Conference CFP: Climate Change in Culture

This is a call for papers for the Climate Change in Culture Conference to be hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, May 28-31, 2015.

As climate change becomes arguably the most pressing issue of our time, with evolving implications for societies in every cultural context, we seek to enhance our understanding of the ways in which culture and climate intersect with and animate one another.  Cultural responses to and representations of climate are particularly compelling at a time when catastrophic weather events are becoming more commonly manifest and are inspiring a wide array of cultural and interpretive responses.  Paying particular attention to the cultural implications of climate and to cultural, political, and societal responses to climate change, this conference explores how humanities-based scholarship can be brought to bear upon the evolving reality of climate change. Conference events include keynote talks given by internationally renowned climate and culture scholars, traditional academic papers and presentations, and a variety of interdisciplinary and multimedia performances.  We thus invite submissions from scholars from across the humanities, broadly defined, who are dealing with any aspect of climate and climate change in a cultural context.

Possible topics, include, but are not limited to:

literary and artistic (visual, filmic, photographic, etc) representations of climate and climate change

social and historical understandings of climate, weather, and the role of human agency;

climate change and ethics

climate change and questions of social justice including the differing questions of climate change posed by identity categories such as gender, race, disability, class, and citizenship

understandings of climate and the environment in antiquity and the classical world

cross-cultural interpretations of, and responses to climate and climate change

the implications of climate change on the production and reception of art, whatever the form

the roles of denial, fear, skepticism and rejection vis a vis climate change

threats to linguistic and cultural communities posed by climate change

teaching climate and climate change in the humanities and social sciences

the evolving place of the environmental humanities in curricular development

islands and their particular vulnerability to climate change, island-based narratives and representations of climate

The conference is hosted by the University of Prince Edward Island, home of the Atlantic Climate Lab and the Institute of Island Studies.  UPEI is situated in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on the east coast of Canada.   As the capital and principle city of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown is a vibrant cultural destination, home of the world-renowned Confederation Centre of the Arts Performing Arts Centre and birthplace of Canadian confederation.  Prince Edward Island is known for its breathtaking natural beauty and charm, thus making it an especially apt location for a conference on climate change and its human implications.   

Please submit abstracts of 250-300 words to jmcintyre@upei.ca by January 5, 2015.