The Mass Culture Workshop seeks presenters for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year. As a forum for graduate students, faculty, and visitors to share and discuss works in progress, the workshop is dedicated to interdisciplinary research that considers mass media’s aesthetic, historical, and political dimensions. We invite presentations on diverse topics, from cinema, television, and digital media to popular music, video, photography, advertising, fashion, social media, the internet, and other mass culture and communication technologies.
In keeping with the history of critical theory, this workshop strives to create a collective space to engage the sustained cultural implications of capitalist exploitation, racial and gender-based oppression, and global climate collapse. We encourage work that thinks seriously about mass culture’s political and cultural implications in these ongoing struggles.
Proposals should be sent to the workshop coordinators, Joel Sutherland and Hugo Ljungbäck. Please include the following:
- A tentative title
- A brief bio including name, pronouns, department affiliation, faculty/student status
- The type of project (dissertation chapter, article in progress, conference paper, media project, artwork, etc.)
- A brief description of the content and/or argument
- The quarter in which you would prefer to present (and any preferred presentation dates)
- Any additional requirements (technical assistance, etc.)
Presenters may choose whether or not to pre-circulate their projects. Presenters may also select a (faculty or student) respondent to facilitate discussion on the day of the workshop.
In addition, Mass Culture is open to collaborations with other workshops, and we welcome suggestions for visiting artists or scholars who might be willing to participate.
To stay in touch with the Mass Culture Workshop, please subscribe to the mailing list through this link or e-mail the coordinators. For further information, especially to get a sense of the thematic range and disciplinary diversity encouraged by the workshop, visit the workshop’s blog and archive.
Your 2023-24 workshop coordinators,
Joel and Hugo