SSSL 2022 Pre-Conference Seminar
Date:
Sunday, June 26, 2022 | 2:30 – 5:30pm ET
Location:
Hyatt Centric Midtown Atlanta, Conference Meeting Space
Facilitator:
Frank Cha
Biography:
Frank Cha is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Teaching Assistant Coordinator in the Department of Focused Inquiry at Virginia Commonwealth University. His research primarily focuses on Asian American and multiethnic community activism in the U.S. South. His writing has appeared in Southern Quarterly, Global South, The Mississippi Quarterly, and in the edited collection Creating and Consuming the American South. He is currently a member of the Society for the Study of Southern Literature’s Executive Council and a member of VCU’s chapter of United Campus Workers of Virginia, a wall-to-wall labor union advocating for workers’ rights in higher education.
Call for Papers:
Much has been said about the contemporary “global turn” in southern studies and its impact on the ways we think about race, ethnicity, region, and citizenship. While it has helped to increase the visibility of Latinx, Asian, Caribbean, and Native/Indigenous/First Nations populations, the stubborn persistence of a black-white racial paradigm coupled with the recent rise of white nationalism and xenophobia threaten to obscure and potentially erase their histories, cultures, and experiences. This seminar explores the future of this “global turn” and how multiethnic perspectives and approaches impact southern studies. Prior to the seminar, participants will circulate brief position papers (5 to 7 double-spaced pages) as well as a set of broader interpretive questions meant to foster discussion and develop potential collaborative projects. Possible topics include: connections to the larger Global South, contemporary immigration, and social justice activism within and among multiethnic communities.
To Apply:
Please apply to only one seminar before the deadline below. The application process is simple: send a paragraph to [email protected] describing how this seminar will be of benefit to your professional goals. (If the seminar description asks for additional materials, please also provide these documents.) In selecting participants, seminar leaders will strive for a diversity of different institutions, academic ranks, and intellectual backgrounds. Graduate students, non-tenure track faculty, and independent scholars are strongly encouraged to apply. There is no additional conference fee for seminar participation. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by June 10, 2022.
Contact Info:
Please contact Frank Cha ([email protected]) if you have questions.