*CFP* “PERFORMING ANTHROPO(S)CENES: POLITICS OF/WITH(IN) POPULAR CULTURE”, EISA PEC 2020 CONFERENCE

EISA PEC 2020  

Performing Anthropo(s)cenes: Politics of/with(in) Popular Culture

16-19 de Septiembre de 2020

University of Malta, Malta

'By definition [the Anthropocene] precedes all cultural, political and economic differences. It indicates a shared destiny, an ethical challenge which defines our situation and sets the stage for political action'

(Horn & Bergthaller, 2020).

A century after the foundation of the discipline, scholars of International Relations are only now awakening to the ramifications of global climate change and the sixth mass extinction. Unlike Geography, which rallied around the so-called Anthropocene as a unifying field of interrogation, IR has tended to keep planetary-level changes at the edges. Our section strikes from these margins, unveiling the impact of the Anthropocene on IR as it manifests through performances across the popular culture-world politics (PCWP) continuum.

We seek submissions focused on imaginaries of post-apocalyptic/dystopian IR, far-right ‘environmentalism’, and eco-genocide/eco-apartheid, as well as human-animal interactions, North-South inequities, and indigenous/feminist critiques of climate change.

Our call is transdisciplinary given the necessity of addressing such issues through a synergy of forces that cannot be achieved within any single field of study or research. We are particularly interested in submissions that go beyond the field of IR, including but not limited to: Geography, Performance Studies, Queer Studies, Cultural Studies, Anthropocene Studies, Media Studies, Political Communication, Comparative Literature, Anthropology, and Sociology.

We invite scholars, artists, and activists to join us with original papers, performances, interventions, and projects addressing the theme of our panel.

Suggested themes of critical/creative engagement:

• Filmic narratives (e.g. The Day After Tomorrow, Geostorm, Snowpiercer, What Happened to//Monday, Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade Runner 2049, Annihilation)./
• Literary visions (e.g. James’ The Children of Men, Windo’s The Feed, McCarthy’s The Road, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and MaddAddam Trilogy, Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl, El- Akkad’s American War).
• Political/social/ecological performances (e.g. the rising of Greta Thunberg’s international activism, speeches, and interviews, FridaysForFuture and Extinction Rebellion, the political figure of the climate refugee, Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, Bolsonaro’s UN theatrics - paired with planetary untameable wildfires, unprecedented flooding, racing icecap melting, and the Insect Armageddon).

The above list is intended to be illustrative, not at all exhaustive.

If you would like to informally discuss ideas for papers and/or panels prior to final submission, please get in touch ASAP with both section chairs Gabriella Calchi Novati (calchinovatig@gmail.com) and Robert A. Saunders (saunder@farmingdale.edu) and not later than 21 February 2020 (please write EISA 2020 in your email subject):


How to submit final proposals

• When you submit your FINAL abstract/panel/roundtable proposal indicate: Thematic Section 24.
• Abstracts can be amended in the online submission system until_the conference deadline of 16 March 2020. Check here for abstract submission guidelines.
• All submitted panel, roundtable and paper abstracts will be subject to a review process after the abstract submission deadline. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Section Chairs under the overall guidance of the Programme Chairs.
• Accepted abstracts will form part of the final conference programme and as such will be presented onsite. Abstracts not suitable for display will be rejected. Please have your abstract checked for correct spelling, punctuation, grammar and formal structure. The organiser reserves the right to edit abstracts prior to display if necessary.
• All presenting authors will receive an acceptance/rejection notification via e-mail by 28 April 2020.

Please Note

Participants will need either be already EISA members, or to register with EISA before submitting their abstract, follow instructions here.