[Air-L] CFP: Contagion - First Forum USC Graduate Conference

[Debjani Dutta]

Possibly of interest to some on this list.

*Contagion *

USC Cinema and Media Studies Graduate Conference

Los Angeles, CA

October 20th-21st, 2017

First Forum invites submissions that explore the multiple valences of the
term ‘contagion’ in relation to the movements of cinema and media. Embedded
in medicalized discourses of the body, the word has often been negatively
associated with the spread of disease and illness. Even as theories of
globalization imagine the uninterrupted flow of information and
commodities, the fear of contagion calls for the containment of populations
and territories. The Ebola virus, the terrorist, the computer bug, and the
zombie alike threaten to breach the boundaries of the body and the nation.
Derived from the Latin con (together with) and tangere (to touch), the word
‘contagion’ also implies a proximity of sentiments and sensations. While it
may be connected to the risk of contamination and danger, the term might
also open up a zone of empathetic contact. Taking its etymological
potential as a starting point, this conference seeks out papers that
consider the broad implications of the term. Can ‘contagion’ be a
productive model for thinking about the movement and organization of ideas,
cultures, and peoples? How can contagious border crossings queer seemingly
stable categories of identity, revealing the artificial and arbitrary
nature of their construction? What impact do existing representations of
contagion -whether of affect, disease, or environmental agents -have on our
cultural imaginaries? Can cinema be considered a contagious medium that
invites bodily and sensory engagement rather than relying on the distant
gaze? How are the material dimensions of this contagious transmission
reconfigured through the networks of digital circulation? Topics may
include but are not limited to:


   -

   Swarms, insect, and viral media
   -

   Touch, haptics and phenomenologies of film
   -

   Zombies, vampires, and body horror
   -

   Discourses of racial purity and miscegenation
   -

   Gender-bending and queer representations in cinema
   -

   Immigrants, refugees and diasporas in film and media
   -

   Biopower, technology, and national security
   -

   Environmental contamination, pollution, and ecocide
   -

   HIV/AIDS and other epidemic media
   -

   Medical media (radiography, stethoscopy, and medical imaging)
   -

   Educational and pedagogical films on contagion


In addition to panel presentations, we will have a keynote speaker, alumni
respondents, and a faculty roundtable.

Please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words for a 20 minute panel
presentation and a short bio. Non-traditional, creative projects are
welcome, as are individual papers or pre-constituted panels. Please email
your submissions and inquiries to firstforumusc at gmail.com by June 20th,
2017.



Debjani Dutta
PhD Candidate, Division of Cinema and Media Studies
School of Cinematic Arts

University of Southern California