Cfp: "Global Caribbean(s): Interrogating the Politics of Location in Caribbean Literature and Culture," University of Miami, March 4-6, 2010.

Hosted by the Caribbean Literary and Cultural Studies Program, Department of English.

There is a growing body of interdisciplinary scholarship in Caribbean Studies that is focused on investigating the processes of globalization and ensuing social, cultural and political impact in the Caribbean. “Diaspora” is, more often than not, the critical lens through which many of these considerations are viewed and explored. Caribbean artists, writers and cultural critics have approached the question of location through global routes with an eye to examining the social, aesthetic, political, economic, and historical impact of diaspora on the region, while also considering regional currents that flow into, and even collide, in diasporic communities. Yet even as we are faced with economic and cultural opportunities of globalization we are also confronted with drawbacks that include loss of sovereignty and exploitative labor practices. Within the region, linguistic, political and cultural barriers persist and discussions of routes and intra-Caribbean flows remain under-theorized as nationalist agendas continue to dominate. Paradoxically, there are increasing concerns from critics in the region and in diaspora about the seemingly one-sided nature of critical exchanges about Caribbean literature and culture. There is no doubt that global flows have long since been one of the defining historical and cultural paradigms of the Caribbean. However, there is an urgent need for continued dialogue about the power dynamics that shape these paradigms and the cultural artifacts produced in the cross currents of these “global flows.” With this in mind, we invite papers that consider some of the following questions: Can we resituate our understanding of “location” as an indeterminate, or even shifting, locus of cultural inscription and what is at stake in such an effort? Can Caribbean culture (both local and global), be politically viable as a tool for social change given its increased popularity globally? In other words, can Caribbean popular culture be both commodified and transgressive? How has the Caribbean region reshaped its discourses of location, citizenship and “belonging” in response to new patterns of migration, supranational entities including NGO’s and corporations? Have the evolving exigencies of economic shortages contributed to new cultural trends and artifacts globally? How has the heightened emphasis on “green energy” and environmental policies impacted rural, tourist and industrial locations in the Caribbean?

Papers can also address, but are not limited to, the following topics: Caribbean Studies and the Politics of Location Can We Be at Home, While Abroad? Caribbean Studies Scholars in the U.S. Academy South / South Dialogues in Caribbean Studies The sacred, the erotic, and the semiotics of the body Queering Time and History in Caribbean Literature S/exile: Queer Sexuality and the Limits of Asylum Queering the Subject: Sex, Gender, and Queer Politics Global (re)configuration of sexual identities Global places, local spaces: CARICOM and the Politics of Regional Migration Global Environmentalism and Caribbean Conservationist Movements Border Clash: Sovereignty, Natural Resources and National Borders Return to Sender: Diaspora, Deportation and Discourses of Criminality National/Natural Disasters and The Politics of Immigration As Far as the Eye/I Can See: Caribbean Visual Culture in the Global Market Locating the Caribbean through Popular Culture You Know You are West Indian If … : Locating Regionalism Through Humor Digital Diasporas: Internet Expressions and Performances of Caribbean Identity Presentation proposals should be 250-500 words in length, in either Spanish or English, and should include name, academic affiliation and contact information. Panel proposals and alternatives such as dramatic performances and film screenings are also invited. Further information about plenary speakers will be disseminated as it becomes available. All proposals must be submitted electronically to cariblocationsconf@as.miami.edu. Deadline for proposals: November 30th, 2009 For further information and to register online please visit http://www.as.miami.edu/cls/.