[Urbanstudy] CFP Traversing the Margins Conference 2017 | Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences| IIT Madras | 3-5 February 2017

[Piyush Kumar]

*Traversing the Margins*


*Annual Academic Conference of the Department of Humanities and Social
Sciences, IIT Madras*

*3-5 February 2017*



*CALL FOR PAPERS*


The annual conference of the *Department of Humanities and Social Sciences,
IIT Madras* on the theme: *“Traversing the Margins”* will take place from *3rd
to 5th February, 2017*.


The condition of marginality has been widely used in contemporary academic
discourse. Marginality exists as a structure that pushes many to the
borders of humankind, despite Francis Fukuyama’s declaration of the “end of
history”. Indeed, power pervades quotidian life and our discourses, however
progressive they claim to be, are marked by exclusions.


We recognize that marginality exists in relation to centrality. To traverse
the margins is to challenge the centre, unravel the power structures of the
canon and in the process, transgress and blur the boundaries that exclude.
At the same time, the idea of the margins itself needs to be investigated
through the processes of identity formation facilitated by power structures
or sculpted through resistance and negotiation. Issues concerning the
Margins are played out for confrontation on our television sets and
conversations, newspapers and social media feeds, shaping discourse and
ideologies.


This conference will attempt to raise questions for discussion on the power
dynamics between the centre and Margins such as:

Does social disadvantage provide an epistemic advantage when talking about
the human condition? How do we theorise the body and biopower in a
heteronormative culture? How do the processes of legalization act in the
legitimation or inclusion of marginalities? Do initiatives that attempt to
improve social mobility recreate the very power structures that they seek
to repudiate? What sort of role does language play in marginalisation and
at the same time in mobilization? How do alternative definitions of
well-being and health impact livelihoods and the economy? How do older
forms of expression like oral histories redefine dominant narratives? How
do erstwhile marginalised genres surface with the emerging agency of the
margins in the power structure? How are marginalized political cultures
changing the political landscape and altering our subjectivities? What are
the subversive potentialities of art? Has globalization lived up to Thomas
Friedman’s promises of emancipatory potential for the margins? How do we
balance multiculturalism with universalism in human rights and
international law? How can economics address the questions of marginality
and through what kinds of theoretical lenses?


Papers and posters need not be restricted to the above questions. We
welcome abstracts and papers from all disciplines of the humanities and
social sciences: sociology, literature, anthropology, political science,
international relations, culture studies, urban studies, gender studies,
languages at the margins, economics, history, film/media studies, for our
interdisciplinary conference.



*DEADLINES*


Abstracts of *no more than 500 words* should be submitted by *October 8,
2016.* *Please note, this call for papers and poster presentations is open
to graduate and doctoral students. *Those who submit near the October 8
deadline will receive confirmation of acceptance or rejection by October
31st, 2016. Papers will be blind-reviewed. *Please note that full papers
and posters are expected to be submitted by December 22, 2016. Travel and
accommodation expenses of conference presenters will be covered by the
organizers subject to submission of final papers/posters. *



*All further information can be found on our website
<http://www.hss.iitm.ac.in/conf2016/index.php> and facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/hssconfiitm> page. Interested participants may
mail their entries to dohssconference at gmail.com <dohssconference at gmail.com>*



Please feel free to get in touch with us for any queries or clarifications
that you may have and we will get back to you at the earliest.


Thanks and regards,

Piyush Kumar,

Head, Academic Affairs Team,

Department Conference 2017,

IIT Madras, Chennai.


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