CFP: Bridging North America: Connections and Divides, University of Turku, Finland, August 28-30, 2014

University of Turku, Finland
August 28-30, 2014

The John Morton Center for North American Studies, established at the University of Turku in 2014, invites proposals for previously unpublished papers for its inaugural conference, “Bridging North America: Connections and Divides,” to be held on August 28-30, 2014. The conference seeks to bring together junior and senior scholars from inter/disciplinary backgrounds from the social sciences and the humanities to explore various cultural, socioeconomic, geographic, and political connections and divides between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and their global ramifications. The papers may deal with either historical perspectives or contemporary issues, and they may include both empirical and theoretical considerations. We particularly encourage submissions that engage in interdisciplinary and multi-methodological discussions on the study of North America.

Topics for paper presentations may include:
• bridges, borders, and boundaries
• the movement of people, goods, and services
• information flows, leaks, and security
• continental economies, policies, and politics
• transnational relationships
• identity formations, identity transformations, and identity politics
• cultural expressions, sporting practices, and visual representations
• interdisciplinary theories and practices

Please email abstracts of 250 words for 20-minute paper presentations, together with a max. 150-word bio, including name, institutional affiliation and position, phone number and email address, to Research Coordinator Johanna Leinonen, email johlei@utu.fi. Abstract Deadline: May 31, 2014. Participants will receive notifications of acceptance by June 15, 2014.

Selected papers will be published in a textbook designed for the transnational North American Studies classroom context, to be published in 2015. The book will follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.

For further information, please visit the conference website at http://www.utu.fi/en/units/jmc/bridging2014/Pages/home.aspx .

For general inquiries, please contact us at jmc@utu.fi.

The Conference Committee at the University of Turku:
Dr. Benita Heiskanen, Director, John Morton Center for North American Studies
Ph.D. Candidate Aleksi Huhta, Department of General History
Ph.D. Candidate Suvi Karila, Department of Cultural History
Dr. Janne Korkka, University Lecturer, Department of English
Dr. Johanna Leinonen, Research Coordinator, John Morton Center for North
American Studies
Ph.D. Candidate Mari Toivanen, Coordinator, Network for Research on
Multiculturalism and Societal Interaction