Thursday 20 December 2012

HUMAN SCIENCES SEMINAR: Manchester Metropolitan University

Programme Spring 2013
All meetings begin at 5 pm

Room 2.31
Geoffrey Manton Building
Rosamond St. West
Manchester
M15 6LL


24th Jan.             
Expressive Individualism, the Cult of the Artist as Genius and Milton’s Lucifer
Patrick Madigan, Heythrop College         

31st Jan.              
Lyotard’s Blues
Antony Hudek, Liverpool John Moores/Tate Liverpool

7th Feb.              
Teaching-Led Research: Heidegger and the Idea of the University
Mark Sinclair, MMU
                                               

28th Feb.            
Cosmopolitanism and the End of Humanity: A Grammatical Reading of Post-humanism
VĂ©ronique Pin-Fat, University of Manchester

7th Mar.              
Sartre on Knowing One’s Own Character
Jonathan Webber, University of Cardiff

14th Mar.           
Regret, Narrative and First Personal Thinking
Anna Bergqvist, MMU
                               

For further information contact:
Keith Crome, Manchester Metropolitan University Dept. of History, Politics and Philosophy, Geoffrey Manton Building Manchester, M15 6LL

PhD funding opportunity: Anthony Burgess Foundation


Applications are invited for a PhD bursary, to support research into the literature or music of Anthony Burgess and his contemporaries. The bursary will support a scholar beginning his or her studies in the academic year 2013-14. The bursary is tenable anywhere in the world and offers up to £15,000 per annum for a maximum of three years.

Areas of research might include the literature or music of Anthony Burgess and his contemporaries, or a critical investigation into one of the areas in which Burgess published, e.g. dystopia, historical fiction, science fiction, Cold War fiction, Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, literary journalism, literary biography, music and literature, or literary translation.

Applicants should submit a detailed proposal and two academic references (in English). To be eligible, applicants should already have been offered a place on an accredited university PhD programme.

For further information please write to director@anthonyburgess.org

The closing date for applications is 1 May 2013.

Thursday 13 December 2012

City Fun archive now online

Manchester District Music Archive's brand new online exhibition:
"City Fun - The Hidden History of Manchester's Post-Punk Fanzines"
went live over the weekend.

Included in the pages of 'City Fun' is an article credited to Burt
Macho which has now been established as the work of Morrissey; now
unmasked for the first time...

The 'City Fun' fanzine was published between 1978 and 1984 and is a
remarkable eye-witness account of one of the most fertile periods in
Manchester's music history; in its pages you get the unfolding
insider story of the rise of Joy Division, the death of Ian Curtis,
the beginnings of the Smiths, and the launch of the Hacienda plus a
unique insight into the city's independent labels, long-lost venues
and half-forgotten bands.

'City Fun' was one of many fanzines of the era; home-made, and
cheaply but passionately produced magazines aimed at lovers of
non-mainstream music, and sold by hand at gigs and in record shops.

Many contributors have since found fame, among them the artist Linder
Sterling. Researchers working on this 'City Fun' online archive have
also established that an article about Sandie Shaw by "Burt Macho"
was a contribution by none other than Morrissey.

Morrissey was a reader and a fan of 'City Fun' but he chose to write
in the fanzine under the pseudonym "Burt Macho".  It was just as the
Smiths were taking off; the same issue carries an advert for the
first Smiths single. John Peel said it was most important fanzine of
its time, and certainly nothing will give you greater insight into
the ideas and history of post-punk Manchester. It’s all in 'City Fun'.

The 'City Fun' online exhibition is part of Manchester Histories
Festival's ongoing celebration and investigation of Manchester's
fanzines. Festival Director Claire Turner; "This online exhibition
creates a permanent record of an era of alternative music in
Manchester that's now become internationally famous. The archive is a
source of information to historians and a source of inspiration for
subsequent generations."

The online exhibition of the 'City Fun' archive can be found here;

http://www.mdmarchive.co.uk/cityfun/

Monday 10 December 2012

MMP Grad Prog (12/12): Research Resources / Stigma and Sex Work Research

Two talks this Weds ---- the first of interest to all PGRs in terms of resources available to you, and on what to expect when it comes to thesis submission time!

The second will be of particular use to those engaged in collecting field data, and those engaged in the study of "difficult" (controversial, contested) topics... as well as those thinking of working in research outside of academe.

Internal Speaker: 3.10 - 4pm, Room 3.02, MediaCity (Salford Campus)
External Speaker: 4.10 - 5pm, Room 3.02, MediaCity (Salford Campus)
(I'll be at reception to sign anyone in who isn't Salford PGR/staff at 3pm and 4pm)

Everyone welcome. Drinks after, as usual!





Wednesday 12 Dec
Internal speaker
Anne Sherwin (Salford)
Salford’s library resources for PGRs, and submission of theses
Anne works to support PGR research in terms of library resources; she’ll be discussing what’s on offer, and talking about new university arrangements in respect to thesis submission and electronic archiving.

External speaker:
Sarah Kingston (Leeds Metropolitan University):
Managing Stigma as a Sex Work Researcher

Literature has documented how researching sex work has been fraught with challenges, due to the stigma attached to its subject matter, the perceived dangerousness of participants, and the barriers faced in reaching hidden populations. By reflecting upon research experiences and drawing upon a body of reflexive sex work research, this paper explores how I experienced stigma not only in my professional role as a researcher, but also in my personal life. By applying Goffman’s (1968) notion of stigma by association; and considering how stigma often associated with prostitution became transposed onto me, I consider how I managed my “spoiled identity” and consider the implications for researching a stigmatised topic.
 

Dr Kingston’s research interests centre on the sex industry, youth and youth justice, sexuality and sexual consent, and employment law, and her PhD research explored the perceptions and impact of prostitution on residential and business communities. She is currently writing a monograph based on this research for Routledge, Prostitution in the Community: Attitudes, Action and Resistance. Dr Kingston is currently involved in research in conjunction with Brunel University and Middlesex University, which explores young people’s perceptions and attitudes towards religion. This research project is jointly funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council Large Grants (Religion & Society) Scheme. It is a two-year project entitled “Negotiating Identity: young people's perspectives on faith values, community norm and social cohesion”, carried out in the Bradford/Keighley area, and the London Boroughs of Hillingdon and Newham. Recent publications include: “Intent to criminalize: Men who buy sex and prostitution policy in the UK”, New Sociologies of Sex work (Sanders, Kingston & Hardy, Ashgate, 2010) and “Demonising desire: Men who buy sex and prostitution policy in the UK”, Sex Work and Pleasure (Research for Sex Work Journal, Vol 11, 2009).

Live Multi-Studio Event at MediaCity


FRIDAY 14th DECEMBER  from 1pm  til 1.30pm in SALFORD UNI FOYER

You are cordially invited to an exciting studio event at Salford University’s MediaCityUK campus this Friday lunchtime, Friday 14th December  between  1pm and 1.30pm, to watch the screening of a live half hour entertainment show that will connect up all four of our MediaCityUK TV studio spaces in a single HD broadcast for the very first time.

On the huge screen in the Salford University foyer we will entertain you with a 30 minute show including a live band playing  in TV Studio A, a live drama being performed in Studio B, a live comedy talent show in the Digital Performance Lab, and a live news bulletin from the Journalism studio. The show, called Lights, Camera, Christmas will also be relayed live outside on the big screen in the MediaCityUK piazza.

Mince pies, mulled wine and music will be provided in the Salford University foyer after the live broadcast finishes at 1.30pm. All University staff, media professionals, students, friends  and family are most welcome to pop in to the foyer and watch the show going out live at 1.  There’s no need to book.

The show is being entirely produced, performed and crewed by Salford University students.

It is a highly ambitious event, pushing the boundaries of the hi-tech facilities in the University’s MediaCityUK campus building by connecting up two TV studios, a digital theatre space and a TV newsroom in a single HD broadcast – the first time such a feat has been attempted at a UK University.

It is also a very collaborative event bringing together students from a range of disciplines across Salford University including Music, Performance, Computer Science and Engineering, Creative Media, Fashion, Design and Journalism.

Lights, Camera, Christmas is being produced and delivered by 20 final year students on the degree in Television and Radio at Salford University. It’s a unique opportunity for all the students involved to showcase the skills they have acquired. We really hope you may be able to pop in on Friday 14th at 1pm to support  them - and watch University history being made in a most entertaining way !

Saturday 8 December 2012

Congo Cases: The Stories of Human Rights History


Discussion workshop with Professor Eleni Coundouriotis (Connecticut)  for staff and PG researchers:
5.00pm – 6.30pm Tuesday 11th December 2012, Manchester Metropolitan University
Institute of Humanities and Social Science Research
Geoffrey Manton Building, Oxford Road, Manchester
“Congo Cases: The Stories of Human Rights History” 

 The essay to be discussed attempts to define a genre called “human rights history” by examining the persistent repetition of the “heart of darkness” narrative as a story of the encounter of the west with Africa. The essay delineates a typology of three kinds of narrative (the moral crusade, the redeemer witness, and the democratizing movement) as paradigmatic of human rights re-emplotments of already known historical circumstances. By identifying a dynamic of revelation and concealment, the essay provokes a debate about the claims of human rights history and its political underpinnings.

Eleni Coundouriotis is Professor of English at the University of Connecticut and Faculty Affiliate of the Human Rights Institute.


Eleni’s research interests are in postcolonial literature, nineteenth-century comparative prose studies, cultural studies and human rights. Her publications include Claiming History: Colonialism, Ethnography, and the Novel (1999) and the forthcoming The People’s Right to the Novel: War Fiction in the Postcolony.

Prof. Coundouriotis will be offering an early evening workshop, for which staff and PG researchers can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis.

The workshop will introduce her own work and address the work of the Human Rights Institute at the University of Connecticut.

Please email h.darby@mmu.ac.uk  ASAP to book a place and receive a copy of the reading and the location details.

Prof. Coundouriotis is also presenting a public lecture on the preceding evening, Monday 10th December on  "Naturalism, Humanitarianism and the Fiction of War"  Details for this are on Eventbrite here: http://elenicoundouriotis-arp-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Monday 3 December 2012

MMP Grad Progs talks this Weds: Immersive Theatre // Cultural Politics of Blues Tourism

Wednesday 5 December: Richard 3.10 - 4pm; Mark 4.10 - 5pm. Room 3.02, MediaCity (University of Salford campus). All welcome and drinks after! (I'll be on reception at 3 and 4 to sign in non-Salford PGRs).


Internal Speaker:

Dr. Richard Talbot (University of Salford, Performance division, co-Artistic Director, Triangle Theatre)
Immersion for me/Immersion for you – perspectives from the InOnTheAct Festival

This papers has emerged from discussions on framing Immersive Theatre with Kathy McArdle (Quays Arts and Cultural Development Manager, The Lowry, Salford) and a survey of four companies involved in the InOnTheAct festival at The Lowry (6th  September – 3rd November 2012): Triangle; Look Left Look Right; Happystorm Theatre; and OscarMike.

The Lowry is promoting the festival as “immersive and risk-taking theatre” and, as the festival name suggests, these companies’ performances encourage audience members to become involved in the process of creation. The works present a range of “immersive” strategies involving heritage interpretation, mapping the city, one-to-one encounters, gaming and global politics, magic and playful comedy which all interrogate the role and position of the performer.

The paper will be based on longitudinal interviews with the artists involved, with the producer, marketing team, audiences and student participants and will offer an account of framing Immersive Theatre in this specific context. Its primary emphasis will the artistic methods and processes deployed, working primarily from the artists’ accounts of adapting, sustaining or rejecting established tactics over the course of the festival.

A central concern of the investigation will be to contrast the notion of immersion for the actor with the experience of immersion for the audience in this instance. For Triangle, for example, Immersive Theatre is concerned with the performer’s immersion as a mode of ongoing historical research shared with the audience, rather than private preparation and interpretation of a role. How will this tension between private and public in the assumption of role be resolved with audiences who may have experienced work by other artists and how will it be influenced, if at all, by the broader aims of the festival?


Guest Speaker: Dr. Mark Duffett

The Cultural Politics of Blues Tourism

The historical nature of authentic Southern folk blues as a cultural form necessarily creates what Jennifer Ryan has described the “fetishization of poverty.” In Clarksdale, for example, the Shack Up Inn recreates a series of shot gun shacks on an old plantation so that guests can immerse themselves in the living history of the area. The Inn’s web page explains, “Virtually unchanged from when it was a working plantation, you will find authentic sharecropper shacks, the original cotton gin and seed houses and other outbuildings.” Blues heritage travellers in effect follow in the footsteps of the original pilgrim, the field recordist and ballad hunter John Lomax. His visits to the South portrayed it as the part of America least touched by the modern media.  For contemporary white pilgrims, what seems like a nostalgic musical journey is a direct or indirect encounter with extreme poverty and racial injustice, a situation that necessarily implicates tourists as privileged subjects. It is not surprising, then, they may sometimes experience certain kind of anxiety mixed in with their enjoyment. Drawing on various sources, including some recent television documentaries about the Delta, I argue that, in a variety of ways, blues pilgrims negate or disarm the potential anxieties of their predicament. One example of this is the enlistment of relatively fortunate African American intermediaries to acts as tour guides. As much as it is a romantic quest to encounter the musical magic of the South, blues pilgrimage is therefore about the indirect assertion of social difference in modernity.

Dr Mark Duffett is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chester who specializes in research on fandom and music audiences. He is currently editing two special editions of Popular Music & Society on the topic, as well as completing a textbook on media fandom for Continuum. He was keynote speaker at MARS 2012, held by the Sibelius Academy in Finland.

MMU Lecture: Naturalism, Humanitarianism and the Fiction of War

Monday 10th December 2012

NATURALISM, HUMANITARIANISM AND THE FICTION OF WAR:
               
Public lecture by Professor Eleni Coundouriotis (Connecticut)

War has always occupied an important place in the African novel and, in recent years, has arguably become the dominant literary theme of works about Africa read outside Africa. As a subject, war presents particular challenges as it threatens to mire us in stereotypes of Africa as conflict ridden and dysfunctional. A close reading of the literature, however, reveals a great deal that counters these now static images. The war novel in Africa (from the 1960s through the 1990s) is in fact a people’s history, an attempt to write outside the frame of the Bildungsroman, the genre which dominated the literature of an educated, assimilated class, and imagine history from below. Because it has the characteristics of naturalist fiction, it is, moreover, linked to humanitarian discourse, and it is this relationship between naturalism and humanitarianism that situates it in the growing scholarship on human rights and literature. If war is the subject of humanitarianism par excellence, what could be the contribution of a reading of war fiction to the emerging academic discourse of human rights?

Eleni Coundouriotis is Professor of English at the University of Connecticut and Faculty Affiliate of the Human Rights Institute.

Eleni’s research interests are in postcolonial literature, nineteenth-century comparative prose studies, cultural studies and human rights. Her publications include Claiming History: Colonialism, Ethnography, and the Novel (1999) and the forthcoming The People’s Right to the Novel: War Fiction in the Postcolony.

Lecture 6.00pm Geoffrey Manton Lecture Theatre 5

Reception starts in the atrium at 5.30pm
ALL WELCOME

Please register on Eventbrite here:

Wildlife Photography Group