Communal Studies: Dedicated to the Understanding and Study of Intentional, Contemporary and "Utopian" Communities
Conferences
The CSA holds an annual conference in the Fall. The unique feature of these conferences is that they always occur at a communal site. Conference locations have included Shaker Villages, Hutterite Colonies, Harmonist sites of Old Economy and New Harmony, and the Amana Colonies. Conferences often feature additional trips to contemporary intentional communities and historic communal sites. These trips offer conference participants an exciting opportunity to experience intentional community living.
Conference Calls for Papers and other conference information
The CSA conference in Auroa, Oregon, is October 1-3, 2009.
New Harmony, Indiana
September 30-October 1, 2010
List of past and future CSA conference sites
The Society for Utopian Studies Call for Papers, 2009:
|
The Society for Utopian Studies invites you to submit abstracts for any of the following:
- a paper (between 15-20 minutes)
- a panel (usually of 3 papers)
- an informal panel on a topic (e.g., 3 presenters, or a presenter and 2 or 3 respondents)
- a presentation or performance of creative work on any topic related to utopia
Scholars and artists from all disciplines are encouraged to present on difficulties and opportunities afforded by the theme “utopian theory/utopian practice.” How do we understand the relationship between theory and practice in a field where the practice might seem improbable and the theory “merely theoretical.” How utopian can theory be if it cannot be put into practice? How utopian can practice be if it continually strays from theory? We also welcome papers on other aspects of the utopian tradition -- from the earliest utopian visions to the utopian speculations and yearnings of the 21st century, including art, architecture, urban and rural planning, literary utopias, dystopian writings, utopian political activism, theories of utopian spaces and ontologies, music, new media, or intentional communities.
Please send a 100-250 word abstract by May 10, 2009 to:
Claire P. Curtis
Department of Political Science
66 George St.
College of Charleston
Charleston SC 29424
Or e-mail submissions to curtisc@cofc.edu (please put "sus submission" in the subject line)
As you submit your abstract, please indicate if you have:
A. any scheduling restrictions
B. audiovisual needs (overhead projector; DVD/VHS player)
C. a need for a written letter of acceptance of your proposal, or whether an e-mail acceptance will suffice.
Changes in the time and date of your panel will not be possible after panels are scheduled; requests for AV will not be honored unless you submit them with your original abstract.
For inquiries about the program e-mail Claire Curtis at curtisc@cofc.edu
For information about registration, travel or accommodations, please contact the Conference Coordinator, Peter Stillman at stillman@Vassar.edu
The Blockade Runner Hotel is located in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, a barrier island just off the coast near Wilmington, North Carolina, and a 12 minute taxi ride from the Wilmington airport (ILM). The hotel's rooms front either the Atlantic Ocean, with a wide sandy beach, or an extended harbor and beyond that marshlands, with swimming, sailing, kayaking, and other water sports. Free parking is available for registered guests. In addition to the hotel restaurant, a few restaurants are within walking distance. A car affords access to more restaurants and to Wilmington, a small, flourishing city with diverse culinary and cultural offerings.
