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Call for Papers Theme: Globalization, Culture and Identity Subtitle: Challenges and Prospects Type: International Conference Institution: Department of Social Sciences, FLAME University Location: Pune (India) Date: 25.–26.2.2017 Deadline: 30.9.2016 __________________________________________________ We live in liminal times; in threshold times. The unprecedented pace of globalization, especially in the last two decades, has impacted every aspect of our public and private lives. Countless technological innovations authored by globalization have resulted in the automation of production processes, continuous modernization and upgrading of work techniques, creation of virtual communities, and massive transformations in the meaning of geography and borders. This ceaseless movement of products, processes, and people has irrevocably transformed human cultures across the world in dramatic ways. We witness on the one hand the rapid unravelling of relationships, affinities, and political structures, and on the other hand confront the rise of spontaneous solidarities in real and virtual spaces. Even as diversity and pluralism are celebrated, cosmopolitan impulses struggle at the altar of crisis-induced xenophobia. Religion too struggles against nihilistic aporias, and nation-states struggle to retain the loyalty of their citizens. Universalism is challenged everywhere by resurgent particularisms. Technology both blinds and informs; deadens and resurrects. Knowledge creation and dissemination are increasingly decentralized and democratized, yet more and more people speak past each other, instead of to each other. At this juncture, it is useful to pause and explore critical questions and concerns confronting our society. Do opportunities opened up by globalization help individuals and communities break out of the rigid structures of caste and religion? What are the multiple ways in which media helps individuals question new expressions of caste, class and patriarchy? In a globalized world, increasingly marked also by new fundamentalisms, how do individuals and groups articulate their ideas about poverty, equality, justice and development? In what ways does communication technology shape the everyday lives of young people transitioning to adulthood in urban and rural spaces, and what does it imply for the future of ideas, relationships, work, and social change? What are the changes and continuities in organizations and work cultures in these new circumstances? In what ways do new-media facilitate the expression of multiple and fluid identity formations, and unhinged paths of transnational capitalism? In the popular rhetoric of development, defined mostly as economic growth, what kind of future can be imagined for the poor, displaced and marginalized? The list is anything, but complete. After nearly four decades of debating globalization in the public sphere, not only are we yet to exhaust our discussions and dialogues on its impacts, we are faced rather with a new range of urgent concerns. In this light, we invite well researched papers, both theoretical and empirical from various disciplines to this knowledge-building platform. Proposed Panels - Migration and Diaspora Migration, as part of the inevitable reality of globalisation, is among the most serious contemporary concerns with far-ranging social, cultural, political, economic, demographic and ecological implications. Migration of all sorts, legal/illegal/refugee movement etc., across the globe not only just impacts the economy and polity of the sending, transit and receiving countries but also compels nation-states to respond to issues like ‘super diversity’, ‘national identity and culture’, demographic changes, ‘home-grown terrorism’ and so on. This panel seeks to explore the profound implications of such movements on global, state, and non-state actors, on diasporic populations, and the larger socio-economic and cultural fabrics in a rapidly changing international, national and regional context. - Youth and Identity Along with peers, family and school, digital media plays a central role in shaping the lives of children and young people today. Increasingly, young people use digital spaces to build relationships, express opinions and assert desires. Everyday experiences in real and online spaces also involve encountering new knowledge, risks and pleasures. In what ways does this virtual society lead to the creation of new and/or multiple identities, and what does it imply for social, economic, private and political futures? This panel intends to address the multiple and fascinating ways in which consumer culture and communication technology shapes the lives of young people in urban and rural India. - Caste and Religion Contemporary globalization it was presumed, would unhinge, and edge away older pivots of organizing private and public lives. Yet today, we witness a fevered reassertion of caste and religious identities by both, those who were hitherto protected, as also those who remain disadvantaged by caste and religious ascriptions. Do calls for equality and abolition of caste and religion based reservation address or maintain disparity? Is it necessary to engage caste in order to transcend it? Can those who are not dispossessed speak for those who are? How does the individual engage with her religious practice in the face of militant assertions on religious, secular and atheist fronts? Is religion political, and should it be? Does religion lend itself to the expression of socio-economic, political and ethnic grievances, or is religion itself the bone of contention. This panel intends to explore the range of urgent challenges confronting caste and religion in contemporary times. - Organisations and Identity In the age of transnational corporations with globally spread apart chains of production, distribution and consumption, what is the role of identity politics of nations and nationals? What do we make of the claims of fluid identity formations and unhinged paths of transnational capitalism? Globalization is marked by workforce diversity, team work and collaborations across cultures. Multinationals may seek to impose their policies on the workforce. These may be embraced as well as resisted by employees. The interplay of multiple identities in the modern day arena of work and organisations has led to unprecedented challenges for individuals and collectives, often at the crossroads of political and socio-economic changes, and in the process continues to unravel novel dilemmas. This panel intends to highlight the ways in which organizations and related identity struggles impact each other. - Media and Identity Global society has witnessed the phenomenon of media and its effect on individual, national and transnational identities over the past several decades and there is a paradigmatic shift in the understanding of identity today. Media plays a significant role in the construction of cultural identities and it is axiomatic that global interconnections enabled by digital media are playing a central role in the transformations of these identities. There remains an urgent need to advance our understanding of how media proliferates spaces- local, regional, and global. This panel accordingly, seeks to augment discussions and conversations on media, culture, and identity. - Development and Displacement The scale and scope of developmental changes brought about by globalization in various arenas is truly staggering- from handling double-dip recessions to trading raw materials for making nuclear weapons, from switching to e-governance to developing public private partnerships, from storing information in clouds to enrolling for a one-way mission to the Mars, from predicting Tsunamis to fixing oil-spills in great seas. However, development is not without strings; oftentimes, with modernization come displacement and disorientation. This begs the question of development for whom, and at what cost? This panel seeks to gauge the alienation of products and processes, the displacement of populations, and the destruction of environments that are a part and parcel of the globalization process. We hope to continue our discourses and debates on the prospects and challenges that lay ahead for individuals and societies to sustain in the globalized world, on all of the above themes and even those that are not captured within this range of concerns. The Conference aims not just to gather a critical mass of ideas but also emerge as a launching pad for future research collaborations. Key Note Speaker: Ganesh N. Devy Important Dates Submission of abstract: 30th September, 2016 Notification of acceptance of abstract: 15th October, 2016 Last date for submission of selected papers: 15th December, 2016 Last date for registration: 20th January, 2017 Abstract Submission Details Abstracts must include context, purpose, methodology, major findings, implications and key words Abstracts, along with a brief bio-data should be sent to: gci2...@flame.edu.in Criteria for selection of papers: Relevance to the conference theme, methodology, originality, sound conclusion/s, relevant references. Conference website: http://www.flame.edu.in/conferences/international-conference-on-globalization-culture-and-identity __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/interphil@list.polylog.org/ __________________________________________________
