::fibreculture:: REMINDER CFP: Zombies in the Academy - book chapters for an interdisciplinary anthology

[Chris Moore]

*apologies for cross-posting*

REMINDER: CFP: Zombies in the Academy: Living Death in Higher Education

Editors: Andrew Whelan, Chris Moore and Ruth Walker

Abstracts for book chapter proposals due December 15th 2010

This book will take up the momentum provided by the resurgence of
interest in zombie culture to examine the relevance of the zombie
trope to discussions of scholarly practice itself. We propose to
canvas a range of critical accounts of the contemporary university as
an atavistic culture of the undead.  We are therefore seeking
interdisciplinary proposals for chapters that will offer a critical
account of the political, cultural and pedagogical state of the
university through applying the metaphor of zombiedom to both the form
and content of academic work.

We encourage submissions from a range of scholars - notably in
cultural and communication studies, but also potentially popular
culture, sociology, film studies, game studies, political science,
philosophy and  education - who would be prepared to submit chapters
that examine the zombie trope and its relation to the living death of
higher education from a variety of perspectives.

The editors of Zombies in the Academy have an agreement for
publication with Intellect Press UK for 2012. The anthology will be
structured in three sections around the general topics of:

1. corporatisation, bureaucratisation, and zombification of higher education;
2. digital media and moribund content distribution infecting the university;
3. zombie literacies and living dead pedagogies.

Paper proposals that would fit into these sections would include
essays that might:

  * advance the zombie trope to investigate current conditions of the
academy under pressure from the ‘zombie processes’ of audit culture
and the MacDonaldisation of higher education
  * consider the uncanny value of the undead as itself a means of
articulating a contemporary model of critique;
  * analyse the theme of zombies and the academic gaze through
particular films, games, text or graphic novels;
  * discuss the zombie contagion model as an explanatory device for
the circulation of moribund content across multiple media platforms;
  * explore pedagogical activities that use or reflect zombie narratives;
  * critically investigate the rise of zombie literacies as an
epidemic circulated by an unthinking student horde and/or the undead
ivory tower itself
  * reassess the zombie metaphor as something that only offers a
negative critique, and instead suggest contexts where the zombie
condition might be a desirable,  advantageous or alternative option in
academic contexts


We also welcome proposals for experimental scholarly, graphic or
creative writing work that engages with the book theme.

Abstracts for proposed book chapters should be 1000 words.  Authors
are asked to include brief biographical details along with their
proposals, including name, academic affiliation and previous
publications.

Deadline for submissions is 15th December 2010. Please select the most
appropriate book section theme for your paper, and submit proposals as
an emailed attachment  to the following editors:

For papers on the corporatisation and zombification of higher education:
- Andrew Whelan, PhD.  Department of Sociology, Sciences, Media and
Communication, University of Wollongong. Email:
andrew_whelan at uow.edu.au

For papers on digital media and technologies of contagion:
- Chris Moore, PhD. Centre for Memory, Imagination & Invention,
Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University. Email:
moorenet at gmail.com

For papers on zombie literacies and pedagogies:
- Ruth Walker, Learning Development,  University of Wollongong. Email:
rwalker at uow.edu.au

Anticipated timeline:
- proposals due December 15th 2010 (1000 words)
- contributors notified January 15th 2011
- chapters due July 1st 2011 (6,000 - 9,000 words)
- edited full manuscript to publishers December 2011
- book publication 2012 with Intellect Press UK

Check out our blog: http://zombieacademy.wordpress.com/

-- 
Dr Christopher Moore
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Centre for Memory, Imagination and Invention
School of Communication and Creative Arts, Faculty of Arts and Education
Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
c.moore at deakin.edu.au
moorenet at gmail.com
03 9244 6438
Twitter: CL_Moore
Scribd: Moorenet