Anthropological Connections:

New Spaces and New Networks?

Call for Papers
Annual Conference

CASCA
Montreal

May 31 – June 3, 2010

The 2010 Canadian Anthropology Society Annual Conference will be held from
May 31 to June 3, 2010, at Concordia University in Montreal, within the
framework of the Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and
Social Sciences.

This year’s theme chosen by the Canadian Federation for Humanities and Social
Sciences is “Connected Understandings”.

In order to relate to this theme while framing it with an anthropological

perspective, the program committee of CASCA 2010 Annual Conference
proposes to explore the theme of “connections”.

Theme: Anthropological connections: New Spaces and New Networks?

The notion of connection almost automatically evokes the advent of new

information and communication technologies (ICTs). Because contemporary
social and communicative landscapes are being modified by ICTs, the recent
emergence of numerical technologies leads us to question changes that social,
cultural, political and economic practices are undergoing. Thus, the notion of
connection implies themes revolving around “linkages” such as principles of
network connection and social reconfigurations. In the context of a contemporary
anthropology confronted by a globalised world, encounters between cultures,
individuals, groups, products and information often unfold within the framework of
numerical technologies. Going beyond the dynamics of articulation between the
local and the global, a privileged theme in anthropology since the 1980s, the
electrical and computer-based metaphor of connection invites us to rethink
contemporary anthropological practices and concepts.

The idea of connection speaks as much to numerical technologies, new forms of

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sociability, new sites of sociality and networks of socialization as to the roles of
these technologies in the configuration of social relationships. Thus, it is
important to think about new forms of social interactions within the context of the
advent of ICTs and to explore how these technologies transform the rapport
between individuals, as well as between the individual and the globalised world
that surrounds her or him. How do people appropriate these technologies in the
context of social and cultural exchanges? How do they share experiences of
intimacy and finitude in a globalised world immersed in numerical technology?
How does anthropology position itself in a space and time that is constantly being
reshuffled? More than just new research objects, how do these new informational
tools influence the work of the anthropologist? It is equally important to probe the
circumstances in which technological transformations do not encourage the
making of anthropological connections. Namely, in which contexts and under
what conditions do social connections not get produced?

Recent dynamics linked to globalization and the establishment of the

Internet gave rise to a host of anthropological works that address
certain aspects of these issues. Nevertheless, the majority of these
works explore the constitution of the cyberspace, its uses and effects
on the articulation between local socio-cultural dynamics and the
socio-political forces of globalization. Within the framework of CASCA
2010, we intend to reexamine ICTs by teasing out the stakes of
sociability, and by encouraging a reflection on the epistemological,
methodological and ethical issues included in recent forms of
connections as they pertain to the contemporary practice of
anthropology. The theme of connection emphasizes modalities of
knowledge construction (local and anthropological), recent
transformations of social and cultural experience, and the various
forms of anthropological representations, while acknowledging ethical
and methodological dimensions of these representations.

Here are some suggestions of themes to be explored within the context of

CASCA 2010:

• Crossings between ICTs and various elements of social practices

such as family ties, health, art, political issues relating to
advocacy, gender studies (gendered uses and representations),
various age groups, religion, material cuture, regulation systems,
expressive cultures, etc.

• The relationship between ICTs and anthropological fieldwork

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 (methodological reflections, ethical questions, multi-sited
ethnography and depth of fieldwork, etc.)

• Notions of subjectivity and intersubjectivity in light of recent

dynamics linked to globalization and numerical technology.

• Re-thinking the local and the global in terms of, among others,
technological gaps and appropriations, but also in the context of
new forms and sites of sociability.

• Civil society and public spaces in regards to new dynamics of

social, cultural, political, economic and technological
connections.

• Notions of power and resistance in the context of ICTs (blogs,

networking tools, etc.)

• The notion of connection in light of knowledge based on physical

anthropology and genetics.

• The forms of connection drawn from economic neoliberalism

(new market structures, impacts on local societies, etc.)

• Issues revolving around media (telemarketing and culture in the

context of ICTs, ICTs and democratization of media production,
etc.)

• Popular forms of knowledge in the context of a globalised world

shaped by ICTs (rumors, urban legends, popular knowledge, etc.)

• Forms of contemporary disconnections: factors, aspirations,

relationships and logistical considerations that may be involved
in deliberate or incidental severance of social ties.

Although the congress aims to stimulate discussions and critical

reflections on the theme of Connections, presentations that fall outside
of the proposed theme will also be considered.

We look forward to seeing you all in large numbers!

Marie Nathalie LeBlanc, Vered Amit, Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier,

Joseph Lévy, Deirdre Meintel et Géraldine Mossière, Program
Committee, CASCA 2010.

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 ***

Submissions are welcome in English and French.

This year, the 2010 CASCA program committee encourages in particular the
submission of films in visual anthropology and multimedia productions. Daily
sessions will be dedicated to these types of presentations.

The 2010 CASCA program committee equally encourages the participation of

graduate students, particularly within the framework of panels and round-tables
organized by professors. We will nevertheless include a maximum of 5 student
panels in the program this year. There is an option on the submission form to
indicate whether you are submitting a request for a student panel.

***

You must be a member of CASCA in order to submit a paper or a multi-media

presentation, and to propose a panel, a symposium or a round-table.

CASCA members will receive the journal Anthropologica for one year.

Registration fee for CASCA membership:

Regular member: $80
Family/joint: $125
Student, retired, unwaged, post doctoral candidates: $30
Sustaining member: $100

Conference fees are additional.

The fee for participating in the 2010 Congress of the Canadian Federation for the
Humanities and Social Sciences is $120.

Registration fees (CASCA)

Regular member:
Before March 15, 2010: $90
After March 15, 2010: $110
Student, retired, unwaged, post doctoral candidates
Before March 15, 2010: $70
After March 15, 2010: $90

Additional charges will be applied for participation in following events:

1- Women’s caucus luncheon: $20
2- Banquet dinner (including meal, music and animation; closed bar): $30
3- Reception at Weaver-Tremblay (paying bar)

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Cancellation policy

Should participants wish to cancel their registration for CASCA 2010, please
send an e-mail to: CASCA2010@gmail.com.

Cancellations submitted before April 1, 2010 will be completely reimbursed

(100%). Please note that participants requesting a cancellation after this date
and before May 1, 2010 will be reimbursed 50% of their registration fee.
Cancellations that are made after May 1, 2010 will not be reimbursed.
Reimbursements are available for the CASCA 2010 registration fees only
(registration fees for membership to CASCA are not reimbursed).

For details about the reimbursement of registration fees for the 2010 Congress of
the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, please consult
the policy of the Congress (http://www.congress2010.ca).

***

Submission instructions

Deadline for submissions is January 20, 2010. Late submissions will not be
accepted.

In order to submit a proposal (paper, visual or multimedia presentation, panel,

symposium, round-table), participants must have their CASCA membership fee
paid, be registered to the 2010 Congress of the Canadian Federation for the
Humanities and Social Sciences and to CASCA, and have paid their registration
fee.

Participants who do not have their CASCA membership fee and their registration
fee for the CASCA 2010 conference paid by April 10, 2010 will be excluded from
the final program.

Submission guidelines

The program committee of CASCA 2010 invites different types of proposals and
strongly encourages panels and symposia that will bring together researchers
from a variety of academic backgrounds:

15-minute papers: Individual proposals accepted by the CASCA 2010 program

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committee will be organized by workshops. Presentations submitted in the
framework of a panel, symposium or round-table must be submitted by the
president of the panel, symposium or round-table. Proposals will include a 150-
word abstract.

15-30 minute visual or multimedia presentations: Individual proposals accepted

by the program committee will be organized into panels. Proposals will include a
200-word abstract, along with a description of the visual or multimedia aid that
will be used.

90-minute panels: Panels will be composed of 4 to 5 presentations, followed by a

discussion. Please do not include more than 4 presentations should a formal
discussant be invited. Proposals will include a 150-word abstract describing the
theme of the panel, a list of participants (including the president, the chair and
the discussant) and 150-word abstracts for each presentation.

Symposia: Symposia will be composed of at least 2 panels of 90 minutes each.

Symposia panels will be presented one after the other and in the same location,
as much as possible. Proposals will include a 150-word abstract describing the
theme of the symposium, a list of participants (including the president, the chair
and the discussants) and 150-word abstracts for each presentation.

Round-tables: Round-tables will be 90 minutes and less formal than panels.

Participants will not propose formal communication but will rather address a
specific theme or issue to be submitted by the organizers of the round-table.
Proposals will include a 250-word abstract describing the theme of the
symposium and a list of participants (including the president, the chair and the
discussants)

***

Please follow these four steps to register and submit a proposal for CASCA
2010:

1- Register (and pay) for CASCA membership: To become a member of CASCA

or to renew your membership, go to the “membership” page on CASCA’s website
and follow the instructions: http://www.cas-sca.ca/

2- Register (and pay) for the congress: Go to the Congress of the Canadian
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ website, click on the heading
“For Delegates” and follow instructions for registration:
http://www.congress2010.ca/

3- Submit a proposal: Go to CASCA’s webpage and click on the heading

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“Conference”, and then “2010 Conference” and follow instructions for submission
according to type of proposal: http://cas-sca.ca/casca.

4- Register (and pay) for the banquet dinner for CASCA 2010: Go to CASCA’s
webpage and click the heading ““Conference”, and then “2010 Conference” and
follow instructions: http://cas-sca.ca/casca.

You will be notified about the acceptance of your proposal after March 1,
2010.

If you have any questions or would like to receive further information, please
contact the organizing committee of CASCA 2010 at CASCA2010@gmail.com.