[ecrea] Call for Proposals - Affect Theory Conference

AFFECT THEORY: WORLDINGS/TENSIONS/FUTURES – Call for Stream Proposals

October 14-17, 2015  Millersville University’s Ware Center, Lancaster PA

Website: www.affecttheorymu.com

Twitter: @affectWTF

Email: (affect-conf /at/ millersville.edu)
Confirmed plenary speakers: Ben Anderson, Brian Massumi, Erin Manning, 
Heather Love, Jasbir Puar, Jason Read, Jeremy Gilbert, Katie Stewart, 
Lauren Berlant, Lawrence Grossberg, Lisa Blackman, Melissa Gregg, 
Natasha Dow Schüll, Patricia Clough, Shaka McGlotten, and Tavia Nyong’o.

Over the course of the last decade especially, it is safe to say that 
affect, studies of affect, and theories of affect have steadily risen to 
prominence within and across a variety of academic disciplines, artistic 
practices, and research approaches. Not without some amount of 
controversy and pushback, the relatively rapid movement of affect toward 
the forefront of critical attention has been opening new paths of 
intellectual inquiry, reshuffling longstanding debates and conceptual 
formations, and inspiring imaginative cross-fertilizations of 
disciplinary and aesthetic genres. Now seems a perfect time to pause and 
take stock.  So, let’s do that.



Gathering together many of the leading and emerging voices that have 
helped give contour and texture to the contemporary discourses of 
affect, this three-day conference – with a lively mix of plenaries and 
selected panel-streams – will be devoted to addressing affect from a 
broad spectrum of vantage points.



Located in and around Millersville University’s downtown Ware Center in 
Lancaster Pennsylvania, this setting will provide a truly intimate and 
distinctive opportunity to engage in-depth and at length in discussions 
about the past, present and future state(s) of affect study. Duke 
University Press will publish work drawn from this conference in a 
follow-up volume to the Affect Theory Reader (Gregg & Seigworth, 2010).



What is at stake in the contact-encounters or singular worldings of 
affect as sensed through and between sometimes divergent disciplinary 
(as well as undisciplined) registers and atmospheres? How have 
inevitable tensions (political, aesthetic, ethical, theoretical, and 
more) catalyzed debates over the utility of bringing affect to 
established and nascent fields of knowledge and practice? Where are the 
futures for affect and theories of affect pointing us? These starting 
orientations are meant only to offer initiating categories for what will 
become timely themes and specific topics surrounding affect at this 
conference.



FIRST …



We encourage direct participation in the creation and flow of our 
conference’s conversations through the submission of STREAM PROPOSALS. A 
stream proposal is a single-person (or duo) submission that identifies 
and expands upon a specific theme related to affect / theories of affect 
that will, ideally, become two or three conference panels of three to 
four panelists each. The issues and engagements that serve as a stream’s 
central concerns should be clearly framed and conceived in a way that 
encourages – as much as possible – potential participation from 
different disciplines. The stream proposal should include a list of 
possible topics and sub-topics that would fit within its overall 
framework. Stream proposals should be no more than 500 words in length 
and must be submitted to ‘(affect-conf /at/ millersville.edu)’ no later than 
MONDAY, MARCH 16. Acceptance/rejection of stream proposals will be 
communicated within two weeks of the deadline for submissions.



SECOND …



a) CALL FOR PAPERS: After the acceptance of stream proposals, a CFP for 
250-word PAPER ABSTRACTS – oriented to the accepted stream proposals – 
will be posted on the conference website no later than March 30. Those 
who have their stream proposals accepted will then take an active role 
as ‘stream organizers’ working with the conference committee to promote 
panel submissions to their stream through their social networks and 
helping to give shape to the ultimate make-up of their panels. The final 
deadline for proposed paper abstracts to be submitted to a specific 
stream -- at ‘(affect-sub /at/ millersville.edu)’ -- will be MONDAY, MAY 11.



b) WRECK THE FORMAT: For those who pursue affect in ways that might be 
somewhat less formally academic and more 
aesthetic/performative/poetic/evocative, etc, we welcome the submission 
of proposals for performances, art installations, musical pieces, film 
and video showings, and similarly provocative interventions. Please 
submit a detailed description of no more than 500 words regarding any 
such activity – including special requirements for space and some sense 
of the time-range – to ‘(affect-sub /at/ millersville.edu)’ by no later than 
MONDAY, MAY 11. Initial inquiries about the possible inclusion of such 
work at this conference would be encouraged well before the May 11 
deadline however.



FINAL PROGRAM: The make-up of the stream proposals will be finalized – 
with all paper proposals accepted/rejected – by the end of May. The 
conference’s program, including any performance-related works, will be 
posted by early June.



PhD WORKSHOPS (one or two) are presently in their early planning stages. 
More information will be available about these workshops soon.



REGISTRATION for the conference will begin June 15th and is set at $100 
graduate student received on or before August 15 ($150: after Aug 15) 
and $150 faculty ($200: after Aug 15). Registration includes admittance 
to all conference events, at least one conference meal, and special 
related downtown Lancaster/conference activities.








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