15.10.2024

The Centre of Excellence for the Study of Cultural Identity (CESIC), The British Cultural Studies Centre (BCSC) of the University of Bucharest and New Europe College (NEC) invite proposals for a conference dedicated to MA students, PhD candidates and young researchers on Perspectives on Agency in British Culture and Cultural Studies to be held at New Europe College (21 Plantelor St., Bucharest) on Thursday, November 21, 2024.

Understood in philosophy and culture as the capacity of individuals to make free choices and act independently, with their actions or interventions producing particular effects in the world around, agency has in recent times been referred to as characterizing not only humans, but also animals and even plants, with possible extensions to the natural environment and material objects (Colligs 2023). The importance of agency in society and culture ranges from theoretical to concrete issues related to political emancipation movements and the possibility of change. Since Margaret Archer’s analysis of the autonomous role of culture in sociological thinking (1988) through the emancipation movements of the last decades of the 20th century and the rise of environmental studies, posthumanism and plant and animal studies (Donna Haraway 1991 and 2003, Rosi Braidotti 2013), the meanings of agency in cultural studies have diversified and expanded. This may include agents not traditionally invested with the capacity to decide, such as children (Jens Qvortrup 2005), migrants and racial, sexual and ethnic minorities (Mieke Bal 2011) and even non- humans and inanimate entities (Serenella Iovino and Serpil Oppermann 2014). How is agency understood in contemporary British society and culture and in British Cultural Studies? What are its implications in literature and the arts of all times? What challenges do the new definitions of agency raise and how do they relate to the history of the concept?

Keynote speaker:
Prof. dr. Sorana Corneanu (University of Bucharest) – “Becoming an Agent: A View from the Past”

We invite proposals for 20-minute presentations from MA students, PhD candidates and early career academic researchers whose work is relevant to the conference focus. Researchers in the fields of literature, film, music, theatre and performance arts, popular culture, media studies, history, politics, gender studies, intercultural and interdisciplinary communication are welcome. Papers may address issues such as (but not limited to):

• the current relevance of the term “agency”;
• what it means to be an agent and the kinds of impact an agent may have on culture and the world;
• past/ present meanings of agency;
• UK diversity, agency and the environment;
• minority and global agency;
• becoming an agent: from margin to centre in current identity definitions in the UK and the world;
• agency and cultural identity;
• theorizing agency.

Please submit a 200-word abstract with a title, 5 keywords and a 100-word bio note attached as an MS Word file to sabina.draga.alexandru@lls.unibuc.ro. MA students are required to also mention the name of an academic advisor who has agreed to supervise their writing of the paper and preparation of the presentation. Please include your contact information (name, affiliation, phone number and email address).

Deadline for submissions: Friday, November 1st, 2024. Notifications of proposal acceptance: Monday, November 4, 2024.

For any questions, please contact dr. Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru (sabina.draga.alexandru@lls.unibuc.ro). A selection of articles based on papers presented at the conference will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Limbă și cultură.