Please circulate this widely...<br>Chika Kinoshita<br>--------------------------------------------<br>CFP: The Imagination of Disaster<br><br>The Program Committee of the
Association for Studies of Cultural Representations invites proposal
submissions for an interdisciplinary panel titled “The Imagination of
Disaster” at the 7th Annual Meeting held on July 7–8, 2012 at the Komaba
campus of the University of Tokyo, Japan. We call for 20-min
presentations that cover the theoretical and historical issues of the
epistemology, aesthetics, and politics of disasters.<br>
<br>In 1965, Susan Sontag’s “The Imagination of Disaster” analyzed
science-fiction films as allegories of the profound anxieties created by
the possibility of nuclear war and depersonalizing effects of modern
life. Even though her essay focused on films as popular culture embedded
in a historically specific context of the Cold War, her idea that “one
can participate in the fantasy of living through one’s own death and
more, the death of cities, the destruction of humanity itself” by
watching movies resonates with us today as we reflect on the contested
relationship between representation and disaster. In particular, in
post-3/11 Japan, questions arise as to whether, when, and how the
“imagination of disaster” is possible. After the devastating earthquake
and tsunamis, Warner Brothers Japan pulled Hereafter (2010) from the
theaters, deeming the film’s opening tsunami scene as “inappropriate.”
If the Godzilla series allegorized a collective nightmare, that
nightmare has more or less come true as the nuclear disaster in
Fukushima. Will another Godzilla movie be made perhaps in a manner
similar to post-9/11 disaster films in Hollywood?<br>
<br>While our interest in the contemporary situation and media discourse
in Japan motivates this CFP, we welcome a wide range of topics on
disaster and representation across geographical locations, historical
periods, genres, and media in order to produce a locus for critical
dialogue. Possible topics include, but are not limited to<br>
<br>The limits of representation and disaster<br><br>The temporalities of disaster: past, present, and future<br><br>Utopia, dystopia, and disaster<br><br>Representation
of a natural or manmade disaster and its historical context (e.g., the
2008 Sichuan Earthquake, the Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Indian Ocean
Earthquake and Tsunami, 9/11, the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, the 1755
Lisbon Earthquake, and more)<br>
<br>Disaster and enlightenment: nature, technology, and civilization<br><br>Mourning, trauma, and memory<br><br>Disaster and archive<br><br>Disaster, accidents, and death in everyday life<br><br>Empathy, affects, and media in disaster<br>
<br>Sovereignty, disaster, and the state of exception<br><br>The role of disaster in the media discourse of conspiracy theory<br><br>Race, class, gender, and sexuality in representations of disaster<br><br>The aesthetics and politics of ruins<br>
<br>Apocalypse narratives in literature, visual arts, performing arts, and moving images<br><br>Please submit your proposal by email to <a href="mailto:kikaku@repre.org" target="_blank">kikaku@repre.org</a> and <a href="mailto:kinotchka@gmail.com" target="_blank">kinotchka@gmail.com</a><br>
<br><br>Your submission email should include<br><br>1) Your name<br>2) The title of your paper<br>3) A 200–250 word abstract<br>4) Your institutional affiliation and position<br>5) A brief Bio (limited to 50 words)<br>6) Your contact information (email address, phone number, and physical address)<br>
<br>The deadline for proposal submissions is May 7, 2012.<br><br>About the Conference:<br><br>As
part of the 7th Annual Meeting, we will hold a symposium on Japanese
animation. The symposium includes Ishioka Yoshiharu, Thomas Lamarre, and
Tsugata Nobuyuki as featured speakers. For more details, please check
our website:<br>
<br><a href="http://www.repre.org/conventions/6_1/" target="_blank">http://www.repre.org/conventions/6_1/</a><br><br>About the Association:<br><br>Founded
in 2006, the Association for Studies of Cultural Representations is an
organization dedicated to interdisciplinary research and teaching of
humanities. Our main interest lies in the critical analysis of culture
through the multi-faceted concept of “representation.” Through the
mechanism of “representation,” ideas and objects are produced,
circulated, and received in society. We examine various modalities of
cultural production and their functions in social, political, and
economic contexts, while going beyond traditional disciplinary
boundaries and exploring areas that connect diverse fields of research
and practice.<br>
For further information on the Association, please visit the below site:<br>(English) <a href="http://www.repre.org/association/english/" target="_blank">http://www.repre.org/association/english/</a> <br>(Japanese) <a href="http://www.repre.org/association/about/" target="_blank">http://www.repre.org/association/about/</a><br>
For information on past symposiums, events, and panels, please see<br>(Japanese) <a href="http://www.repre.org/conventions/" target="_blank">http://www.repre.org/conventions/</a><br><br>Membership:<br>The
presenter must be a member of the Association for Studies of Cultural
Representations. There is no conference registration fee for Association
members. For more information about the general membership procedure
for those based in Japan, please see<br>
(English) <a href="http://www.repre.org/association/english/" target="_blank">http://www.repre.org/association/english/</a><br><br>On-site Membership Application:<br>If
you do not have a Japanese bank account, you may become a member by
filling out a form* and paying the admission and membership fees (in
Japanese yen, cash only) at the conference itself.<br>
*The “Referee” section in the form asks you to provide an Association
member’s name and signature. If you do not have a referee or have
difficulty in finding one, you may leave it blank.<br><br>Access to the University of Tokyo’s Komaba campus:<br>
<a href="http://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng_site/contact-access/map.html" target="_blank">http://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng_site/contact-access/map.html</a><br><br>If you have any further questions, please email Chika Kinoshita at<br>
<a href="mailto:kinotchka@gmail.com" target="_blank">kinotchka@gmail.com</a><br>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>$BLZ2<@i2V(B<br>$B@E2,J82=7]=QBg3X(B<br>$BJ82=@/:v3XIt!!7]=QJ82=3X2J(B<br>430-8533 $B@E2,8)IM>>;TCf6hCf1{(B2-1-1<br>Phone: 053-457-6192<br>Email: <a href="mailto:c-kino@suac.ac.jp" target="_blank">c-kino@suac.ac.jp</a><br>---------<br>Chika Kinoshita, Ph.D. <br>
Associate Professor of Film Studies<br>Shizuoka University of Art and Culture<br>2-1-1 Chuo, Naka-ku<br>Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 430-8533<br>Japan<br>Phone: <a href="tel:%2B81-53-457-6192" value="+81534576192" target="_blank">+81-53-457-6192</a><br>