World Fairs and Expositions Area, Popular Culture Association / 27 – 30 March 2013
Location: Washington D.C., United States
World Fairs and Expositions Area, Popular Culture Association, invites proposals for its 2013 national conference, to be held 27-30 March 2013 in Washington, DC, USA. The Area covers all aspects of research on world’s fairs and exhibitions; commemorations and celebrations; horticultural exhibitions (in which participants present gardens and garden pavilions; and more-theme specific events, such as the Milan Triennial Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Architecture or the Venice Biennale.
Controversy will not be shunned!
A world’s fair, world fair, universal exposition, or world expo (short for exposition) is a large public exhibition. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in varying parts of the world. The main attractions at world’s fairs are the national pavilions, created by participating countries. Since their inception in 1851, the character of world expositions has evolved. Three eras can be distinguished: the era of industrialization, the era of cultural exchange, and the era of nation branding.
The goals of our area are: to share and support research, scholarship, and publication; and to mentor emerging scholars. As a result, we invite proposals from professors, independent scholars, graduate students, and undergraduates (with the guidance of a professor).
We would particularly like to encourage submissions for 2013 that celebrate a momentous world’s fair: Some examples:
- 100th anniversary of the world’s fair in Ghent (1913)
- 140th anniversary Vienna (Austria–Hungary, 1873)
- 120th anniversary Chicago (1893)
- 80th anniversary of Chicago (1933-1934)
- 55th anniversary of Brussels (the first Cold War exposition)
- 25th commemoration of Brisbane (1988)
- 10th anniversary of Taejon, Korea (1993)
In past years, papers have covered all aspects of world’s fairs, including art and architecture, themes, women’s roles, sports and film, and anthropological aspects of the ethnic nations, such as those at the 1904 fair.
Submission Guidelines: In Word (.doc/.docx), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or PDF, completed papers or 250-word proposals for individual papers, panels, roundtables, workshops, or creative writing readings should be submitted through the PCA website. Submissions must be made at http://ncp.pcaaca.org. The document should contain the following information in this order:
• Name(s) of presenter(s)—indicate main contact person if submitting a group presentation
• Institutional affiliation—if applicable
• Name and contact information of cooperating professor—undergraduates only
• Address(es), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of presenter(s)
• Title(s) of paper(s), panel, roundtable, or workshop
• Completed paper(s) or 250-word proposal(s)—if submitting a workshop, please specifically indicate what those in attendance will gain
The paper/panel proposal will be acknowledged when received, and the sender will be notified of the submission’s status no later than 1 January 2013.
Please be aware that the Area Chairs are not able to submit proposals on your behalf. If there is a problem while submitting papers please contact the Chair. Also, do not simultaneously submit the same proposal to multiple areas. Doing so is a discourtesy to area chairs. Please note that, per PCA/ACA guidelines, a person may present only one paper at the annual meeting, regardless of subject area. This includes roundtables, that is, a person cannot present a paper and a roundtable discussion.
Submission Deadline: December 7, 2012.
Please be aware that the PCA offers several travel endowment grants for graduate students and young academics. Deadlines for these are 7 January 2013. Check the PCA website www.pcaaca.org for more information.
Hope to see you in DC!
Direct all enquiries to the area chair:
Martin J. Manning
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC 20522
PH: (202) 632-9926
E-mail: ManningMJ@state.gov