JONESBORO – The Department of English, Philosophy and World Languages at Arkansas State University has opened a call for papers and presentations to be given at the 26th annual Delta Symposium, which is scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday, April 8-11, 2020.
The theme will be "The Haunted South," according to Dr. Gregory Hansen, professor of English and folklore, and chair of the symposium committee.
At the annual symposium, speakers present a variety of research topics that focus on the Delta’s history, culture and literature. Individual and panel presentations on topics relevant to the history and culture of the Arkansas and Mississippi Deltas and southeastern United States are welcome.
Special consideration will be given to proposals that specifically address this year's theme. The symposium organizers will present research that explores the theme of literal hauntings by providing a forum for the study of haunted sites, ghost stories, legends and memorates as well as other research on the paranormal, Hansen explained.
"The Delta Symposium committee also is interested in ways that 'haunting' serves as a symbolic trope in creative expression," he continued, speculating about possible presentation themes. "What memories of the past metaphorically continue to haunt people in our region? How has the trope of the 'haunted south' remained salient to writers, artists, photographers and musicians in the Delta and the wider region? How might the theme of hauntedness relate to memory studies, critical theory, and other approaches to contemporary studies of literature and culture?"
The Delta Symposium is open to work from multidisciplinary approaches including literary criticism, cultural studies, history, anthropology, folklore, ethnomusicology, sociology, speech communication, arts and art history, and heritage studies.
Although proposals that have direct connections to Arkansas and the Delta are especially welcome, more general proposals that also address the theme within Southern history, culture and heritage will be considered.
The 2020 event will conclude on Saturday, April 11, with the Arkansas Roots Music Festival through continued support from KASU FM 91.9, the university's public broadcasting service.
The complete symposium call for papers will be available online at AState.edu/delta-symposium.
The deadline for entries is Dec. 20, 2019. Each entry should consist of the presenter’s name and affiliation, a 150-word abstract of the presentation, and a current vita (two pages maximum), along with address, telephone number, e-mail address, and the technical needs for the presentation.
Entries and inquiries may be directed to the Delta Symposium Committee, c/o Dr. Gregory Hansen, chair, Arkansas State University, Dept. of English, Philosophy and World Languages, P.O. Box 1890, State University, AR 72467, or ghansen@AState.edu, (870) 972-3043.
This is a press release from Arkansas State University. ASU holds the license for KASU. More news is available at: AState.edu/news