[New-Poetry] "Hello, I Say, It's Me": (Re)Constructions Of Subjectivity in Contemporary Literature and Culture, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, germany, April 4-5, 2008.

[Anny Ballardini]

CALL FOR PAPERS

"HELLO, I SAY, IT'S ME": (RE)CONSTRUCTIONS OF  SUBJECTIVITY IN
CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE AND CULTURE
(April 04-05, 2008; Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)

After the subject has been challenged, marginalized, fragmented,
deconstructed, and pluralized in many postmodern modes of expression and
thinking, there now seems to be a growing interest in reconceptualizing
the relevance of subjectivity as a constitutive element in cultural
production and in theoretical discourses. In contemporary literature,
North American writers such as Bret Easton Ellis, Jonathan Franzen and
Richard Powers have begun to seek a "reengagement with the world's
living concepts" (Powers) by reintroducing the subject as an essential
factor of textual production and reception. Furthermore, works of
up-and-coming authors such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Marisha Pessl and
Jeffrey Eugenides share a focus on matters of fictional autobiography
and a vital concern for the self. In literary criticism, this shift is
paralleled by a turn to subject-based ethical questions originating from
both philosophy and poststructuralist thought (Hale 2007). In
contemporary media culture, New Media technologies offer a variety of
possibilities for articulating and constructing subjectivity in virtual
spaces, a fact to which the abundance of personal pronouns in generic
product names - from ego-shooters to iPods, from MySpace to YouTube -
attests. Finally, contemporary material culture continues to provide
ample space for performances of subjectivity, reaching from fashion to
advertising and beyond.
The conference seeks to explore these sites of contemporary cultural
production with a focus on literature, literary criticism, and cultural
theory, but also inviting contributions from scholars working in the
fields of media studies, art history, and material culture. Central to
the conference are the following inquiries: Where and how are
subjectivities (re)constructed in contemporary culture? How might these
(re)constructions be assessed in the context of current debates in
literary theory, cultural studies, philosophy, etc.?

The conference particularly welcomes papers suitable for the following
thematic sections: literature, criticism, arts, contemporary media
culture, material culture, and critical theory.

For a more detailed version of the "Call for Papers" including possible
fields of inquiry and descriptions of the respective sections, please
download the pdf.file at
http://www.unitrier.de/uni/fb2/tcas/Bilder/CfP_Subjectivity_08.pdf


Papers should focus on specific literary and cultural practices and draw
theoretical implications from there. The conference language is English.
Please send proposals (no more than 300 words) and a speaker biography
to subjectivity08 at googlemail.com . Please paste your proposal into the
body of your message. Attachments will not be opened.
DEADLINE for Proposals: NOV. 05, 2007

Jan D. Kucharzewski, M.A. (Universität Düsseldorf), Stefanie Schäfer,
M.A. (Universität Heidelberg), Dr. des. Lutz Schowalter (Universität
Trier)