Emergent Horizons
May 31st – June 2nd // Atlanta, GA
The North American Anarchist Studies Network (NAASN) is currently seeking presentations for our tenth conference to be held from May 31st to June 2nd (2019) in “Atlanta, Georgia (USA)”. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Atlanta is situated at the intersection of the lowlands and woodlands of the southeast. From the Underground Railroad to the Civil Rights Movement, and from Occupy Atlanta to Occupy ICE, Atlanta’s history is defined by liberation, anti-statist, Black Power, anti-gentrification, and anti-prison movements. Atlanta has also been a hub of Black history and scholarship in the United States.
This year’s conference theme, “Emergent Horizons,” invites papers that critically examine, expound, and encourage projects of world building and social transformation. Horizons are both the limit of perception and the referential lines that orient movement and geography. In the same manner, projects of social and political change have aspirational goals of building new worlds and new realities. In following this theme, this year’s conference invites us to think through and beyond the limits of what we as scholars, activists, and militants perceive of and comprehend as revolutionary struggle in the past, present, and future. How is resistance and resilience taking shape? What are the contours of the world we live in? How can we expand our perceptions and practices to shape our present and imagine our futures? In short, what is on the horizon?
That being said, in keeping with the open and fluid spirit of anarchism, we do not limit the call for specific topics of discussion, but rather encourage presentations on broad and diverse historical, contemporary, and utopian matters. NAASN welcomes works that examine issues of ethnicity, gender, dis/ability, sexuality, youth and urban cultures; and scholarship that crosscuts disciplines and fields including but not limited to: philosophy, political theory, psychology, musicology, literary studies, anthropology, sociology, geography, critical race studies, critical Indigenous studies, queer and trans studies, gender studies, labor studies, disability studies, graphic design and plastic arts. We also encourage scholars in the hard sciences and other fields who find anarchist influences or relevance in their work.
Previous presentations have included grassroots struggles, social and peasant movements, decolonization and Indigenous resurgence, border/imperialism, racism, police violence, torture, surveillance, technology, as well as biography, oral histories, historiography, and anarchist subcultures. We seek to include voices of activists, militants, artists and academics–NAASN is a network engaged with the production of knowledge both within and without institutional walls. We are particularly interested in including marginalized voices and perspectives. We not only encourage the breaking down of barriers between disciplines, but also those between the academic and non-academic or anti-academic. From the streets to the lectern, we encourage all those interested in the praxis of anarchism or anarchists to submit a proposal.
NAASN is intended to be a space where disciplinarity and resistance can converge on Turtle Island/”North America”. Submissions of panels, individual papers, workshops, book presentations, and alternative formats will be gladly considered
This year, we are asking for a optional registration fee ($25) to fund airfare for those without institutional funding for conferences.
Submission Information
Conference proposal submissions, or questions, should be addressed to the NAASN 2019 organizing committee: naasn2019@protonmail.com
Please include in your submission:
- Title and Summary of your proposal (no more than 300 words)
- A short (150 words) biography, including the name you want listed in the conference material.
- If you have an idea of the length of your presentation, feel free to include (for example, 20mins vs 40 mins). We will try to accommodate, but lengths of presentations will be affected by the number of sessions/speakers.
- Attendance: We are cognizant of the barriers raised by distance and borders. If you anticipate you will be unable to attend in person, please indicate this in your submission; if your proposal is accepted we may invite you to submit a pre-recorded presentation that can be aired at the conference. We will also probably ask you to be available during to conference for a remote Q & A, technology permitting.
Please submit your proposal no later than February 15, 2019.
Making Contact With NAASN
All inquiries about the 2019 conference should be sent to naasn2019@protonmail.com If you want to volunteer and give us a hand during the conference, let us know! We appreciate any and all assistance.
For further information about the North American Anarchist Studies Network, or to subscribe to the network mailing list, we invite you to visit our website at www.naasn.org.
For up to date information about the conference, please visit our wiki.
If you have extra resources and want to help us materialize the project, donate here.
Spread the word, and see you soon.