CFP: Spectral Spaces and Hauntings (anthology)
Edited by Christina Lee
"We moderns, despite our mechanistic and rationalistic ethos, live in landscapes filled with ghosts." (Michael Bell, 1997: 813)
We are soliciting contributions for an anthology which will explore the spectral quality of space. The language of hauntings will be implemented to unpack how absence, emptiness and the imperceptible can signify an overwhelming presence of something (that once was, and still is) there. A major premise of the book is that space is constituted of both physical terrain and psychological landscapes that are infused with memory and history. As such, places are always ambivalent.
The anthology is committed to generating critical dialogue surrounding how hauntings and the spectral create affective spaces that have very real and powerful impacts upon identity and experience. At the core, we ask: how and why do certain places haunt us? The book will be an interdisciplinary project drawing from fields that include Cultural Studies, History, Sociology, Geography, Fine Art and Film Studies.
Possible areas of research include (though are not limited to):
- sites of memorialisation e.g. monuments, grave sites, museums
- former sites of conflict/violence/disaster e.g. crime scenes, internment camps
- abandoned sites and structures e.g. disused buildings, deserted towns
- heritage sites
- transformed landscapes e.g. gentrified neighbourhoods, reclaimed territories
- sites of clandestine activity
Submissions (abstracts of 250 to 300 words) must be sent via email to the editor before 29 March, 2013. This should include a short author bio and recent publications. Accepted contributions (6,500 to 7,500 words) will be due 30 August, 2013.
Contributors, please address all inquiries and proposals to: Dr Christina Lee (Curtin University, Western Australia) (email@example.com)
Curtin University, Western Australia
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