DATE: April 4th, 2009

We are in the process of finalizing panels and confirming attendees. Please let us know as soon as possible whether or not you can attend.

We received very interesting submissions. With the interdiscplinary nature of the conference, we expect to have some very lively discussions and illuminating exchanges.

Fee: $25.00 per person
Payable in advance by check.

Please make the check out to UMass English Graduate Conference and mail to:
Amanda Carr
English Department
University of Massachusetts
170 Bartlett Hall
Amherst, MA 01003

If you have any questions, please email the committee.

Locating Public(s) is an interdisciplinary conference for Graduate Students to be held April 4, 2009 at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The conception of the Public (or Publics) has been contested in historical, social, and political arenas within the various discourses of language and culture. Although, arguably, the public and its space have been a subject of investigation since antiquity, recent scholarship has reconceived earlier definitions in light of contemporary political shifts and the increasingly invasive presence of media and technology into the private sphere.  By examining notions of the public, we hope to revisit this concept within a contemporary framework.  What are the forms of the public and what issues are raised by its problematic definition?  Is the dichotomy between public and private a dated conception?  How can inquiries into the public inform our notions of other fields that require the public and publicity for their operation?

In addressing the need for a current and expanded conversation about the public that exceeds disciplinary boundaries, this conference aims to create a space for graduate and professional students from various fields within the Humanities to engage in dialogue, learn from interdisciplinary perspectives, make connections, and share in our investigation of the public and its bearings on our own work and lives.