‘Constellating Americas’
Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Conference Dates: 17-19 August 2015
Call for Papers Deadline: 1 March 2015

Resolved, that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue
field, representing a new Constellation—The First Flag Act passed in 177

This resolution for the national union may seem quaint since the American flag has developed into a 50-star constellation. The scholarly field of American Studies has undergone dramatic transformation in tandem with the historical changes in the status of the US. American Studies predominantly centered on the history of that constellation has recently been “decentralize[d]” to explore the histories of those orbiting the American constellation. Transnationalism has been among the recent theoretical efforts to reconfigure and remap American Studies. Yet American Studies still remains very much within the bounds of a single constellation centering on the US. Boldly hypothesizing that the American constellation and other national constellations are orbiting one another (or is it the American constellation orbiting other national constellations?), the organisers propose to re-center American Studies on separate, parallel and/or intertwined histories of the diverse constellations. To initiate this re-centering, the organisers invite scholars from all over our earthly galaxy to engage in center-less, multi-directional exchanges. The constellations of American Studies thus created will, to borrow Walter Benjamin’s vision, configure “moments of the past into a shape with present meaning” and illuminate changes for the trans-constellational future of American Studies. Papers on any local, global, traditional and/or non-traditional aspects of American Studies are welcome. The organisers especially welcome theorization of multi-directional, trans-constellational approaches to American Studies, promoting interdisciplinary perspectives that encompass various disciplines: history, literary studies, psychology, linguistics, political sciences, educational sciences, ethnology, gender/queer studies, anthropology, and sociology. Graduate students are highly encouraged to participate.

Should any questions arise, contact:

Should any questions arise please do not hesitate to contact the Organizers:
iasaseoul@gmail.com

Communications concerning the logistics of the Congress:
asakorea15@gmail.com

Questions concerning submissions:
In English: iasaseoul@gmail.com
In Korean: iasaseoul@gmail.com
In French: johnson64@nd.edu
In Spanish: begona.simal@udc.es
In Portuguese: anaessus@uol.com.br

Questions concerning post-conference publications:
•Publications in RIAS: johnson64@nd.edu
•Publications in Journal of American Studies: asakjournal@gmail.com

IASA UK Representative: Professor Martin Halliwell: mrh17@le.ac.uk