Eighth Annual Cultural Studies Graduate Student Conference and Workshop at the
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

April 1-2, 2016

Home (Alone): An Interrogation of the Familiar, Transitory Space, and the Contours of the Self

Keynote lecture to be delivered by: (TBA)

The concept of home has recently re-emerged in a number of critical contexts as a foundational and identity shaping principle—and is today more important than ever. This raises numerous questions, including, what constitutes familiar space, how it is formed, and what does it mean? This conference seeks to explore the creation and transformation of home spaces, as well as the liminal spaces that surround and enclose them. These interstices, whether physical or imagined, act to establish the concept of home as much as the territorialized spaces they encircle. Specifically, we wish to interrogate notions of the familiar and analyze the ways they contribute to the construction of notion of identity. Through the interplay of what are conceived of as familiar and alien elements, we plan to explore the constantly fluctuating contours of our identities through the lens of various cultural representations. By critically examining these concepts, we hope to disrupt artificial identity binaries constructed in society through networks of power and thus attempt to establish a dialogue between the spaces we can imagine and the realities they create.

Possible session topics include but are not limited to:

• Alienation, borders and liminal spaces
• Underground culture: Resistance to the familiar
• Memory, nostalgia and collective identities
• Memory traces and identity permeability
• Transitory homes: Hospitals and hospice care, homelessness and stateless individuals
• Gendered transitional spaces
• Travel narratives as transitional spaces • Refugee crises: exodus, immigration, and exilic narratives
• Colonialism, imperialism, and cultural appropriation
• Settler colonialism and indigenous narratives
• “Home” for the stateless individual
• Representation & (de-)humanization
• The return of the repressed
• Superstition, literature and imagined communities

Conference Structure: This conference/workshop will be comprised of the keynote address and panels on Friday, followed by additional panels on Saturday. Central to the conference is a graduate seminar style workshop on Saturday. This workshop is led by the keynote speaker and designed to explore the issues presented and discussed in more detail and depth. Presenters are requested to arrange their travel so that they can participate in the entire event, including the workshop. There will also be a closing reception Saturday evening, which is open to all participants and audience members.

Please send a 500 word abstract along with a brief biographical statement, in a separate document, to csconference.unm@gmail.com by January 30, 2016. Selected participants will be notified by February 6, 2016.

You can also visit our webpage (coming soon) for additional information about the conference: http://fll.unm.edu/clcs-graduate-conference/index.php (check for updates).

Note: Housing available with graduate students and limited travel funding may be also available, please inquire!