Rhythms of Life: Youth and Popular Culture in a Changing South Africa
Posted: May 4th, 2015 | Filed under: Calls for Papers | Comments Off on Rhythms of Life: Youth and Popular Culture in a Changing South Africa13-14 November 2015, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
Rhythms of Life: Youth and Popular Culture in a Changing South Africa is a two day symposium organized by the Human Sciences Research Council, the University of Helsinki’s discipline of Social and Cultural Anthropology, and the University of the Western Cape’s Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research. It is an interdisciplinary symposium that encourages contributions from across the social sciences and humanities.
South African youth are in a unique and challenging transitory space that presents continuities with the past, yet simultaneously offering a moment in which new and different ways of being and doing are possible. How do young people engage this new, transitory space with all its contradictions? What are the tools that they use and the channels that they navigate to create alternatives? What are the contemporary cultural and linguistic practices that signify the ‘breaks from the past’ yet encourage social solidarities and create alternative imaginings of being South African?
This symposium is open to the analysis of all aspects of the relationship between youth and popular culture in South Africa, and we particularly welcome papers addressing:
- Youth, social identities and difference
- Youth, social solidarities and resistance
- Youth, social media and new technologies
- Youth, consumerism and popular culture
The closing date for the submission of abstracts is the 31 May 2015. Please send a 200 word abstract and 50 word academic biography to [email protected].
Acceptance of abstracts will be communicated to presenters by 30 June 2015.
The symposium organisers regret that they are unavailable to provide funds for the travel or accommodation costs of participants.
The organizers are committed to developing an edited book on the symposium theme which participants will be strongly encouraged to contribute to. A first draft of the proposed chapter should be submitted to the organizers prior to the symposium, with revised chapters to be submitted by early 2016. Further details will be made available to potential contributors on the 30 June 2015. Participation in the book project is not a prerequisite for participation in the symposium.