'Glocal Imaginaries' Conference - Lancaster University and Whitworth Gallery, Manchester
9-12 September 2009

With an interest in both the material and the imaginative (re)configuration of location, mobility and migration in cities across the world, this conference invites papers from colleagues working in all disciplines/media including the creative arts.

Plenary speakers include Mieke Bal, Roger Bromley, Shirley Chew, David L. Eng, Gayatri Gopinath, Ranjana Khanna, Susheila Nasta, James Procter, John Thieme, John Urry, Robert J.C. Young, Ruth Wodak

Conference 'streams' include The Glocal City; Queer G/localities (Jackie Stacey); G/local Mobilities (Allison Hui); G/local Diasporas (Lindsey Moore); G/local Economies (Sondra Cuban); Discourses of the G/local (Bethan Benwell); Moving Stories: Rewriting Space and Place; (Shirley Chew); Virtual Diasporas (Graham Miekle), Migration and Diaspora (Maggie O'Neill), the Black Atlantic (Alan Rice) and Gendering Diasporas.

Papers are invited from colleagues with an interest in any of these areas but we are also happy to consider proposals which fall outside of them. Papers will be limited to 20 minutes and, in most cases, will be presented as part of a panel of three.

In addition, we are willing to consider proposals from colleagues who would like to present their work collectively and / or constitute their own 'three paper' panel.

We also welcome papers and presentations from creative writers / arts' practitioners for the 'Moving Stories' stream (to be led by Professor Shirley Chew, editor of Moving Worlds ) but advise that these should include a reflective element; readings and performances per se will be incorporated into the conference programme outwith the parallel sessions.

We expect the conference to deliver several publication outputs, both in the form of journal 'special issues' and a book of 'conference proceedings'.

Abstracts - of no more than 300 words - should be submitted by 16 January 2009 to Mrs Jo McVicker, Room 190, County College, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YD (j.mcvicker@lancaster.ac.uk).

They should include full contact details and, where appropriate, an indication of the stream they would like to be considered for. We hope to be in a position to let prospective delegates know whether their paper has been accepted before the Easter vacation.