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Call for Papers Theme: Making, Re-presenting and Dissembling Differences and Identities in Contemporary Societies Type: 3rd International Cultural Difference and Social Solidarity Conference Institution: Cultural Difference and Social Solidarity Network Middle East Technical University – Northern Cyprus Campus Location: Güzelyurt (Cyprus) Date: 2.–5.7.2013 Deadline: 15.3.2013 __________________________________________________ A critical problem facing contemporary societies is the complex composition of differences within their borders. These differences are manifest by diversity in ethnicities, religions, sexualities and genders, generations, disabilities, cultures and differently conceived differences in class, wealth and income. They manifest in disparate migrations, diasporas, long established multi-racial and multi-cultural spaces and communities; emergent, retrieved, new and contested identities; issues of recognition and redistribution; and conflicting and competing ideologies and cultures. These differences are subject to transnational and national juridical regimes, cultural biases and political initiatives that seek to establish multiculturalism and diversity or establish favoured and hierarchical compositions of identities in society (often at the same time) or frame resistance to violence and hostility based on intolerance. Within this context — and at a conjuncture where media and media technologies are central mediums for the making, dissembling and communication of cultural constructions — representational politics become critical to how degrees of solidarity and coherence are achieved in society. The making and dissembling of representations of difference is at the fulcrum of identity, difference and solidarity in contemporary societies. This conference seeks to provide a space for scholars to take stock of the present context and share knowledge – specific or general, empirical or theoretical, with a view to develop and explore the possible ways forward to minimizing violence, discrimination, exclusion and oppression as the means by which difference is managed by political structures. It is hoped that the conference will facilitate the development of more constructive, democratic, participative and inclusive means of promoting solidarity without negating difference and diversity. The conference is intended to be interdisciplinary and welcomes papers from scholars whose research crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. Papers and panels are sought for presentation at parallel sessions where each paper will have a strict maximum of 20 minutes presentation time on panels of 2 papers with 25 minutes per paper discussion time. The main themes for which papers are sought are: - Applying and critiquing theories of difference - Dissembling and re-presenting gender: constructions of difference and/or solidarity - Making solidarities in the context of difference - Refugees, difference, law and media representations - Culture and politics in representations of identity and difference - Digital media and the making/dissembling of social movements - Representing multilingualism in the linguistic landscape - States, sectional interests and regulatory regimes: managing difference - Culture, art, literature, film and the performance of difference - The role of technologies in making representations of difference and solidarity - Representations of difference or re-presentations of difference: the problem of representation - Language hierarchies in social space - Cultural products and the reinforcement or dissolution of differences: the problem of consumption - Difference and the construction and deterioration of communities - Difference and technology: the changing representation of identity and difference These themes are not exhaustive and the organizers will consider other papers relevant to the conference subject. We expect to publish a post-conference edited book, derived from the papers presented and organized around themes that reveal themselves during the conference. There will be two keynote plenary sessions with speakers to be announced. Reflecting the conference theme in the context of the conference venue, one of these sessions will focus on aspects of these themes in Cyprus. Deadline for submission of Abstracts by: March 15, 2013 Notification of Acceptance and Rejection begins: March 15, 2013 Online conference registration from March 15, 2013 to May 15, 2013 Conference Fees to be paid by May 15, 2013 The conference language is English and all papers and presentations should be in English. The conference fee is 395 Euros (Graduate Students: 275 Euros). This includes: - Registration fee - Transport to and from Ercan Airport in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to METU-NCC Campus - 4 nights at Campus Guest House with breakfast - 4 lunches - 2 Sunset Dinners (all drinks included) - 1 Dinner Banquet (non-alcoholic drinks included) - Guided Historic/Cultural Excursion Abstracts of no more than 350 words may be submitted online only here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGlWTTBDbEktM0k2VlBiNnBLMmhpakE6MA#gid=0 Conference Organizers: Scott H. Boyd Middle East Technical University – Northern Cyprus Campus Paul Reynolds Edge Hill University Contact: Scott H. Boyd Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.differenceandsolidarity.org __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
