[ecrea] CFP: "Clash and Convergence: Explorations of Culture in an Age of Uncertainty"

The deadline for abstracts for the Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and 
Critical Studies at Bowling Green State University has been extended!

*Clash and Convergence: Explorations of Culture in an Age of Uncertainty*
_The Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies_
February 21 - 23, 2014
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio

“None of us really know how to live in this era of media convergence, 
collective intelligence and participatory culture. These changes are 
producing anxieties and uncertainties, even panic, as people imagine a 
world without gatekeepers and live with the reality of expanding 
corporate media power.” - Henry Jenkins, /Convergence Culture: Where Old 
and New Media Collide/

Increasingly, scholars of cultural studies and allied fields must view 
their study in the context of clashes and convergences, facilitated by 
global neoliberal realities. This is reflected in the evolving forms 
popular culture productions are taking today, as well as the 
institutional forms which our academic spaces take. As 
scholar-activists, we must envision new ways of (re-)framing our work, 
and build alliances across disciplines, structural boundaries, and other 
barriers.

The formation of the School of Cultural and Critical Studies in 2012 has 
given us occasion to reconsider the ways in which these experiences play 
out in practice, as well as the ways in which we might work together to 
create more effective dialogues. It is in this spirit that The Culture 
Club: Cultural Studies Scholars Association and the Popular Culture 
Scholars Association, in cooperation with the School of Cultural and 
Critical Studies at Bowling Green State University, have brought 
together their Battleground States and Ray Browne Conferences in order 
to jointly host the first Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical 
Studies.

Potential topics for papers, panels, and roundtable proposals include, 
but are not limited to:
·       Reimaginings of iconic cultural productions (e.g. reboots of 
Batman, Star Trek, Superman, etc.)
·       Mashup culture
·       Border Crossings and the Transnational
·       Multivalant identity, cultural expression and code-switching
·       Cultural appropriation, capitalism and consumerism
·       The impact of industry trends/acquisitions (e.g. Star Wars/Disney)
·       The impact of the political on “national cultures”
·       Teaching convergence in the critical studies classroom
·       Pedagogical methods in a multi-tech classroom
·       Mixed methods for pedagogy and activism
·       The intersection of science and culture
·       Histories of the (Post-)Colonial
·       The evolving global flows of foodways/sustainable food systems
·       Integrating and connecting the knowledges of American Studies, 
Popular Culture, Film/Cinema Studies, Race Studies, Ethnic Studies, 
Women’s Studies, Gender and     Sexuality Studies, Environmental Policy 
and Planning, Social Media Studies, Political Science, Literature, 
Graphic Arts, Musicology, Labor Studies, Activism, Educational Reform, 
Legal and Justice Studies etc.

Abstracts of 300 words should be submitted online 
(https://orgsync.com/10612/forms/85238) *no later than December 6, 2013 
EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 20, 2013*. Submissions should include media 
equipment requests and any special presentation requests. Panel, 
roundtable, performance, and artistic display proposals are welcome and 
should include a 300-word abstract and contact information for all 
participants.