CALL FOR PAPERS
The Society for Textual Scholarship
International Interdisciplinary Conference
April 14-16, 2016 Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
“Textual Ecologies”
Program Chairs: Sarah Brouillette and Travis DeCook, Carleton University
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
DEIDRE SHAUNA LYNCH, Harvard U
RASHMI SADANA, George Mason U
YUNG-HSING WU, U of Louisiana, Lafayette
This conference is hosted by the Department of English at Carleton University, Ottawa, home of the PhD in The Production of Literature. Unique in Canada, this program focuses on the production, circulation, and reception of texts across cultures and historical periods. Carleton University is located in the capital of Canada, a city rich with literary and other cultural institutions. These include major libraries, museums, and art galleries, notably Library and Archives Canada (the national library of Canada), the National Gallery of Canada, and the special collections libraries at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and Saint Paul University. The conference will be located at the historic Lord Elgin Hotel, located downtown and within walking distance of the National Gallery, the National Arts Centre, and the Canadian Parliament.
We invite proposals on any aspect of textual scholarship from a broad spectrum of disciplines, including literature, history, musicology, classical and biblical studies, theology, philosophy, art history, legal history, the history of science and technology, computer science, library and information science, lexicography, epigraphy, paleography, codicology, cinema studies, new media studies, game studies, theater and performance studies, linguistics, gender and sexuality studies, race and ethnicity studies, indigenous studies, and textual and literary theory.
Our choice of keynote speakers reflects our conference theme of “Textual Ecologies.” A text’s “ecology” is made up of the many social environments that inspire and condition its creation, dissemination, and reception, and a focus on textual ecologies encourages an emphasis on the porousness of textual boundaries. We have invited speakers who are interested in thinking about texts as inextricable from these environments, as their work takes up – respectively – the historical development of emotional responses to literary texts, the ethnographic study of the book publishing industry in global and postcolonial contexts, and the history of reading in the late age of print and emergent digital culture.
Submissions may take the following forms:
1. Papers. Papers (or papers with slideshow presentations) should be no more than 20 minutes in length, making a significant original contribution to scholarship. Papers that are primarily reports or demonstrations of tools or projects are discouraged.
2. Panels. Panels may consist of either three associated papers or four to six roundtable speakers. Roundtables should address topics of broad interest and scope, with the goal of fostering lively debate with audience participation.
3. Seminars. Seminars should propose a specific topic, issue, or text for intensive collective exploration. Accepted seminar proposals will be announced on the conference Web site (http://www.textual.org) at least two months prior to the conference and attendees will then be required to enroll themselves with the posted seminar leader(s). The seminar leader(s) will circulate readings and other preparatory materials in advance of the conference. No papers shall be read at the seminar session. Instead participants will engage with the circulated material in a discussion under the guidance of the seminar leader(s). All who enroll are expected to contribute to creating a mutually enriching experience.
4. Workshops. Workshops should propose a specific problem, tool, or skill set for which the workshop leader will provide expert guidance and instruction. Examples might be an introduction to forensic computing or paleography. Workshop proposals that are accepted will be announced on the conference Web site (http://www.textual.org) and attendees will be required to enroll with the workshop leader(s).
Proposals for all formats should include a title; abstract (250 words max.) of the proposed paper, panel, seminar, or workshop; and name, email address, and institutional affiliation for all participants. Format should be clearly indicated. Seminar and workshop proposals in particular should take care to articulate the imagined audience and any expectations of prior knowledge or preparation.
All abstracts should indicate what if any technological support will be required.
Inquiries and proposals should be submitted electronically to stsconference2016@gmail.com
For additional contact information:
http://carleton.ca/english/people/brouillette-sarah/
http://carleton.ca/english/people/decook-travis/
All participants in the STS 2016 conference must be members of STS. For information about membership, please visit the society for Textual Scholarship website http://textualsociety.org/membership-information/. For conference updates and information, see the STS website at http://textualsociety.org