CONSUMING [the] VICTORIANS

Asheville, NC
November 9-10, 2018
https://victoriansinstitute2018.wordpress.com/

The 47th annual meeting of the Victorians Institute (http://victoriansinstitute.org/) will explore the patterns, behaviors, and economies of consumption–both literal and figurative–that we’ve inherited from the Victorians, as well as the myriad ways in which millennial audiences consume the Victorians as part of our everyday lives. We invite participants to join us in considering the legacies of nineteenth century consumption, from the popular media we stream to the holiday traditions we hold dear to the consumer habits we can’t break.

Conference organizers are particularly interested in creating panels that address consumption and/of adaptation, literal forms of dysfunction and consumption, and pedagogy as consumption. Gillian Anderson’s performance as Lady Dedlock, Jenna Coleman’s series Victoria, and the hidden-object game based on The Moonstone depend on audiences’ interest in the Victorians, an interest created by our work in the classroom. But how do we teach students about Lowood, Rugby, or Brasenose College, without making them feel that they have been cornered by a M’Choakumchild? We welcome papers that consider pedagogy–from or concerning the Victorians–and/as consumption.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

Please send a 300-word abstract and two-page CV to the conference organizers at thevictoriansinstitute@gmail.com (Word or PDF format). Proposals should include contact information. Panel proposals should include contact information for all participants, a synopsis of the panel, and abstracts for all papers.

All proposals are due by Friday, June 1, 2018.

VI offers limited travel subventions for graduate students whose institutions provide limited or no support. If you would like to be considered, please include a brief cover letter with your proposal explaining your request and what travel support you currently receive.

The conference website will provide full details and updates at https://victoriansinstitute2018.wordpress.com/. Find general info about the Victorians Institute and the Victorians Institute Journal at http://victoriansinstitute.org/.

Thank you! The conference organizing committee -- Anita Rose (lead), Gretchen Braun, Tim Carens, Casey Cothran, Cameron Dodworth, PC Fleming, Paul Fyfe, David Latané, Albert Pionke