CFP: MSA 17, Boston

Seminar Proposals: February 27, 2015

Pre-conference Workshop (Thursday) and Post-conference Workshops (Sunday) Proposals: February 27, 2015

Panel, Roundtable, and Poster/Digital Exhibit Proposals: April 17, 2015

“Modernism and Revolution,” the theme of the 2015 MSA annual conference to be held in Boston, invokes characterizations of modernism as a revolutionary movement across the arts, as a revolt against tradition, and as a renovation of literature, performance, visual arts, and culture more generally. But it also asks that we call into question the myth of modernism’s revolutionary nature, its habitual representation as a movement inherently or spontaneously insurrectionary.We encourage attention to aesthetic modernism’s relationship to political uprisings and wars, and to the revolutions in technology that drove munitions factories and automobile engines. Papers might attend to the cultural revolutions tied to gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and other identity categories. Or they could examine the technologies transforming people’s experiences of everyday life in ways less violent but equally profound: the turning of film or audio tape reels, innovations in astronomy or transportation, the circular energies of the vortex. The theme also invites considerations of repetition, stasis, or other potentially anti-revolutionary modes.

The conference organizers for “Modernism and Revolution” invite proposals for seminars and pre/post-conference workshops (due Feb. 27), panels, roundtables, poster sessions, multimedia/digital exhibitions (due April 17). We encourage proposals relevant to the conference theme but welcome panel, seminar, and roundtable proposals on all topics related to modernism. The primary criterion for selection will be the quality of the proposal, not its relevance to the conference theme. We ask that proposals provide complete panels and roundtables. Individualsseeking to create or to participate in a panel or roundtable are encouraged to visit the MSA CFP page or the MSA Facebook for guidelines to develop and opportunities to promote a panel or roundtable. All proposals must include requests for AV provisions.

Participation: Because we wish to involve as many people as possible as active participants, the MSA limits multiple appearances on the program. Thus, you may participate once, but only once, in each of the following categories:

• Seminar, either as leader or as participant • Panel or roundtable, as participant (you may also chair a different panel or roundtable) • “What Are You Reading?” session You may lead a seminar, present a paper on a panel, and participate in a “What Are You Reading” session, but you may not present two papers. MSA rules do not allow panel or roundtable organizers to chair their own session if they are also speaking in the session. The session chair must be someone who is otherwise not participating in the session. Panel organizers are encouraged to identify a moderator and include this information with their proposals; the MSA Program Committee can also ask another conference attendee to serve as a moderator. Participation in a pre-conference workshop or in a digital exhibition does not constrain other forms of participation.

All those who attend the MSA conference must be members of the organization with dues paid for 2015-16 (MSA membership runs from July 1 until June 30 each year.) For information on MSA, please check the website. Participants are expected to present in person.

CALL FOR SEMINAR PROPOSALS

Deadline: February 27, 2015

Seminars are among the most unique features of the MSA conference. Participants write brief “position papers” (5-7 pages) that are circulated and read prior to the conference. Because their size is limited to 15 participants, seminars generate lively exchange and often facilitate future collaborations. The format also allows a larger number of conference attendees to seek financial support from their institutions as they educate themselves and their colleagues on subjects of mutual interest. Seminars are two hours in length. Because seminars led solely by graduate students are not likely to be accepted, we encourage interested graduate students to invite a faculty member to lead the seminar with them. Please note that this is the call for seminar leaders. Sign-up for seminar participants will take place on a first-come, first-served basis coinciding with registration for the conference. Seminar Topics: There are no limits on topics, but past experience has shown that the more clearly defined the topic and the more guidance provided by the leader, the more productive the discussion. “Clearly defined” should not be confused with “narrow,” as extremely narrow seminar topics tend to exclude many potential participants. To scan past seminar topics, go to the Conference Archiveshttp://msa.press.jhu.edu/conferences/archive.html on the MSA website, click the link to a prior conference, and then click on “Conference Schedule” or “Conference Program.” You’ll find seminars listed along with panels and other events. Topics related to the conference theme are especially welcome and might include, for example, modernism and historical revolutions, modernism and technological revolutions, or modernism and antirevolutionary. Submit proposals by February 27, 2015 by completing the following online form: MSA 17 Seminar Proposal Form.

CALL FOR PRE-CONFERENCE (Thursday) and POST-CONFERENCE (Sunday)

WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

Deadline: February 27, 2015

Pre-conference workshops are held on the Thursday that the conference begins and post-conference workshops are held on Sunday afternoon. They focus on topics related to professional life, such as publishing, teaching, the job market, mid-career challenges and opportunities, research and the liberal arts college, and alternative/non-academic jobs. Pre-conference workshops are likely to be focused on professional concerns for faculty, while post-conference workshops will probably be more relevant to graduate students. Popular workshops in previous years have been on topics including, “What Do Presses Want from a First Book?,” “Digital Approaches to Modernism,” and “Critical Writing.” Workshops should be participatory in format and can be either 90 or 120 minutes in length. They may be entirely led by one person or may include a panel of experts. Please note that this call is for workshop leaders, who should be prepared to arrive at the conference venue early or stay late. Registration for workshops will occur at the same time as conference registration. Submit proposals by February 27, 2015 by completing the following online form: MSA17 Pre/Post-Conference Workshop Proposal Form

CALL FOR PANEL PROPOSALS

Deadline: April 17, 2015

Successful proposals will introduce topics that promise to expand research and debate on a topic, and will present a clear rationale for the papers’ collective goal. Panel proposals that engage recent contentious research, exciting new approaches, or theoretical interventions into the field are encouraged. Topics are not limited to the theme “Modernism and Revolution.” Please bear in mind these guidelines: We encourage interdisciplinary panels and strongly discourage panels on single authors. In order to allow for discussion, preference will be given to panels with three participants, though panels of four will be considered. Panels composed entirely of participants from a single department at a single institution are not likely to be accepted. Graduate students are welcome as panelists, but panels composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted than panels that include postdoctoral presenters together with graduate students. Submit proposals by completing the following online form by April 17, 2015: MSA 17 Panel Proposal Form.

CALL FOR ROUNDTABLE PROPOSALS

Deadline: April 17, 2015

All topics will be considered for roundtables, but we encourage proposals that develop the theme of the conference. Unlike panels, which generally feature a sequence of 15-20 minute talks followed by discussion, roundtables gather a group of participants around a shared concern in order to generate discussion among the participants and with the audience. To this end, instead of delivering full-length papers, participants are asked to deliver short position statements in response to questions distributed in advance by the organizer or to take turns responding to prompts from the moderator. The bulk of the session should be devoted to discussion. No paper titles are listed in the program, only the names of participants. Please bear in mind these guidelines: Roundtables may feature as many as 6 speakers. We particularly welcome roundtables featuring participants from multiple disciplines, and we discourage roundtables on single authors. Roundtables composed entirely of participants from a single department at a single institution are not likely to be accepted. Graduate students are welcome as speakers, but roundtables composed entirely of graduate students are less likely to be accepted than those that include postdoctoral presenters together with graduate students. Submit proposals by completing the following online form by April 17, 2015: MSA 17 Roundtable Proposal Form

CALL FOR POSTER SESSIONS AND DIGITAL EXHIBITS

Deadline: April 17, 2015

Reflecting the growing role of the digital humanities in modernist studies and the proliferation of work that does not lend itself to presentation in the form of a scholarly paper, we invite proposals that provide a short overview (including web links) of 1) the nature, design, and purpose of a digital project; 2) how the project advances modernist studies; and 3) how the presenters would want to exhibit and explain the project at the conference. Be sure to list all participants and institutions involved in the project, and specify who among these would attend the conference. Submit proposals by completing the following online form by April 17, 2015: Poster Session and Digital Exhibit Form.