COLD WAR CULTURES

Transnational and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Conference at the University of Texas at Austin
September 30 - October 3, 2010

Call for Papers
Deadline: April 1, 2010

If war is the continuation of politics by other means, then Cold War
politics can be seen as a continuation of war by other means. This
interdisciplinary conference seeks to explore these means in the context
of global encounters between states and "Blocs" as well as engagements
with "East" and "West." Indeed, after the end of the Second World War, a
new kind of "war" continued and expanded as governments and/or interest
groups created and continually reshaped institutions, media, popular
culture, and various elements of social and political life. Globally,
these broad-based transformations took place in the shadow of Cold War
politics, especially as expressed through rhetoric of threat and mutual
annihilation. In particular, cultural phenomena shaped by Cold War power
conflicts take on myriad forms in a host of geographic contexts, both in
and outside the Bloc, from iconic public representations to distinctive
media advertising, memorable political speeches, world expositions, spy
novels and films, and a plethora of official and popular modes of
expression. In some places, of course, military or paramilitary
conflagrations translated Cold War politics into "hot" wars, which further
fueled the fire of Cold War imaginations.

We invite proposals for individual 20-minute papers that explore any
geographic area or disciplinary field of Cold War studies, as well as
contributions that might engage the notion the of "Cold War"
theoretically. Full panels of three papers may also be proposed.

Cold War Cultures: Interdisciplinary and Transnational Perspectives is a
three-day conference at the University of Texas at Austin planned as the
culmination of a series of events held in Fall, 2010, on the campus. These
events will include the conference, several keynote speeches by
international and local scholars, and a film series; more details to come.
Because of the generosity of our sponsors, all events will be free of
charge and open to the public.

This site contains all information available about the conference and all
other events surrounding it. It will be updated regularly with the most
current information available.

Cold War Cultures web site: http://www.coldwarcultures.org/

Email the organizing committee: coldwarculturesgmail.com

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