GWSS Community Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Fouzi Slisli, curator
Kathryn Haddad, executive director
Mizna
2205 California Street NE #109A
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55418
www.Mizna.org
Mizna@Mizna.org
612-532-0747
612-788-6920

Mizna Presents:
The Twin Cities 5th Arab Film Festival
October 16-19, 2008
The Heights Theatre
3951 Central Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis
Cost: $5 student/low income $8 general admission
Festival Passes available $40 advanced (online) $55 at door
http://www.mizna.org/arabfilmfest08/index.html

As the only Arab film festival in the Upper Midwest, Mizna’s Fifth Arab Film Festival is becoming a cultural feature of the region. This year’s event will run from 16th to 19th October, 2008 at the historic Heights Theatre in Minneapolis. Over 20 feature films, experimental shorts, and documentaries will be given public screening in morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Themes explored include immigration and exile, war and peace, religion and sexuality and most films will receive their Minnesota or US premiere. Many screenings will be followed by a discussion with panels of international Arab filmmakers and academics. The festival will also include public receptions which will provide a gathering point for the community to dialogue on issues related to art, life, and the Arab condition in the US and abroad.

Mizna’s Arab Film Festival was designed to meet two basic needs: to introduce authentic Arab and Muslim culture to the American public, and to offer the Arab-Muslim communities in the US a genuine forum where complex, even sensitive issues can be freely and safely discussed.

The Arab-Muslim world is the most embattled region in the world and its peoples are the most scrutinized - even vilified - people on the planet. How do Arab films reflect this situation? How is cinematographic production affected by the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon? How do Arab filmmakers deal with the issues of immigration, gender equality, terrorism, political prisoners and other burning issues? Does cinema provide a refuge from the painful reality, or does it provide a safe ground to confront it? Mizna’s Fifth Arab Film Festival might not provide the answers for these questions, but it hopes to initiate the discussion.

Some special events include:
• Thursday October 16th: El Ayel/ A Muslim Childhood by Moumen Smihi followed by a catered reception.
• Friday October 17th: Slingshot Hip-Hop and A Jihad for Love. The first explores a vibrant Hip-Hop scene in occupied Palestine and the second explores the issue of homosexuality in the Muslim world. Slingshot Hip-Hop’s director Jackie Selloum will be present for a post-screening discussion, and Palestinian Hip-Hop band DAM will give a performance on the fringe of the festival at the Cedar Cultural Centre on Saturday night.
• Saturday October 18th: Meeting Resistance by Molly Bingham and Steve Cox; a fascinating documentary on the Iraqi resistance to US occupation, followed by a discussion with the directors. Adieu Méres by Mohammed Ismail explores the mass immigration of Jews from Morocco to Israel in 1960.
• Sunday October 19th: Jerusalem: The East side Story is among the first films to document life for the Arab population of Jerusalem under Israeli occupation. Arab Cinema: The State of Things closes the festival with director Nasser-Eddine Benalia leading the discussion on the state of things of cinematographic production in the Arab world.
• Also on Sunday, October 19th, Detroit native Rola Nashef will be speaking after the showing of her film, Detroit Unleaded. It is a fictional look at Detroit’s Arab population and the world of gas station ownership.

ABOUT MIZNA

Mizna is an Arab American organization that provides a forum for promoting Arab culture and gives voice to Arabs through literature, art, and community events. Founded in 1998,
Mizna publishes the only journal of Arab American literature in the United States. In addition to the literary publication, Mizna works with the local community to facilitate Arab artistic
expression through cultural classes, invited national and international Arab writers and artists, and local community forums to encourage the development of Arab American artistic
expression.

Visit our website at http://www.mizna.org.

Posted by Charlotte Albrecht at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deadline extended to October 1, 2008 for proposals.

Call for papers for Challenging the Maternal Notion: Essays on an (Un)traditional Instinct

Editor: Alina M. Luna, Ph.D. (Western State College of Colorado)

Submissions are sought for an edited collection of essays that challenge traditional ideas of maternal instinct and motherhood. Interdisciplinary in nature, the collection seeks to offer a range of views that question or offer alternative explanations concerning aspects of the maternal that have traditionally been accepted as true. In doing so, this project will create a space for inquiry and analysis into what has been considered a sacred figure, yet one that has become increasingly lethal in our contemporary culture. The concept for this edited collection has garnered the interest of two academic presses.

Within the 20th and 21st centuries, academic essays and research studies such as those produced within the social and natural sciences (in anthropology, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy; in psychiatry, Dominique Bourget and Pierre Gagné; and in genetics, David Haig) have attempted to question the nature of maternal instinct, but controversy has followed. Writers and directors of film and fiction, often vehicles for the ideologies of popular culture, have depicted such mothers within the realms of horror and suspense (Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King and David Cronenberg) or camp (John Waters). Musicians have also written and performed songs that depict mothers in bleak and questionable terms (Chrissie Hynde, The Police, Genesis). Within the medical and legal fields, one must ask if motherhood and maternal instinct are being redefined by advancements in reproductive endocrinology (assisted hatching, egg donation, preimplantation genetic diagnosis) and problematized by prosecutorial arguments in a growing number of filicide trials (those of Andrea Yates, Deanna Laney, Dena Schlosser).

Essays that comment upon, conduct research, or incorporate unconventional images or ideas about motherhood are welcome. Examinations of such ideas for their broader implications within specific disciplines or fields of expertise, and upon the characterizations of maternal instinct taken to be “true,� are encouraged; as are alternative explanations as to why the public seems reluctant to acknowledge destructive/negative tendencies of maternal instinct. Because the breadth and scope of this project rely heavily upon the contributors, topics may include (but are certainly not limited to):

* cross-cultural analyses of the maternal figure

* studies of prenatal competition and other genetic conflicts that may challenge maternal instinct

* representations of the mother/maternal body in film, literature or art

* scientific and/or cultural perspectives on violent mothers

* critical analyses of public reaction to negative depictions of mothers/maternal figures

* law and the lethal mother from different cultural perspectives; or the challenges of prosecuting or defending a violent mother

* religious or philosophical treatments of the maternal

* postpartum depression/psychosis

* practical function(s) of the mother and its sentimentalization

* reproductive advancements in medicine and its effect upon definitions of the maternal

* sociological or psychological trends that are re-shaping the role of the mother

* marketing to the mother in a consumer culture

*problematizing the “stage mother,� the “soccer mom,� the “yummy mummy,� and the “M.I.L.F.�

* defining a system of (maternal) ethics (i.e., whether or not it’s easier to absolve a mother of a mercy-killing or violent act done for “the good� of another.)

Ideally, many disciplines and perspectives would be represented, thus, submissions from those outside of the academy are also encouraged.

Those who would like to submit creative texts (poetry, fiction, lyrics, and/or personal reflections by writers engaged in alternative or provocative representations of the mother, the maternal body or instinct) should do so. A section of the collection may be devoted to them.

Interested contributors should submit a 500 word abstract/proposal along with a vita (as attached MSWord documents or Rich Text Files) to me at aluna@western.edu by October 1, 2008. Receipt will be acknowledged via e-mail. (Given an overzealous network spam filter, I ask that “maternal notion� be included in the subject line). Inquiries may also be directed to this email. Acceptances made in late October 2008. Final critical essays of approximately 15-20 pages (double-spaced, Chicago style unless otherwise noted) and creative texts of 2,500 words or less will be due April 1, 2009.

Alina M. Luna, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of English

Dept. of Communication Arts, Languages and Literature

Western State College of Colorado

aluna@western.edu

Please note: Authors submitting essays or creative texts are asked not to simultaneously submit them to other journals or collections. Submitted material should not have been published elsewhere in substantially similar form or with substantially similar content.

Posted by Rae at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deadline extended to October 1, 2008 for proposals.

Call for papers for Challenging the Maternal Notion: Essays on an (Un)traditional Instinct

Editor: Alina M. Luna, Ph.D. (Western State College of Colorado)

Submissions are sought for an edited collection of essays that challenge traditional ideas of maternal instinct and motherhood. Interdisciplinary in nature, the collection seeks to offer a range of views that question or offer alternative explanations concerning aspects of the maternal that have traditionally been accepted as true. In doing so, this project will create a space for inquiry and analysis into what has been considered a sacred figure, yet one that has become increasingly lethal in our contemporary culture. The concept for this edited collection has garnered the interest of two academic presses.

Within the 20th and 21st centuries, academic essays and research studies such as those produced within the social and natural sciences (in anthropology, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy; in psychiatry, Dominique Bourget and Pierre Gagné; and in genetics, David Haig) have attempted to question the nature of maternal instinct, but controversy has followed. Writers and directors of film and fiction, often vehicles for the ideologies of popular culture, have depicted such mothers within the realms of horror and suspense (Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King and David Cronenberg) or camp (John Waters). Musicians have also written and performed songs that depict mothers in bleak and questionable terms (Chrissie Hynde, The Police, Genesis). Within the medical and legal fields, one must ask if motherhood and maternal instinct are being redefined by advancements in reproductive endocrinology (assisted hatching, egg donation, preimplantation genetic diagnosis) and problematized by prosecutorial arguments in a growing number of filicide trials (those of Andrea Yates, Deanna Laney, Dena Schlosser).

Essays that comment upon, conduct research, or incorporate unconventional images or ideas about motherhood are welcome. Examinations of such ideas for their broader implications within specific disciplines or fields of expertise, and upon the characterizations of maternal instinct taken to be “true,� are encouraged; as are alternative explanations as to why the public seems reluctant to acknowledge destructive/negative tendencies of maternal instinct. Because the breadth and scope of this project rely heavily upon the contributors, topics may include (but are certainly not limited to):

* cross-cultural analyses of the maternal figure

* studies of prenatal competition and other genetic conflicts that may challenge maternal instinct

* representations of the mother/maternal body in film, literature or art

* scientific and/or cultural perspectives on violent mothers

* critical analyses of public reaction to negative depictions of mothers/maternal figures

* law and the lethal mother from different cultural perspectives; or the challenges of prosecuting or defending a violent mother

* religious or philosophical treatments of the maternal

* postpartum depression/psychosis

* practical function(s) of the mother and its sentimentalization

* reproductive advancements in medicine and its effect upon definitions of the maternal

* sociological or psychological trends that are re-shaping the role of the mother

* marketing to the mother in a consumer culture

*problematizing the “stage mother,� the “soccer mom,� the “yummy mummy,� and the “M.I.L.F.�

* defining a system of (maternal) ethics (i.e., whether or not it’s easier to absolve a mother of a mercy-killing or violent act done for “the good� of another.)

Ideally, many disciplines and perspectives would be represented, thus, submissions from those outside of the academy are also encouraged.

Those who would like to submit creative texts (poetry, fiction, lyrics, and/or personal reflections by writers engaged in alternative or provocative representations of the mother, the maternal body or instinct) should do so. A section of the collection may be devoted to them.

Interested contributors should submit a 500 word abstract/proposal along with a vita (as attached MSWord documents or Rich Text Files) to me at aluna@western.edu by October 1, 2008. Receipt will be acknowledged via e-mail. (Given an overzealous network spam filter, I ask that “maternal notion� be included in the subject line). Inquiries may also be directed to this email. Acceptances made in late October 2008. Final critical essays of approximately 15-20 pages (double-spaced, Chicago style unless otherwise noted) and creative texts of 2,500 words or less will be due April 1, 2009.

Alina M. Luna, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of English

Dept. of Communication Arts, Languages and Literature

Western State College of Colorado

aluna@western.edu

Please note: Authors submitting essays or creative texts are asked not to simultaneously submit them to other journals or collections. Submitted material should not have been published elsewhere in substantially similar form or with substantially similar content.

Posted by Rae at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department at Macalester College
is hiring a full-time, tenure-track advanced Assistant Professor or
Associate Professor in the field of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender/Queer Studies. Strong preference will be given to a candidate
with interdisciplinary work based in the social sciences. The successful
candidate will be a recognized scholar who has teaching and research
expertise in studies of gender/sexuality as these are contextualized in more
than one of the following ethnic American contexts (Native-American Indian,
Latino/Latina, Chicano/Chicana, African-American, Asian-American, and
Anglo/European-American). In addition to this U.S.-based cross-cultural
expertise, an ability to create comparative studies (U.S. with other
national feminisms and sexualities) is desirable. The candidate will be
expected to teach introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses in
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a distinct basis in the history
of feminist/queer theories. More information about the department is
available on our website (www.macalester.edu/wgs).

Screening of applications will begin on *October 15, 2008*, and may be sent
to the Chair of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department,
Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105. To apply, please
send a letter of application, a statement of teaching and research interests
and philosophy in relation to a liberal arts college*,* CV, three letters of
recommendation, reprints/pre-prints, and teaching evaluations (if
available).

*Macalester College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college in
the vibrant Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, with a population of
approximately three million people and home to numerous colleges and
universities, including the University of Minnesota. Macalester's diverse
student body comprises over 1800 undergraduates from 48 states and the
District of Columbia and over 75 countries. The College is proud of its
long-standing, mission-driven commitment to outstanding academic excellence
with a special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service
to society. We are especially interested in applicants dedicated to the
pursuit of excellence in both teaching and research/creative activity within
a liberal arts college community. As an Equal Opportunity employer
supportive of affirmative efforts to achieve diversity among its faculty,
Macalester College strongly encourages applications from women and members
of underrepresented minority groups.*

Contact:
Dr. Sarker
American Council on Education Fellow, 07-08
Professor, WGSS and English
Chair, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55105, USA.
www.macalester.edu/wgs/people.html
http://works.bepress.com/sonita_sarker/
Office Phone: 1-651-696-6316

Posted by Rae at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Working Title: Spilling Over: A Fat, Queer Anthology
Editor: Jessica Giusti, Feminist Studies Ph.D. Student, University of Minnesota
Contact: spillingover@gmail.com
Submission Deadline: December 1, 2008

Despite the attention given by queer studies to the materiality of bodies and the cultural and social inscriptions that designate them, still a dearth of both scholarship and literature exists around intersections of gender, sexuality, and fatness. As fat studies begins to emerge as a viable academic location of inquiry, questions surface as to how fat bodies, deemed "excessive" in their trespasses of size and space, create even more complex subject positions when compounded by queer desires. This proposed anthology seeks contributions addressing junctions of "fat" and "queer" in pieces that consider the representations and resistances of non-normative corporeality and also writings considering the theoretical conceptions of these intricate subjectivities. Spilling Over will reflect the notions of excess, boundaries, and containment implied by the labels "fat" and "queer" both singularly and collectively. In the form of scholarly writing and creative non-fiction pieces, essay submissions might consider (but are not limited to):

• theorizing the concept of "excess" as it pertains to fatness and queerness
• fat and queer identities; personal narratives; reclaiming "fat" and "queer"
• notions of (in)visibility, hypervisibility, and passing and/or privilege
• intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, (dis)ability, age, and religion
• the economics of the obesity "epidemic" and the diet industry
• fat, queer art and performance; performativity
• pleasure, sex-positivity, eroticizing non-normative bodies
• acceptance movements, political activism, resistance
• the engagement of feminism with fatness
• global, transnational, transcultural constructions of fat, queer bodies and lives
• critical reflections of fatness and queerness in media, literature, film, music, and visual arts
• the rhetoric of fat oppression, fatphobia, homophobia, transphobia, bigotry, responding to and/or addressing hate speech

By December 1, 2008, please send your 2,000 – 6,000 word submission, along with your complete contact information and a 50-100 word biography, to spillingover@... with the subject line of "Spilling Over – Submission." Submissions must be received in 12 point Times New Roman font and sent in via Word documents (PDFs will not be accepted). Pieces will be reviewed and decisions made by April 2009. Please note that accepted submissions will be approved on a tentative basis, pending editorial board approval once the anthology has secured a publisher.

Questions can be directed to me at spillingover@gmail.com or visit the MySpace page at www.myspace.com/spillingoveranthology

Posted by Rae at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)