Ryan Bowles and Ethan Tussey at
<mailto:(conference /at/ mediafieldsjournal.org)>
(conference /at/ mediafieldsjournal.org), making sure to include the words
"CONFERENCE PROPOSAL" in the subject line. Please include a brief abstract
of your proposed paper topic, name, affiliation, and current contact
information. Conference presentations will be 15-20 minutes.
About the Media Fields Research Collective
The Media Fields research collective formed at the University of California,
Santa Barbara in 2007 to advance scholarship on the spatial aspects of a
range of media forms, including film, television, radio, and digital media.
"Media Fields" encompasses research on representations of space in media, as
well as on spatial and environmental characteristics of media forms and
practices. We are interested in critical investigations of the many other
dimensions of the term "field," such as its methodological, disciplinary,
and epistemological configurations. The collective has convened two
successful conferences: the 2007 conference brought together media scholars
and practitioners to reflect upon how their projects related to the idea of
the "field," and the 2009 conference showcased research on media
infrastructures. In November 2010 the collective launched Media Fields
Journal: Critical Explorations in Media and Space, which can be accessed
online at <http://www.mediafieldsjournal.org/> www.mediafieldsjournal.org.
