[csaa-forum] REMINDER CFP: Zombies in the Academy - book chapters for an interdisciplinary anthology

[andrew whelan]

*apologies for cross-posting*

REMINDER: CFP: Zombies in the Academy: Living Death in Higher Education
Editors: Andrew Whelan, Chris Moore and Ruth Walker

Abstracts for book chapter proposals due December 15th 2010

This book will take up the momentum provided by the resurgence of interest
in zombie culture to examine the relevance of the zombie trope to
discussions of scholarly practice itself. We propose to canvas a range of
critical accounts of the contemporary university as an atavistic culture of
the undead.  We are therefore seeking interdisciplinary proposals for
chapters that will offer a critical account of the political, cultural and
pedagogical state of the university through applying the metaphor of
zombiedom to both the form and content of academic work.

We encourage submissions from a range of scholars - notably in cultural and
communication studies, but also potentially popular culture, sociology, film
studies, game studies, political science, philosophy and  education - who
would be prepared to submit chapters that examine the zombie trope and its
relation to the living death of higher education from a variety of
perspectives.

The editors of Zombies in the Academy have an agreement for publication with
Intellect Press UK for 2012. The anthology will be structured in three
sections around the general topics of:

1. corporatisation, bureaucratisation, and zombification of higher
education;
2. digital media and moribund content distribution infecting the university;

3. zombie literacies and living dead pedagogies.

Paper proposals that would fit into these sections would include essays that
might:

   - advance the zombie trope to investigate current conditions of the
   academy under pressure from the ‘zombie processes’ of audit culture and
   the MacDonaldisation of higher education
   - consider the uncanny value of the undead as itself a means of
   articulating a contemporary model of critique;
   - analyse the theme of zombies and the academic gaze through particular
   films, games, text or graphic novels;
   - discuss the zombie contagion model as an explanatory device for the
   circulation of moribund content across multiple media platforms;
   - explore pedagogical activities that use or reflect zombie narratives;
   - critically investigate the rise of zombie literacies as an epidemic
   circulated by an unthinking student horde and/or the undead ivory tower
   itself
   - reassess the zombie metaphor as something that only offers a negative
   critique, and instead suggest contexts where the zombie condition might be a
   desirable,  advantageous or alternative option in academic contexts



We also welcome proposals for experimental scholarly, graphic or creative
writing work that engages with the book theme.

Abstracts for proposed book chapters should be 1000 words.  Authors are
asked to include brief biographical details along with their proposals,
including name, academic affiliation and previous publications.

Deadline for submissions is 15th December 2010. Please select the most
appropriate book section theme for your paper, and submit proposals as an
emailed attachment  to the following editors:

For papers on the corporatisation and zombification of higher education:
- Andrew Whelan, PhD.  Department of Sociology, Sciences, Media and
Communication, University of Wollongong. Email: andrew_whelan at uow.edu.au
For papers on digital media contagion models:
- Chris Moore, PhD. Centre for Memory, Imagination & Invention, Faculty of
Arts and Education, Deakin University. Email: moorenet at gmail.com
For papers on zombie literacies and pedagogies:
- Ruth Walker, Learning Development,  University of Wollongong. Email:
rwalker at uow.edu.au

Anticipated timeline:
- proposals due December 15th 2010 (1000 words)
- contributors notified January 15th 2011
- chapters due July 1st 2011 (6,000 - 9,000 words)
- edited full manuscript to publishers December 2011
- book publication 2012 with Intellect Press UK

Check out our blog: http://zombieacademy.wordpress.com/
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