In recent years, the processes, flows, forces, and trends which could be called "globalisms" or "globalization," as well as theories surrounding these developments, have contributed to renewed interest in the connections within and among America, the Americas, and the rest of the world. With this in mind, this conference seeks to bring together student scholars from various disciplines around the central theme of the national imaginary and how it relates to the global imaginary.

How do we articulate the "states" we are in-- politically, intellectually, aesthetically, ethnically, emotionally, sexually, psychologically-- and what difference might these articulations make? What exactly is a "national imaginary" in today's world where the nation-state seems to be increasingly diffuse and deterritorialized? How do cultural forces influence a nation's sense of itself, and how do those same forces influence how nations view each other and the world as a whole? How are political and economic decisions being determined or influenced by broader cultural ideologies or forms? What does it mean to imagine one's self as a citizen in a purportedly "globalized" world? How do identity politics interact with aesthetic formations of the self in an era where national identity is merely one of many competing subjectivities? All of these questions are merely the beginning of a series of inquiries this conference hopes to explore.

We are currently accepting paper proposals for this graduate student conference. Again, we encourage submissions from a wide range of disciplines and with diverse historical and formal foci; in other words, work from "non-Americanists" might be particularly apt, given the fact that we are questioning the very idea of any single version of "America" in the first place. All accepted papers will be published; details to be announced.

Possible topics might include, but are by no means limited to:

Race, Ethnicity and "Imagined Communities"
Gender and Sexuality in a Global Context
Advertising and Commodity Flows
Ecological Globalism(s)
The Media, Violence, and Identity
Visual, Musical or Verbal Aesthetics and the Nation
Science, Technology, and the Nation
Transnational and/or Nationalist Religious Movements
Creating a "Just Cause" in Art and Politics
Image, Empire, and Aesthetics
Imagining States of Resistance
Americanization and "High and Low" Cultures
Hidden or Forgotten America(s)
Transnational Politics and Aesthetics

ALSO: Artistic responses (such as paintings, sculptures, etc.) to all of the above are highly encouraged-- we would like to exhibit thematically-related art at the conference. Please follow the regular submission guidelines for individual papers and, if possible, include a photo of your piece.

Paper abstracts should be no more than 300 words. All submissions should be formatted in a Word-compatible application and preferably sent via e-mail to Elizabeth Freudenthal at
freuden@umail.ucsb.edu with the subject heading "ACGC conference submission." Alternately, please send hard-copies to the English Department, South Hall 2607, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106. ATTN: American Cultures and Global Contexts Center.

Submission Deadline: December 8, 2003.