CFP: "Mediations and Critique: Perspectives on East Asia" 8th Annual EAS Grad Conf (21 Dec; 15 Mar; Toronto)

Eighth Annual East Asian Studies Graduate Conference at the University of Toronto
Mediations and Critique: Perspectives on East Asia
University of Toronto
Saturday, March 15, 2008

What insights can we gain by thinking of East Asian societies as always already mediated by language, disciplines, discourse, symbolic systems and representations? Our conference seeks to challenge participants to critically consider how various mediations are embedded in social existence and how we accommodate for them in our research on China, Korea and Japan.

The interdisciplinary conference welcomes research from graduate students in all fields of East Asian Studies, including but not limited to history, sociology, anthropology, economy, art, literature and philosophy. We invite papers that critically engage topics relevant to the issue of mediations in the East Asian context, such as (but not limited to) the role of media in constituting and defining a society; mediation of identities through technology and media; constructions of the other; history of mediations and mediations of history; historical development of media and its implications; questions of ontology, epistemology and phenomenology as they relate to the issues of mediations in East Asia.

We invite all those interested in presenting papers to submit an abstract (300 words maximum) and brief biographical information by December 21, 2007. We encourage submissions from both individuals and panels of three (panellists should send individual abstracts and a panel abstract). Please indicate whether you would like your completed paper to be considered for publication in the East Asian Studies Forum, journal published by graduate students of the East Asian Studies department of the University of Toronto.

Selected participants should submit completed papers by February 4, 2008. Those who wish their papers to be considered for publication should submit a publication-ready copy (about 3500 words). During the conference, participants will be given 15 minutes to present their work, so actual presentation papers should be about 1500-2250 words long. Additional information will be posted on the conference website, www.chass.utoronto.ca/easgsc.

Please email your submissions and questions to the Conference Committee at eas.conference.2008@gmail.com