CFP: Masquerade and Masking in Prairie Canada, June 5-7 2013, Winnipeg

Symposium Call for Papers
Understanding Chinese experiences of racism in Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
Masquerade and Masking in Prairie Canada

Thursday June 5, Friday June 6, and Saturday June 7, 2014

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Organizers: Alison Marshall, Brandon University and Pauline Greenhill, University of Winnipeg

Keynote speaker: Katrin Sieg, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, author of Ethnic Drag: Performing Race, Nation, Sexuality in West-Germany (University of Michigan Press, 2002).

We invite proposals for individual papers or organized panels on masking, mumming, and other aspects of traditional performance in prairie Canada. We are particularly but not exclusively interested in events where dress-up and disguise can invoke a racial, ethnic, gender, or species identity other than the performer’s own. We seek to explore not only the representation of self as someone–or something–else, but also the social and cultural meanings of such performances for diverse community audiences. Our symposium will bring together researchers and performers to discuss the historical, cultural, social, political, and religious dynamics and processes of vernacular entertainment production. We encourage contributions from a variety of approaches, including but not limited to critical race studies, cultural studies, gender studies, indigenous studies, postcolonial studies, and religious studies as well as from disciplines like anthropology, folklore, history, politics, and sociology.

We will accept proposals on the following and any other relevant subjects:

Blackface
Brommtopp
Carnivals
Chatauquas
Chinese opera
Christmas concerts
Costuming and competitions
Festivals
Halloween
Japanese fan dances
Lion dancing
Malanka
Minstrel performances
Mock weddings
Morris
Parades
Processions
Street festivals
Wild west shows
Winter masquerading

Guidelines:
Please submit individual and panel abstracts (with title) of between 250 and 300 words by September 30, 2013 to as well as a short (one paragraph) bio. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by November 15, 2013.
To facilitate better discussion, we will require your 2500 word paper for circulation among presenters by February 25, 2014. Conference presenters will have a total of 30 minutes (including 10 minutes of discussion time) for paper delivery.
We plan to publish an edited volume on the topic, and we will invite essays of 8,000-10,000 words (inclusive of references) by August 15.

Please let us know if you have questions!
More details here: http://prairiecanadaperformance.brandonu.ca/symposium-call-for-papers.html

Alison Marshall, Brandon University
Pauline Greenhill, University of Winnipeg