The Next Generation of Cultural Research: Building New Cultural Intelligence for 21st Century Problems

SPONSORED and SUPPORTED by:
Centre for Cultural Research, the University of Western Sydney
ARC Cultural Research Network
Cultural Studies Association of Australasia

HOSTED by:
Postgraduate students from
Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
This conference aims to gather postgraduate students and early career researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Asia to explore both what it means when we call ourselves cultural researchers and how people coming from different academic backgrounds see the nature and challenges of conducting cultural research in the 21st century. We encourage participants from all cultural-focused perspectives, including (but not limited to) cultural sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, film studies, media studies, museum studies, heritage studies and art history.

Papers are invited on individuals’ projects, and presenters will be asked to reflect on how their research contributes to strengthening the agenda of cultural research. As a starting point for participants, it is suggested that in a world that is increasingly globalised, diverse and technologically mediated, new knowledge practices are required to address the cultural challenges and contradictions that exist in the 21st century. In particular, focus for this conference will be on generating genuine solutions to social and cultural problems through forging accessible, transparent and practicable forms of cultural understanding.

Topics, for example, may include:
• intercultural dialogue and interaction;
• community collaborations;
• innovative methodologies for cultural research;
• virtual, digital and new media communications;
• new knowledge production and scholarly work;
• problematising nature vs. culture;
• practising social and cultural inclusion;
• cultural research beyond national borders;
• knowledge exchange between scholarly and policy arenas;
• the empirical turn in cultural research; cultural flows;
• the critique of identity;
• processes of critique and their relationship to cultural change;
• interdisciplinarity and cultural research;
• globalization and cultural research;
• professionalization of cultural research;

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AND OTHER FEATURES
• Keynote address will be presented by Professor Tony Bennett (CCR).
• All sessions will be chaired by respondents from academic staff in the field of cultural research and cultural studies
• All participants will be invited to a workshop on the second morning of the conference, provisionally titled: "Forging our future: how we see cultural research going forward".

PAPERS - SUBMISSION GUIDELINE AND KEY DATES
• An abstract (250 words) accompanied by presenter’s biography (150 words) must be submitted using the online application form by 10th May 2010.
• Non-standard presentations (for example artistic/performance/film displays) are encouraged. A biography of the presenter (150 words), as well as an abstract (250 words) demonstrating the relationship of the non-standard presentation to the conference theme is requested and must be submitted using the online application form by 10th May 2010.
• The conference committee will review all abstracts and it reserves the right to accept and reject abstracts for inclusion in the program.
• Notification of acceptance by 4th June 2010
• Written papers for standard presentations (a maximum of 3,000 words, including footnotes and bibliographies) must be submitted prior to the conference by 27th August 2010. These papers will be reviewed by academic respondents for providing comments and advice during the sessions.

PRESENTATION
• Oral presentations will be delivered as addresses of 20 minutes followed by comments and discussions.
• Audio-visual equipment (laptop, projector and screen) will be provided in the conference rooms.
• Non-standard presentations – requirements of presenters will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

TRAVEL SUPPORT
There are a limited number of travel bursaries available for interstate Australian and International students (up to $200 for east-coast Australian students and $400 for other Australian participants and international students). These will be presented to students based on the merit of the submitted abstract and how it relates to the conferences theme. You will be informed of your success of travel support with notification of acceptance of your paper.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please contact Shanna Robinson, a convenor of the postgraduate conference: s.robinson@uws.edu.au