[Discussion] Place, Space, Emergence - A Special Issue of Western Folklore

[gpultar@cstgroup.org]

Place, Space, Emergence

A Special Issue of Western Folklore

Theories of space and place have come recently to the fore in several
disciplines, including folklore. Scholars suggest that transnational forces such
as global capitalism, tourism, diasporas, and media/technology have transformed
and "unbound" local places, so that places are defined by their relationship to
what lies beyond their boundaries, rather than being entirely self-defined. But
has space/place previously been as self-contained as recently implied, or is
place once again being discursively constructed as somehow premodern?

We seek to contribute to and expand upon this interdisciplinary exchange by
exploring ethnographically the emergent nature of space and/or place through
expressive culture and material behavior. Emergence suggests process, flow,
becoming, and event. How, why, and for whom do particular places emerge? How are
they events, happenings, performances? Who is the audience and for what purpose?
In what way do places flow, and in what direction? What is their relationship to
those spaces outside? How are insides and outsides constitutive, and what are
the roles of boundaries? We invite interested scholars to contribute their
thoughts to this discussion.

Topics & themes might include
Valorization of place and space
Commodification
Ideologies of power and solidarity
Globalization
Connection, linkage, process, and flow
Negotiation
Boundaries
Time
Public/private/gendered space
Communities of practice

September 30, 2005 is the deadline for 300-word proposals. Final versions due
September 30, 2006.

Lisa Gabbert
Utah State University
Department of English
3200 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84321-3200

435-797-2721
Email: lgabbert@english.usu.edu