Race in the Modern World
Call for Papers
Goldsmiths, University of London
and the Stephen Lawrence Trust
1-3 April 2009
Confirmed speakers include:
Les Back, Bryan Cheyette, Paul Gilroy, Kenan Malik and Ann Phoenix
Executive Committee: Derek Bardowell, Chris Jude, Marj Mayo, Larry O’Carroll and Len Platt
This interdisciplinary conference is concerned with the 'hypothetical premises about human kinds' which, once supported by prestigious knowledge in such fields as anthropology, sociology, linguistics and biology, became embedded as commonsense culture in the latenineteenth century. Our focus is on the race discourses, which were, and still are, fundamental to the ways in which modern society and culture thinks itself. We will be expecting papers on all aspects of race and modernity — how 'races' are imagined and represented, in biological, linguistic, gendered and spiritual terms; what anxieties and desires are expressed in or projected onto racialised figures; how individuals in modern societies and cultures relate themselves to the collective identities posited by race discourse. We are aiming to engage not just with the academy, but with the wider community and with particular reference to young people in local school and colleges.
We are expecting panels on such areas as:
- diasporas
- multiculturalism
- faiths and civil society
- race and representation
- urban design
- youth cultures
- genealogies of race discourse
- geomodernisms
Most formal presentations will take place within a panel context, with papers being limited to 20 minute slots. If you would like to share research interests and concerns, we invite you to send, by 1 December 2008, a title, brief (250 word) abstract and outline curriculum vitae to:
Race in the Modern World
c/o Vivienne Rose
The Department of Professional
and Community Education,
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross SE14 6NW UK
rmwc2009@gold.ac.uk
We welcome all proposals. Perspectives from all countries, disciplines and cultures are encouraged.
Conference will begin with a reception at the Stephen Lawrence trust on the evening of 1 April 2009. Two full days of lectures, panels and workshops, accommodated at Goldsmiths and the Stephen Lawrence Trust, will follow. We are hoping to attract of wide range of participants, both within and outside the academic community, including strong representation from the local communities.
You can also register interest in attending by emailing rmwc2009@gold.ac.uk. A booking form and further details will be sent to you at a later date.