Sustainable Futures: Crisis Management & The Uses of the Past

Workshop: 27 – 28 April 2011. Institute of Historical Research, London.
Examining the cultural and political uses of the past, approaches to immediate crises, and strategies for sustainable futures in early modern discourses of landscape and environmental change.

Speakers
Jo Esra (Exeter-Cornwall) 
Heather Falvey (Cambridge) 
Juliet Fleming (New York University)   
Alun Howkins (Sussex)                                                            
Ayesha Mukherjee (Exeter-Cornwall)     
Alasdair Ross (Stirling)
Philip Schwyzer (Exeter-Streatham)                               
Charlotte Scott (Goldsmiths)
Bill Shannon (Lancaster)                                                     
Paul Warde (UEA)                                                 
Ian Whyte (Lancaster)                                                          
Nicola Whyte (Exeter-Cornwall)

Further Information:
Dr Ayesha Mukherjee (Department of English): A.Mukherjee@exeter.ac.uk
Dr Nicola Whyte (Department of History): N.M.Whyte@exeter.ac.uk 

Marlowe Society of America - Free Copy of the Annual

The Marlowe Society of America now has a plan in place to give its current members a free copy of the inaugural issue of the forthcoming annual, Marlowe Studies: An Annual. You will need to request a copy, and the procedure is below.

Here’s what you need to do:
-- Be sure that your membership is current; if you have a question, check with our membership chair, Sarah K. Scott (sscott@msmary.edu)

-- Send an e-mail both to Sarah (sscott@msmary.edu) and Roslyn Knutson, the MSA president (rlknutson@ualr.edu) in which you provide the following information:

1. Your request for a copy
2. The status of your membership (provide the year you joined the MSA if you know that)
3. Your current address

Here’s the most important thing:
-- We need your request by Monday, May 9, 2011
-- If your membership is not now current, you have until 15 April to get it current. You can now become a member or renew your membership online, at http://users.ipfw.edu/stapletm/msa/Membership.html

The press will send you the copy of MS:A at its publication around June 1.


Cultures of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe, Trinity Term, Oxford

On behalf of the convenors, Pietro Corsi and Peter Harrison, the ‘Cultures of Knowledge’ Project is delighted to share the programme of its second seminar series, ‘Cultures of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe’, which you are warmly invited to attend. Details and poster available on the Project website:

http://www.history.ox.ac.uk/cofk/events/seminars-2010-11

Seminars will take place in Trinity Term 2011 on Thursdays at 3-5pm in the Lecture Theatre of the History Faculty on George Street. Papers and discussion will once again be followed by a wine reception. All are welcome!

Dr James Brown

Project Coordinator | Cultures of Knowledge
http://www.culturesofknowledge.org

Unsealed: The Letters of Bess of Hardwick

The AHRC Letters of Bess of Hardwick Project (English Language, University of Glasgow) is proud to launch "Unsealed: The Letters of Bess of Hardwick" at Hardwick Hall.

All of the Elizabethan world populates the letters of Bess of Hardwick, and Bess herself wrote hundreds of letters throughout her life: they were her lifeline to her travelling children and husbands, to the court at London, and to news from the world at large. And when she built and moved to Hardwick Hall in the final years of her life, the old countess received current news and gossip into her house through her correspondence.

Unsealed presents the world of Bess of Hardwick’s letters to a general public for the first time, and lets Bess and her correspondents tell their stories in their own words. Visit the exhibition and listen to the podcasts online: www.bessofhardwick.org/listen.

Read more about the Project at http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/englishlanguage/research/researchprojects/bessofhardwick/.

Book Destruction

Call For Papers for a Conference at
Senate House, University of London
16 April 2011

Much attention has been given in recent years to the book as a material, historical object and its possible technological obsolescence in the era of digitization. Such reflections have tended to concentrate on the production and cultural circulation of books, their significance and their power to shape knowledge and subjectivities. But there is another aspect to our interactions with the book which remains relatively unexplored: the history of book destruction. In certain circumstances books are treated not with reverence but instead with violence or disregard. This conference invites reflections on this alternative history of the book, and we welcome papers from a range of historical periods and disciplinary backgrounds. We welcome proposals from postgraduate students, as well as from more established academics.

Why do people destroy books? What are the mechanics of book destruction: the burning, pulping, defacing, tearing, drowning, cutting, burying, eating? What are the cultural meanings that have been attached to book destruction, and what do they reveal about our investments in this over-familiar object? Why should the burning of books have such symbolic potency? Book destruction is often invoked as a symbol of oppressive, despotic regimes; what is our ethical position, now, in relation to such acts? What is the relationship between book destruction and other forms of cutting up (quotation; collage)? When do acts of destruction become moments of creativity? How does destruction relate to recycling and reuse? Do transitions in media (manuscript to print; print to digital) threaten those older forms? How might the current phase of digitization and the gradual disappearance of library stock relate to prior moments of destruction? In the internet age, is it still possible to destroy (that is, completely erase) a text? What does materiality mean in a digital age?

Please send 300-word proposals (for a 20 minute paper) and a brief CV, to
Dr Gill Partington (g.partington@bbk.ac.uk) and
Dr Adam Smyth (adam.smyth@bbk.ac.uk),
by 10 January 2011.



UCL: Position Available as Non-Stipendary Lecturer in Renaissance Literature

UCL English Department is seeking to appoint a 2-year Teaching Fellow in Shakespeare, Renaissance and Early Modern Literature, to start in Sept 2011. For details, please go to

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english/about/vacancies.htm

The closing date is 14 April 2011.

-----------------------------------------------------
The Queen's College, Oxford wishes to appoint a non-stipendiary lecturer in Renaissance literature for two years, from 1 October 2011 to 31 September 2013. The post-holder will be expected to teach four hours of tutorials and/ or classes a week during full term, averaged over the year, taking responsibility for the delivery of FHS Paper 2 (Shakespeare), FHS Paper 4 (English Literature from 1550-1660) and either FHS Paper 5 (English Literature from 1642-1740) or FHS Paper 3 (English Literature from 1100-1509). Depending on available hours and student choice, the post-holder may also contribute to Mods Paper 1 (Introduction to Literary Studies), and final year special author and special topic papers. For details see http://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/) . The deadline for applications is Friday 6 May. Informal enquiries about the post can be made to Dr Rebecca Beasley, Tutorial Fellow in English, at rebecca.beasley@queens.ox.ac.uk.

British Shakespeare Association: PhD Scholarship Funding: Shakespeare and Adaption

British Shakespeare Association

On behalf of Deborah Cartmell, former Trustee and editor of Shakespeare: the Journal of the British Shakespeare Association, I would like to make BSA members aware of the opportunity below:

PhD Scholarship (fees only) - Shakespeare and Adaptation
English and Creative Writing

STARTING OCTOBER 2011

A PhD research studentship covering tuition fee costs in the area of Shakespeare and Adaptation is available to suitably qualified UK or EU students. The studentship will complement research strengths in this area within the internationally-renowned Centre for Adaptations and the Department of English and Creative Writing.

Topics could include new research in the fields of Shakespeare and the new technologies, adaptations of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, teenpic adaptations of Shakespeare, Shakespeare, race and adaptation, Shakespeare, gender and adaptation, animated Shakespeare, Shakespeare and romantic comedy, contemporary cinematic allusions to Shakespeare, Shakespeare and Hollywood, biographical adaptations of Shakespeare, or silent Shakespeare.

For more detailed information about the studentship project please contact Dr Siobhan Keenan on +44 (0)116 207 8126 or email skeenan@dmu.ac.uk.

Further information

This research opportunity is one of 28 scholarships funded by DMU in 2011/12 to build on our excellent achievements in the RAE2008 and looking forward to REF2014. It will develop the university’s research capacity into new and evolving areas of study, enhancing DMU’s national and international research partnerships.

Applications

Applications are invited from UK or EU students with a good first degree (First, 2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Doctoral scholarships are available for up to three years full-time study starting October 2011 which will cover the cost of University tuition fees.

Applicants should contact Anne McLoughlin to receive an application pack. Please email amcloughlin@dmu.ac.uk or call +44 (0)116 250 6409/6179 for further details.

Please quote ref: DMU studentships 2011

CLOSING DATE: Monday 11 April 2011

Nine Post-Doctoral Research Positions in Australia

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions in collaboration with The University of Western Australia, The University of Adelaide, The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney and The University of Queensland, seeks to appoint nine exceptional postdoctoral researchers to contribute to research projects in the history of emotions in Europe, c. 1100-1800.  The Centre addresses big questions: to what extent are emotions universal? How, and to what extent, are they culturally conditioned and subject to historical change? What are the causes and consequences of major episodes of mass emotional experiences? How are emotions created and conveyed through the arts? How does Australia’s emotional heritage influence today’s social and cultural patterns?

The Centre draws on advanced research expertise at five nodes in Australia (the universities of Western Australia, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland), plus research partnerships in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden. Our approach is strongly interdisciplinary, with researchers spanning the fields of social and cultural history, literature, art history, museology, Latin studies, history of medicine and science, musicology and performance practice.  These prestigious research positions (with additional $16K pa research support) offer an exciting opportunity for innovative and enthusiastic scholars with demonstrated track records in medieval and/or early modern studies and a capacity to engage in interdisciplinary research.  Benefits include 17% superannuation and generous leave provisions. Some relocation allowance for successful applicants will be considered. These and other benefits will be specified in the offer of employment.  

The University of Western Australia
• Research Associate (Interpretations and Expressions of Emotion) (Ref: 3449)
For position information go to:
https://www.his.admin.uwa.edu.au/jobvacs/external/academic/ads.htm


The University of Adelaide
• Research Fellowship in Medieval or Early Modern Europe, (Position number 16567),
• Research Fellowship in the Emotional History of Law, Government and Society in Britain, 1700-1830, (Position number 16568) 
For position information go to: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/jobs/current/

The University of Melbourne
• Research Fellowship in Emotions and Sacred Sites
• Research Fellowship in Texts describing Emotions
For position information and to apply online go to:
http://www.hr.unimelb.edu.au/careers


The University of Queensland
• Research Fellowships: Reason and the Passions in English Literature, 1500-1800 (2 positions)
For position information go to: http://www.jobsatuq.net


The University of Sydney
• Postdoctoral Research Associate in Emotions related to Suicidal Impulse (Ref 160/0111)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Emotional Responses to Public Death (Ref 161/0111)
For position information and to apply online go to:
http://www.sydney.edu.au/positions


Literary Shakespeares + Theatrical Shakespeares Workshop, April 2011

Saturday 9th April 2011
The Theatre Workshop
The University of Sheffield

“Reade him, therefore; and againe, and againe.” (John Heminge and Henry Condell)

In 1623 the actors who put together the first folio urged the public to read (and buy) Shakespeare. But despite this early gesture of interdisciplinarity, the relationship between literary texts and theatrical performances has never been straightforward. The Romantics famously viewed the staging of drama as inferior to reading, and G. Wilson Knight felt that the “deeper meanings” of a play would not “speak in theatrical terms”. For others reading a Shakespeare play is always an incomplete act, an experience of the drama in the wrong medium. In more recent times students, scholars and actors have celebrated Shakespeare as both literary and theatrical. Not only attention to professional productions, but also the act of performance itself is increasingly playing a part in the literature seminar room. In addition, any preparation for a Shakespeare performance involves a close reading of the text(s). With “performance history” sections now a staple part of scholarly editions of Shakespeare, and theatrical and film productions of the plays informing (and forming the subject of) literary criticism, the boundaries between literature and performance are proving ever more porous. Yet while the interactions between text and performance proliferate, the meaning of this interaction remains up for debate.

Literary Shakespeares + Theatrical Shakespeares is an opportunity for critics and performers, lecturers and school teachers to debate what Shakespeare’s different manifestations mean in the twenty-first century. We invite abstracts for 20-minute papers based on the following topics:

 Approaching the text(s):
·       What do actors, dramaturges and literary critics look for when reading Shakespeare’s texts? 
·       What constitutes and what is the use of “close-reading”?
·       What is the relationship between acting and interpretation? 
·       What can students and scholars of literature learn from actors’ preparation? 
·       Do performers and literary critics define concepts such as text, script and character in the same way? 

Theorising texts and performances:
·       How might interplay between critical theories and performance analysis enhance our understanding of Shakespeare's texts?  

·       What motivates the literary critic’s use of performance in textual editions and scholarship? 
·       What constitutes the “text” of a performance?  How useful are the traces of a performance (scripts, reviews, costumes, stills, etc.) in analysing the ephemeral experience of the theatrical performance itself?

·       Would the development of more rigorous methodologies be helpful or limiting? 
·       Should different disciplines work together more closely, or do we need to be clearer about our differences?  Where might such interdisciplinary dialogue take place?

Performance and pedagogy:
·        What are the similarities and differences between teaching Shakespeare at undergraduate level in English degrees, Theatre degrees and conservatoires?

·        Should we create a closer collaboration between the ways in which we teach texts and performances in order to offer students broader views of Shakespeare?  What form might such collaboration take? 

·        What has been the impact of new pedagogical methods such as enquiry-based learning?
·        What implications does the way Shakespeare is taught in schools have for teachers in Higher Education institutions? 

·        How have initiatives like the RSC’s “Stand Up for Shakespeare” reconceptualised students’ understanding of Shakespeare and their expectations of Shakespeare courses? 

Abstracts of approximately 250 words should be sent to Dr Carmen Szabo (c.szabo@sheffield.ac.uk) and Dr Gillian Woods (gillian.woods@sheffield.ac.uk) by 7th February 2011.


LRS: Early Modern Childhood and Adolescence: Histories, Fictions and Performances

Early Modern Childhood and Adolescence:
Histories, Fictions and Performances

London Renaissance Seminar
Birkbeck College2 April 20111.30pm-5.00pm
Room 252, Main BuildingMalet Street, WC1.
Organiser: Lucy Munro


The last decade has seen a remarkable surge of scholarly interest in early modern childhood and adolescence.  It has also seen the revival of a number of plays originally performed by boy actors, notably through Globe Education’s Read Not Dead project and in productions with all-boy casts at schools such as King Edward VI Grammar School, Stratford-on-Avon, and Magdalen College SchoolOxford.  The seminar will assess recent developments and explore new approaches.



 

The afternoon will feature papers by Kate Chedgzoy (Newcastle University), Sarah Knight (University of Leicester) and Katie Knowles (University of Liverpool), and a roundtable discussion on children’s company plays in performance, with Andy Kesson (University of Kent), Shehzana Mamujee (Globe Education/Central School of Speech and Drama) and Perry Mills (King Edward VI Grammar School, Stratford-on-Avon).


The London Renaissance Seminar meets at Birkbeck College regularly to discuss the literature, culture and history of the English Renaissance. It is free and welcomes all students, academics and people with an interest in the Renaissance or early modern period. The steering committee are Tom Healy, Margaret Healy, Gordon McMullan, Lucy Munro, Michelle O’Callaghan and Sue Wiseman.  For further information please contact Lucy Munro (l.munro@engl.keele.ac.uk).




Essay Prize in Adaptation Studies - Deadline April 2011

The Association of Adaptation Studies invites submissions of essays of up to 4,000 words for consideration for our essay prize.  Submissions are invited from anyone currently registered for either an undergraduate or postgraduate degree on any subject within Adaptation Studies.   The winner will be awarded £50.00, a year’s subscription and publication in the journal, Adaptation. Trustees of the Association of Adaptation Studies will judge the essays.


Submissions should be sent to: djc@dmu.ac.uk <mailto:djc@dmu.ac.uk(marked ‘Essay Prize’)

Deadline for essays: 1st April, 2011