Κυριακή 31 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Σάββατο 30 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Παρασκευή 29 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Πέμπτη 28 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Τετάρτη 27 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Happiness and Culture, Call for Papers, November 15, 2021, National Conference of the Popular Culture Association (PCA) Seattle, WA April 13-16, 2022
We are seeking paper proposals for the 2022 PCA conference in Seattle. The papers may focus on any aspect of the relationship between happiness (tentatively understood as subjective well-being) and broadly defined popular culture.
Philosophers and scholars have long argued that humans seek happiness above all else. You can get us to do, buy, create, accomplish, watch, or attend almost anything if the promised payoff is happiness. This makes the desire for happiness one of the most significant motivating forces in any culture.
While this desire is universally human, beliefs and attitudes about happiness (including if we have a right to expect it at all and how to go about pursuing it if we do) vary with changing religious views, economic conditions, historical periods, geographic locations, and other factors. Thus, both group and individual attitudes and beliefs about happiness are partly shaped by the culture/country/time period in which we live.
The definition of happiness that a community
eventually ends up with is often a result ofcomplex cultural, social, and economicnegotiations. Our topic explores the role that culture and its products and institutions (such as popular arts and rituals, social and other media, advertising, education, economic trends, and dominant scientific paradigms) play in constructing and/or popularizing different definitions of happiness and how best to pursue it.
Does the most commonly suggested path to happiness really lead to happiness? That is a million-dollar question. Some psychologists argue that, at least in many Western societies, it does not.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Portrayals of happiness in popular books, movies, comic books, songs, and advertising; on dating apps and how-to websites; at sporting events and holiday celebrations. What definitions of happiness do these portrayals imply? What path to happiness do they propose? Does the proposed path really lead to happiness?
- Portrayals of happiness that promote particular beliefs and values. For example, when characters find happiness if they engage in socially approved behaviors, such as monogamous marriage, hard work, and purchasing a home; when oppressed people are portrayed as happy to justify the oppression; or when a character who
makes a choice that diverges from a group’s dominant norms is depicted as miserable or he or she meets a tragic end.
- Happiness-causing properties of popular genres and products, such as romantic comedies, sitcoms, video games, and meditation apps. Why do these genres and products make us feel good? What definitions of happiness do they imply? What beliefs and values do they embody?
- The science of happiness. What does scientific research tell us about happiness? Do scientific findings correlate with cultural beliefs about (and popular portrayals of) happiness? Why or why not?
- Compare/contrast portrayals of happiness in different historical periods. For example, are the causes of women’s happiness portrayed differently in mainstream romantic comedies today than in the 1950s?
- Compare/contrast beliefs about (portrayals of) happiness in different cultures/countries.
- Compare/contrast portrayals of happiness in different popular genres, such as action/adventure movies, TV dramas, or romance novels. Do these portrayals differ? If so, why?
- The relationship between the prevailing ideas about (portrayals of) happiness and the dominant values, beliefs, and economic conditions.
- The relationship between socioeconomic class, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation and portrayals of happiness.
For additional information and paper ideas, please visit www.happinessandculture.com.
We especially welcome papers from members of ethnic minorities, the LGBTQIA community, and immigrant communities, as well as from the members of non-mainstream, alternative cultures.
We are considering proposals for individual papers and/or complete panels. Sessions are scheduled in 1.5-hour slots, typically with four papers or speakers per standard session. Individual presentations should not exceed 15 minutes. Please submit a 100–150-word abstract for individual papers and/or a 250–300-word abstract for panels. Please include the title of the paper and/or panel. Working professionals, scholars, educators, and graduate students are all encouraged to submit.
Area Chairs:
Vida Penezic
Independent Scholar
E-mail: vida_p@hotmail.com
Disability at the Intersection of History, Culture, Religion, Gender, and Health, Conference, October 31, 2021, Wisconsin, United States
Call for Papers
Disability at the Intersection of History, Culture, Religion, Gender, and Health
Date: March 3-4, 2022
Place: Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Disability is a living human experience. It is not merely a medical or biological phenomenon, and it is not only the subject of sciences. Perspectives on disability have evolved historically, theologically, and medically. Academics and disability activists have increasingly come to view disability as more than an individual medical diagnosis, often highlighting it as an issue of social justice and equity. As such, there is a need for further collaboration between the sciences and the humanities to deepen our understanding of disability in all of its complexities. Using interdisciplinary approaches to examine disability as fluid and dynamic condition can help us understand it as an identity and as social construct.
This conference aims to encourage open discussion and better understanding as well as to breakdown stigma associated with disabilities. To accomplish that, the conference aims to generate inclusive dialogues and interdisciplinary interactions between academia, community organizers, social and legal activists, health care service/providers, and religious leaders. The conference will serve as a platform to foster collaboration between various groups engaged in understanding and improving disability conditions.
We invite papers that offer critical analysis of how disabilities have been viewed in historical terms as medical conditions, social/cultural constructs, and as the norms that produce and reproduce perceptions of normalcy or normative bodies. We particularly welcome papers dealing with normalcy narratives, discourse, and issues of stigmas evolving around disabilities in marginalized communities with an emphasis on the intersection of disability (as an identity and minority) with gender, culture, and religion.
Key Topics:
Core conference themes include, but are not limited to:
Disability and identity
Social and cultural construction of disabilities
Religious and cultural perspectives on disability
Bodies and construction of normalcy
Gendered disabilities and feminist approaches to disability
Language terminology and conceptualization of impairment and disability in literary, cultural, and artistic production
Disabilities as social and legal rights issue
Community activism, policy making, and service
Lived experiences, life-writing and narratives of people with disability
This hybrid conference will host both in-person and virtual sessions. We invite proposals of individual papers, panels, workshops, roundtables, and thematic conversation. Graduate student submissions are encouraged. Panels will be composed of 3- 4 presenters (time must be divided equally among panel presenters allowing 10-15 minutes for questions). Roundtable and thematic conversation may consist of more than three participants. The time for all panel types is one hour.
Keynote Speaker: Lennard Davis, Distinguished Professor, Disability and Human Development, The University of Illinois Chicago
Key Dates:
Abstracts up to 300 words in Word format must be submitted through the electronic system by October 31, 2021.
You will be notified of the decision by December 15, 2021.
Publication
Conference proceedings and selected papers will be published in a special issue of the Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies.
Preliminary organizing committee members:
Enaya Othman
Tara Baillargeon
Behnam Ghasemzadeh
Michelle Medeiros
Giordana Poggioli-Kaftan
Dana Fritz
Gülnur Demirci
Stefan Reutter
Submit your abstract at https://epublications.marquette.edu/icdi/2022/
For any inquiries, please contact
Dr. Enaya Othman at enaya.othman@marquette.edu
Gülnur Demirci at ggulnurdemirci@gmail.com
Contact Info:
Dr. Enaya Othman at enaya.othman@marquette.edu
Gülnur Demirci at ggulnurdemirci@gmail.com
Contact Email:
Upcoming Interview: Transforming Academic Work Into “Brainy Non-Fiction”
We want to invite you to our upcoming interview on writing an academic book with popular appeal. Scholars such as Yuval Noah Harari and Jordan Peterson have broken barriers by transforming their academic works into compelling books that appeal to a large audience. How did they succeed in doing so?
Join senior editors Heather Gold of Yale University Press, Michael Watson of Cambridge University Press, and Richard Baggaley of Mcgill-Queen's University Press for a discussion on how to position your manuscript to shape public debate.
Together, we will explore:
- Tools to ensure your book appeals to a broad intellectual audience
- Prioritization of “brainy non-fiction” among leading university publishers
- Active steps to leverage your network to increase your book’s reach
Tuesday, October 26 at 4:30 PM Israel time/ 2:30 PM UK/ 9:30 AM EDT on Zoom
P.S. Stuck at a department meeting during the interview? Register using the link above and we will send you a recording following the event.
Sincerely,
Avi Staiman, CEO
Int. Phone: +972-522-414-342
US Phone: 667-309-1572
New Oral History Workshops Open for Registration: Mini Intensive & "Talking White"
Oral History Summer School has two new workshops now open for registration. Both workshops are online via Zoom:
Tuesday, December 7 & Tuesday, December 14
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Time Zone (New York) both days.
This two-day hands-on workshop––open to all––is based on our popular 10-day intensive, covering oral history theory, method and practice. Over the course of the two-day workshop, we'll address interview techniques, recording tutorials, ethics, memory, annotation and experimental outcomes. Come all ye documentarians, journalists, artists, media-makers, educators and those looking to learn new things in good company. No experience necessary.
"Exhibitionism: Sexuality at the Museum" is an online conference taking place December 9-11, 2021 exploring sexuality in museums, collections, and exhibition spaces.
Exhibitionism: Sexuality at the Museum
--- partly reposted from "kulturwissenschaftlich-volkskundliche [kv]-Mailingliste" ---
The Research Center for the Cultural History of Sexuality (Humboldt University, Berlin), the Kinsey Institute (Indiana University, Bloomington), and the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum (WEAM, Miami) are hosting "Exhibitionism: Sexuality at the Museum" an online conference which will bring together researchers, museum practitioners, artists, and educators whose work involves sexuality in museums, collections, and exhibition spaces.
Many museums and exhibition spaces around the world are using artwork, objects, and other materials to talk about sexuality in new ways, prompted in part by a growing number of museum and collections professionals who work with materials connected to human sexuality. Museums are also increasingly becoming spaces for community gathering, creating opportunities for e.g. LGBTIQ* people, sex workers, kink collectives, and people of color organizations to engage audiences in programming that explores a variety of topics related to human sexuality.
This conference will bring together professionals from a diverse array of practices and disciplines from all around the world to explore, learn, connect, and share their experiences about this important topic. It combines pre-produced audio-visual presentations, in-depth live discussions, performances, and online socializing.
Early Bird registration is open until October 31, 2021. Regular tickets will be available from November 1–December 9, 2021. The early bird ticket prices are reduced, so make sure to register early!
Conference organizers: Hannes Hacke (HU Berlin), Rebecca Fasman (Kinsey Institute), Melissa Blundell-Osorio (WEAM)
Τρίτη 26 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Ευάγγελος Αυδίκος, Η καραγκούνα κυρά, εφσυν, 26 οκτωβρίου 2021
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Κάθε Οκτώβρη η μνήμη μου παρασύρεται από τους ήχους της μουσικής του Θωμά Μπακαλάκου. Να δω τον κάμπο από ψηλά, από τον υψαύχενα Ολυμπο, της Θεσσαλίας τα χωριά. Τα χωριά της δυτικής Θεσσαλίας, τα καραγκουνοχώρια, έχουν αλλάξει. Τη θέση των πλινθόκτιστων ταπεινών σπιτιών έχουν πάρει σύγχρονα σπίτια.
Οι ηλιοκαμένοι καραγκούνηδες που δούλευαν από ήλιο σε ήλιο, φέροντας τα σημάδια της επίπονης εργασίας στο αργασμένο δέρμα τους, έχουν γίνει σύγχρονοι επιχειρηματίες. Με πολλά αγροτικά μηχανήματα, μάρτυρες μιας επινοητικότητας που αναπτύσσουν τα εγγόνια και δισέγγονα των παλιών κολίγων. Στέκοντας στη μέση του απέραντου κάμπου, με το φως να έχει αποκτήσει την ηρεμία του Οκτωβρίου, ο τρακτεροήχος μπερδεύεται με το ποδοβολητό του αλόγου του Κούρκουλου στην ταινία «Το χώμα βάφτηκε κόκκινο».
Ο κάμπος της δυτικής Θεσσαλίας είναι ζυμωμένος με ιδρώτα και αίμα. Με ατελείωτη δουλειά και κλειστό ουρανό. Με θυμωμένα μάτια για όσους τους αδικούσαν αλλά και όνειρα για έναν δικό τους, κιτρινισμένο από τα σπαρτά κάμπο. Στον κάμπο πια λιγόστεψαν οι άνθρωποι. Ακόμη και τα πουλιά απόστασαν να διασχίζουν τον κάμπο. Ξέχασαν τις νότες του τραγουδιού τους, που μπερδεύεται με μαρσαρίσματα.
Σ’ αυτή τη σιωπή που απλώθηκε στον κάμπο της δυτικής Θεσσαλίας εμφανίστηκαν οι καινούργιοι πραματευτάδες. Που μάζευαν τραγούδια, μορφές ζωής του παρελθόντος. Και τα κάνανε βιβλία, φτιαγμένα με αγάπη για τη γη τους. Τα έντυσαν με ήχους που μιλούσαν για τις παλιές πληγές. Για την αδικία και τα σκυμμένα κεφάλια.
Και ανάμεσα σ’ αυτούς τους πραματευτάδες ξεχωριστή είναι η θέση των γυναικών της καραγκούνικης γης. Που έγιναν όλες η σπονδυλική στήλη και η μέση της οικογένειας και του τόπου τους. Αυτές οι γυναίκες ανέλαβαν την αρμάτα του κάμπου που αφέθηκε στην τύχη της μετά τις πρώτες μεταπολεμικές δεκαετίες. Αρχισαν την πορεία τους προς την ψυχή του τόπου. Επιστροφή στην απαξιωμένη κληρονομιά. Που τη μάζεψαν σπυρί, σαν πολύτιμα πετράδια ενός παρελθόντος που έκλεινε τον κύκλο του.
Σ’ αυτή την πινακοθήκη των γυναικών της καραγκούνικης γης ξεχωριστή θέση έχει η Βάσω Κοζιού. Ταμένη στην καταγραφή όσων τη μεγάλωσαν. Εκείνων που της έδωσαν αξιακά παραδείγματα. Που της έμαθαν πως η έγνοια για τους άλλους νοστιμίζει τη δική της ζωή.
Στέκομαι κατακαμπίς. Στο βάθος τα Αγραφα έμειναν ορφανά, το μόνο που τους απέμεινε είναι τα κλέφτικα τραγούδια, η αντήχηση της φωνής του κλέφτη που γίνεται αέρας, συχνά γίνεται καριοφίλι αλλά και κλαγγή σπαθιών. Μέρες που είναι, ο αέρας γίνεται το άλογο του Μπουκουβάλα και των συμμαχητών του που δίνουν τη μάχη της σοδειάς. Και μέσα σ’ όλα αυτά αντηχεί η φωνή της καραγκούνας κυράς που τραγουδάει στο σεργιάνι.
Παρασκευή 22 Οκτωβρίου 2021
Πέμπτη 21 Οκτωβρίου 2021
1912-2021, 119 χρόνια ελεύθερου βίου για την Πρέβεζα.
Η είσοδος του στρατού στην ελληνική Πρέβεζα
Ο λοχαγός Κοσμόπουλος με τον 9ο λόχο του είχε την τιμή να μπει πρώτος στην πόλη. Οδηγείται στο Διοικητήριο από τον πρόξενο της Ρωσίας, όπου «είχε παραταχθή ο αιχμάλωτος στρατός επί δύο ζυγών και αόπλως». Με τη συναίνεση του προξένου παραλαμβάνει τους αιχμαλώτους που τους οδηγεί στην αποβάθρα και τους παραδίδει στον πλοίαρχο Δαμιανό.
Η ατμόσφαιρα στην πόλη ήταν εορταστική , παραληρηματική, θα έλεγα. Και δικαιολογημένα. «Χριστός Ανέστη, αδέλφια» η φράση που τάραξε τη μεσημεριάτικη σιέστα της Κυριακής. Οι κάτοικοι , των οποίων κάποιοι άρχιζαν να σκίζουν τα φέσια των, έραιναν τους απελευθερωτές με μύρα και άνθη. «Όλαι αι οικίαι εκοσμήθησαν δια σημαιών και ταπήτων με τα εθνικά χρώματα». Οι ίδιες σκηνές επαναλήφθηκαν στις 5 το απόγευμα όταν έφτασε με αυτοκίνητο από την Άρτα ο Αρχηγός του Στρατού Ηπείρου, στρατηγός Σαπουντζάκης
