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<TITLE>CFP: The Material of American Studies</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12pt'><B><I>AJAS</I> Call for Papers<BR>
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The Materials of American Studies, December 2012.<BR>
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Bill Brown observes that by the end of the nineteenth century, “the invention, production, distribution and consumption of things rather suddenly came to define a national culture” [<I>Sense of Things</I> 4]. This issue of the <I>Australasian Journal of American Studies</I>, “The Materials of American Studies,” explores the role of <I>objects </I>in understanding, representing, tracing and conceptualising America, its past and present. We invite essays that explore the material of American Studies: the production, reproduction, consumption and circulation of objects from the colonial period to the present.<BR>
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Possible topics:<BR>
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thing theory<BR>
the uses, values and desires surrounding objects<BR>
the instruments of everyday life: furniture, food, magazines, clothing<BR>
modes of production, new technologies<BR>
the archive, museum, library <BR>
local places, architecture, interior design, urban planning<BR>
memorabilia, souvenirs, memorials<BR>
collecting and hoarding <BR>
crime scenes <BR>
historical documents such as maps, ephemera, ledgers<BR>
private and public, unofficial and official records<BR>
moviegoing, reading practices <BR>
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Please send a 250-word abstract and a brief bio to Sarah Gleeson-White <FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U><a href="sarah.gleeson-white@sydney.edu.au">sarah.gleeson-white@sydney.edu.au</a></U></FONT> or Melissa Hardie <FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U><a href="melissa.hardie@sydney.edu.au">melissa.hardie@sydney.edu.au</a></U></FONT> by <B>1 October 2011</B>. Final submissions will be due <B>1 February 2012.</B> All articles are refereed and should not normally exceed 6, 000 words in length. Enquiries welcome.</SPAN></FONT>
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