January 2005 Conference on the Rhetorics of Identity

This was posted yesterday on Rhetoric-L by L. G. Bloomquist on behalf of J. David Hester:

Dear Friends and Colleagues -

Due to interest concerning the conference, we have extended the deadline for submissions.

Please post this information anywhere you wish - the wider the variety of fields represented at the conference, the more exciting it will be.

Previous conference participants are encouraged to return; those who have not yet participated are most heartily welcome to join us.

-J. David Hester

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The Centre for Rhetorics & Hermeneutics is [excited] pleased to announce Rhetorical Constructions of Identities: Place, Race, Sex and the Person, the next in series of successful international conferences exploring rhetorical theory in the context of pressing public issues. The conference will take place Thursday through Saturday, January 20-23, 2005 at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.

All proposals pertinent to the topic will be considered. Explorations can include: biblical constructs of sacred identity and persona, issues of race and ethnic constructions, religious reconstitutions of the subject, sexed identities and desire, political and legal definitions of the subject and their implications, philosophies of individualism, honor-shame cultures and dyadic personalities, the conflict of allegiances, the role of the person in rhetoric and ad hominem argumentation, medical discourse and research and their impact upon ideas of the self, among other subjects. Participants from the fields of anthropology, philosophy, literature, rhetoric, religion, social and political sciences, medicine and ethics, to name a few areas of possible interest, are welcome.

Our conferences are unique in their conception and dialogic approach. They have remained interdisicplinary and transdisciplinary in inspiration and practice. Our commitment is to provide a context of safety where respect and dialog can take place, where experts come together to share from a variety of fields offer insights not usually available in larger and more disciplinary settings, and where international connections are fostered.

Proposals must be submitted by October 31, 2004 with notification of acceptance made by November 8, 2004. As we have done in the past, all proposals must be sent in by mid-January for distribution to all conference participants prior to arrival. Presentations are limited to 10 minutes, with 30-45 minutes roundtable dialogue to follow.

Participants who have joined us in the past will be given priority, but we welcome any and all to come join in the exchange. Registration is free, but transportation, lodging and food must be covered by the participants themselves.

The presentations will be published electronically in the journal Queen, but possibility of pulp publication will be discussed at the conference.

Please send proposals by October 31, 2004 to david@ars-rhetorica.net and /or jdhester@adelphia.net.