2009: Public and Private

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
March 27-28, 2009

We are happy to announce the 2008-2009 collaborative conference between the Indiana University Folklore & Ethnomusicology Student Associations and The Ohio State University Folklore Student Association. This conference aims to create a space for graduate and undergraduate students to share their research in folklore, ethnomusicology, cultural studies, material culture, performance studies, and related disciplines, as it relates to the study of academic and vernacular interpretation of everyday life.

Keynote Speaker: Jim Leary, University of Wisconsin

This year's conference seeks to explore the following questions:

  1. How do we negotiate notions of public and private in our work?
  2. What are we learning, and what can we teach others, about this seeming dichotomy?
  3. How might we think beyond sectors and consider public and private in light of our fieldwork, field notes, presentations, and as emerging in our research of expressive forms?

We are seeking papers and posters that engage the following topics as they relate to the theme of "Public and Private":

  • Identities
  • Sectors
  • Spaces
  • Boundaries
  • Traditions
  • Histories
  • Memories
  • Narratives
  • Performances

We also welcome submissions of papers and posters on other topics.

The conference will have three opportunities for participation: paper presentations, poster sessions, and a discussion forum for all attendees. We will be accepting 250-word abstracts for 20-minute papers and poster presentations. We highly encourage poster submissions, particularly for research projects in progress, as there will be opportunities for active dialogue. Abstracts must be submitted by February 1, 2009. Please email submissions to iu.osu.conf@gmail.com.

Please see the IU FSA website for details on submissions.

The discussion forum will allow all attendees to engage with enduring issues in our fields and to consider how those issues have emerged in their own research. Conference attendees are encouraged to submit three issues that have emerged in their own research for inclusion in developing this forum. Come join this important conversation. Remember, together we are shaping the future of our fields!

For more information on the details of the conference (lodging, location, etc.) visit here in the coming months.

Please register for the conference by February 28, 2008!