Race in the Humanities. An Interdisciplinary Conference
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Call for Papers Deadline: 2001-06-10

CALL FOR PAPERS

RACE IN THE HUMANITIES

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will hold an interdisciplinary
conference on Race in the Humanities from November 15-17, 2001. As the
organizers of the conference, we seek individual paper abstracts and panel
proposals related to the conference theme. We envision the conference as
an interdisciplinary venue that will allow students, staff, and faculty to
discuss the role of race in the humanities--both within individual
disciplines and within the foundations of humanistic studies in the
university. Two keynote speakers will present at the conference--Charles
W. Mills, an innovative and influential African American philosopher, who
has broadened the scope for examining race in the humanities and in
philosophy; and Chester J. Fontenot, Jr., literary theorist, film critic,
Fanon scholar, and author of pioneering work in the field of African
American literary studies.

In keeping with Charles W. Mills' theoretical interrogation of philosophy
as a racialized discipline, this conference will examine the constitutive
role that race has played in the formation of other disciplines in the
humanities, such as literary studies, women's studies, art, art history,
history, and theatre. Critical discussions at the conference will not
merely reflect on the opening of canons--literary, historical, artistic,
philosophical--to minority writers, scholars, and thinkers (although this
shift is certainly a significant one that will inform our discussions of
race in the humanities), but it will also examine the very foundations of
humanistic, disciplinary, and interdisciplinary studies in the humanities.

Research questions posed by the organizers of the conference, Race in the
Humanities, include:

* How are literary genres racialized
How have national literatures erased
ethnic and racial difference within its nationalistic parameters of
definition

* How are definitions of history and historicity predicated on notions of
racial difference
(For example, Hegelís notions of world history as
articulated in Philosophy of History.)

* How have the arts been constructed on racialized aesthetic foundations

How have art historians shaped research through racialized frames of
enquiry and analysis
How, historically and institutionally, have the arts
benefited from the institutions of slavery and colonialism

* How has race been formative in the establishment of disciplinary
boundaries
And how do the methodologies of disciplines perpetuate the
racialization of knowledges

We encourage submissions related, but not limited, to these research
questions. As an interdisciplinary conference for faculty, staff, and
students, the organizers also solicit papers that address the following:
race and research in the humanities; teaching about race; race in the
classroom; and myriad other topics related to race in the humanities. We
strongly encourage submissions by faculty, graduate, and undergraduate
student researchers on the conference theme. We also plan to hold a final
"round table discussion" (following the panels) to allow for critical
exchange of ideas generated by conference speakers and to further encourage
dialogue about the formative role of race in the humanities.

A selected number of the papers presented at this conference may be
published in book form by a university press. We are currently working out
terms for this contract.

Please submit extended abstracts (2-3 pages) and/or panel proposals with a
brief curriculum vitae by June 10, 2001 to the following address: Dr.
Joseph Young or Dr. Jana Evans Braziel, English Department, University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601. Email inquiries to
young.jose@uwlax.edu or braziel.jana@uwlax.edu.

For more information, please visit the conference webpage at
http://www.uwlax.edu/RaceConference

Sponsored by the College of Liberal Studies, the Department of English, and
the Program in Ethnic and Racial Studies at the University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse.

BRIEF CFP
June 10, 2001 Deadline. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will hold the
interdisciplinary conference Race in the Humanities on November 15-17,
2001. Proposed papers, panels or presentations on the conference theme may
be submitted (2-3 page abstracts & brief CV) by June 10. Contact Joseph
Young (young.jose@uwlax.edu) or Jana Evans Braziel
(braziel.jana@uwlax.edu), Department of English, University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601. For the full Call for Papers and additional
information, please visit the conference web site at
http://www.uwlax.edu/RaceConference

Contact information:
Dr. Joseph Young or Dr. Jana Evans Braziel,
English Department,
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse,
La Crosse, WI 54601.
Email inquiries to young.jose@uwlax.edu or braziel.jana@uwlax.edu.
Email: braziel.jana@uwlax.edu OR young.jose@uwlax.edu

Call for Papers website:
http://www.uwlax.edu/RaceConference

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