CALL FOR PAPERS North Atlantic Fiddle Convention October 13-17, 2015

Cape Breton Island (Sydney & Baddeck, Nova Scotia)

Celtic Colours International Festival / Cape Breton University

Trans-Atlantic Transactions

Music and dance are means by which we share culture and identity, and exchange knowledge. The theme of Trans-Atlantic Transactions is designed to frame wide-ranging explorations of fiddling and related dance traditions as expressive forms that are shared, exchanged, and disseminated, and which provide endless opportunities for dialogue.
The idea of “transaction” can be understood broadly to embrace the exchange of repertoires and styles within and between traditions, regions, generations, and populations. Transaction may also be used to reflect upon the impact of economic forces on fiddling and dancing, from the demands of recording and touring, to the expectations placed on it by the entertainment industry and tourism.
We invite papers and panels which examine the themes of giving, taking, exchanging, and transacting as they apply to fiddling and dancing across the North Atlantic region.  Some topic areas may include, but are not limited to:
·       Adoption and Appropriation: Where and when would these terms be appropriate for the circulation of fiddle and dance styles and repertoires?
·       Exchanging of Repertoire: How are tunes exchanged among different or separate fiddling traditions, and what transformations or modifications are made when they are?
·       Transactions Among Instruments: The fiddle repertoire has been adopted by flautists, banjoists, accordionists, pianists, guitarists, and many others. In some cases, like the bagpipes, the fiddle and pipes mutually share repertoire. How do instruments like these reshape fiddle tunes, and what do they give back to fiddling traditions?
·       Vocal Music: What transactions and exchanges occur between repertoires of fiddling, dancing and vocal music? How much has one affected another in particular traditions?
·       “Blàs” (“Flavour,” “accent”): What exchanges happen between the spoken language of a culture and the rhythm, cadence, or “accent” of fiddle or dance style?
·       Interactions: What are the interactions among performers, between soloists and accompanists, between dancers and fiddlers?
·       Migration: How have exchanges of population, both recent and past, affected the circulations of styles and repertoires?
·       Mediation: What negotiations are made when fiddling and dancing become mass mediated, and respond to commercial priorities?
·       Vocation vs. Avocation: What are the issues around the rewards of fiddling and dancing, and in which contexts? What are the range of economies involved in fiddling and dancing, from communal sharing to barter to professionalism and the pursuit of various sources of revenue?
Though we encourage presentations that engage with our theme, the program committee will gladly receive proposals for presentations on any aspect of fiddling and its dance-related cultures.
Given the setting of the conference, on Cape Breton Island, and its partnership with the Celtic ColoursInternational Festival (Friday October 9 to Saturday October 17, 2015), we anticipate that this theme will be fruitful as we reflect on fiddling in the Old World and the New, and across many different populations and histories. Delegates will have opportunities to see many Celtic Colours International Festival performances, workshops, and events, and experience the Island’s many sights and sounds over the course of the conference.
The first half of the conference will be held in Sydney (October 13-14), and the latter half in Baddeck, Nova Scotia (October 16-17), offering a full experience of the Cape Breton’s exciting urban and beautiful rural locales. October 15 will be organized as a day of touring.
As we will be applying for funding support, submissions for academic papers will need to include:
·       presenter’s full name, institutional affiliation, department, student status (if applicable), and contact information;
·       presentation title;
·       two abstracts: one 250 words, and one 100-150 words MAXIMUM;
·       a list of degrees earned, specifying discipline;
·       a list of recent positions and any positions relevant to NAFCo;
·       a list of recent publications and any publications relevant to NAFCo; and
·       a 100 word biography.
The submission deadline is November 15, 2014. Submissions should be sent to the email address below, and will be submitted to blind peer review.
Email: NAFCO2015@cbu.ca
Website: www.celtic-colours.com/nafco2015/

Mail: North Atlantic Fiddle Convention
c/o The Centre for Cape Breton Studies
PO Box 5300
1250 Grand Lake Road
Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6L2  CANADA