International Conference, June 1-3, 2017, Department of North American Literary and Cultural Studies of Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
Indigenous Popular Culture is arguably one of the most vibrant and fastest-growing fields of contemporary cultural production not only in the United States and Canada, but across the globe. Indigenous artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs of all walks of life proliferate increasingly on contemporary popular cultural landscape in all its various incarnations, from popular fiction to animation to the fashion world. While doing so, diverse Indigenous practitioners of the popular throughout the world not only intervene powerfully into the landscape of popular culture and representation—a cultural field which is notorious for its various appropriations and misrepresentations of Indigenous peoples—but also draw attention to the pressing social issues which Indigenous communities of today are faced with. Thus, Indigenous popular culture is not only a field of a dynamic creative expression, but often also in one way or another stands in dialogue with contemporary Indigenous activist groups and causes working towards the goal of decolonization and resurgence.
This conference is dedicated to a multifaceted, multifocal, and interdisciplinary exploration of contemporary Indigenous popular culture in all its various facets and geographical locations. The organizers thus welcome papers from all disciplinary perspectives engaging with any aspect of Indigenous popular culture. Suggested thematic fields include, but are not limited to:
- Indigenous Popular Culture and its role in the project of decolonization
- Indigenous Feminism and Popular Culture
- Comparative approaches to Indigenous Popular Culture
- Indigenous geek cultures
- Indigenous fandoms
- Indigenous Popular Culture and Social Media
- Indigenous film, TV, and animation
- The role of marketing, publishing institutions, and distribution channels
- Indigenous genre narratives of all kinds
- Indigenous popular video and music cultures
- Indigenous fashion
Invited Speakers:
Sonny Assu, visual artist
Taiaiake Alfred, University of Victoria
Sarah Henzi, SFU and Université de Montréal
Registration Fee: 30 €
Abstracts of ca. 250-300 words and a short biography should be submitted to amerikanistik[at]mx.uni-saarland.de by March 15, 2017. Please include subject line “Indigenous Popular Culture Conference Proposal.”
Contact:
Svetlana Seibel, M.A.
Universität des Saarlandes
North American Literatures and Cultures
Campus C5 3, Zimmer 116
66123 Saarbrücken
Mail.