[csaa-forum] Call for Submission

[Adam Lam]

Dear all,
 
I have also below include the text version of what in the attached file
in case your email server block any email attachments
 
Cheers,

Adam Lam 

BA (Monash) MA (HK) PhD (Auckland)

Coordinator of Cultural Studies Programme 

School of Languages and Cultures
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch
New Zealand

Telephone: (643) 364 2987 ext. 4999
Fax: (643) 364 2598
Email: adam.lam at canterbury.ac.nz

Home Telephone: (643) 343 4241

www.lanc.canterbury.ac.nz

Extended Call for Submissions:

You are invited to join the Research Fellowship of the Ring and
contribute to an exciting book, provisionally titled How We Became
Middle-earth.  Below is the outline of the book.  As you will notice
from the tentative timeline, the initial call for submission was closed
in March.  We are now in the process of making editorial comments on the
drafts of selected essays.  We would like to make an extended call for
submissions.  We are looking for three more scholarly essays that fit
into the theme(s) of either Parts Two or Three in our book.  If you are
interested, please submit your work according to the following strict
schedule below:

 

*	30 November: a 300-word abstract with a short biopic (or CV) and
a one to two page outline of the essay.  If you have already had a paper
or a draft at hand, please send us the full paper, an abstract and a
biopic by this date.
*	31 January 2006: if selected and notified by us before mid
December, a full draft of the paper in about 3000-5000 words (or a
different length as specified in your 30 November submission that we
accept).
*	Send your submission or any enquiries to Dr. Adam Lam at 
adam.lam at canterbury.ac.nz <mailto:adam.lam at canterbury.ac.nz>   

 

Book Title:   How We Became Middle-earth

                      A Collection of Essays on The Lord of the Rings

 

Editors:        Dr. Adam Lam 

                      Programme Coordinator of Cultural Studies at the
University of Canterbury, specialising in Cultural, Literary and Film
Studies (esp. national cinema)

 

Nataliya Oryshchuk 

Tutor and PhD candidate in Literary Studies at the University of
Canterbury, specialising in Literary and Theatre Studies (esp. fantastic
literature and cinema) 

 

Subject Area/Keywords: 

 

Cultural Studies (identity, globalisation, media, tourism, consumption
society), Film Studies (esp. national cinema), Literary Studies (esp.
fantasy/fantastic literature)

 

Project Website: 
http://www.cult.canterbury.ac.nz/people/lam_website_index.htm 

 

The Fellowship Manifesto:

 

Scholars (at least those optimistic ones) have always acknowledged the
value of humour, fun and play in their academic work.  However,
generally (if not always), they see these elements as enhancers - the
icing on their academic cakes.  As a matter of fact, the cakes are
sometimes so dry, so plain and so tasteless, that only fellow scholars
are able to appreciate their nutritional values.

 

We are a group of serious scholars but we see knowledge as the icing on
the cake-the enhancer of human lives-and something to be enjoyed.  We
make sure that our work is packed with humorous, funny and playful
academic pursuits, yet we are, after all, playing a wonderful game. 

 

Anticipated Readership:

 

*	We anticipate that the book will be primarily of interest to
scholars (both in New Zealand and around the world) who are interested
in Cultural Studies, Film Studies, Literature Studies, Sociology and New
Zealand Studies.
*	Universities and other tertiary institutions (again, both in New
Zealand and around the world) will be able to use the book, either as a
textbook or as a recommended reading, for relevant courses.

*	The book will meet a current demand, especially in subjects and
areas such as English Literature, Cultural Studies, Film Studies and New
Zealand Studies in New Zealand high schools.
*	The book will also attract a more general audience, especially
fans of J.R.R. Tolkien or Peter Jackson, who will appreciate an academic
approach to the worldwide phenomenon of The Lord of the Rings. 

 

Tentative Time Line:

 

31 March 2005:           Deadline for essay proposal submissions.

31 May 2005:              Notification of selection results.

30 September 2005:    First drafts of full essays from all contributors.

30 November 2005:    Feedback and suggested amendments from the editors

31 January 2006:         Second drafts of full essays.  Publishing
house-style editing begins.

May/June 2006:           Finalisation of manuscripts.

Late 2006:                   Book to be printed and marketed (for the
2007 academic year)

 

Book Layout:

 

A total of about 20 essays in addition to a preface, introduction,
conclusion and biographies will be arranged into three parts (see
below).  This is a predominantly academic work though it includes some
entertaining or informative contents (such as documents, photos and maps
of sites) that will also appeal to a broader (and not necessarily
academic) readership.  The book will also include illustrations (mainly
photos taken by the contributors), a bibliography and an index.

 

Expected total length: 350-380 pages, including 300 pages of texts and
30-40 pages of illustrations.

 

The book will be divided into three parts, with the headings referring
to the titles of each episode/volume of The Lord of the Rings.  The
division of the content, however, will be made in accordance with the
themes of the contributing essays.  The following are tentative
headings:

 

Part I: The (Research) Fellowship of the Ring

The journey we have taken to reach this manuscript and an account of the
general readership of Tolkien's tale

 

*	Preface 
*	Introduction by the editors
*	The Fellowship of the Ring (i.e. biographies of the
contributors)
*	Any contributing essays/documents by the film crew(?)
*	A collection of audience-oriented essays/studies (i.e. how the
reading and viewing audiences have been attracted by the Ring; field
studies of the audiences such as statistics, survey or interviews; etc.)

 

Part II: A World Being Consumed by the Two Towers

This tale (particularly the film trilogy) in the age of transnational
capitalism and the (mis)use of it in today's consumer society

 

*	Any contributing information provided by New Zealand Tourist
Commission(?)
*	A collection of essays on commercialisation and the idea of
transnational cultural/film industries:

	*	how New Zealand and other countries identify themselves
as Middle- earth, in the context of globalisation;
	*	cultural/theme tourist industry; 
	*	how New Zealand became "The Best Supporting Country" (or
The Best Location) at the Academy Awards; 
	*	how we became Aotearoawood.

 

Part III: Where Does the King Return to?

(Popular) culture, identity, technology and indigenisation

 

*	A collection of essays reading the tale as escapist fantasy
and/or (post)modern nostalgia:

	*	a comparison with other "fantasy worlds" such as
Moominvalley, Disneyland, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc; 
	*	essays on the cultural implications of live and digital
games (e.g. Live Role Playing Games or Internet, computer and video
games, respectively).

*	Conclusion: A Journey to Erewhon

 

 

 
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