NATCHITOCHES – The 16th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference will be held Sept. 14 at Northwestern State University. The conference committee is now accepting presentation proposals for the upcoming conference. Presentation proposals on any aspect of the 2024 conference theme “Lyrical Louisiana,” as well as creative texts by, about, and/or for Louisiana and Louisianans, are sought for this year’s conference.
According to Conference Co-Chair Dr. Shane Rassmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at professor of English at Northwestern State “
“Although we are especially interested in proposals that deal with the theme of Lyrical Louisiana, all papers, creative writing, and short performances (dance, music, or theatric) that address any aspect of Louisiana studies are welcome,” said Dr. Shane Rassmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at professor of English at Northwestern State.
Proposals are being solicited for 15-minute presentations from scholars at all career stages as well as graduate students. Creative work (film, creative non-fiction, lyric or instrumental music compositions, short fiction, and poetry) is welcome. Undergraduates are invited to submit, provided they are working with the guidance of a trained scholar. All undergraduate presenters under 18 years of age must have written permission from a parent or legal guardian. Registration for students is free. Registration for all other Conference participants will be $50.
Abstracts (300 words max.) for scholarly proposals and creative writing should be sent as e-mail attachments to Rasmussen at rasmussens@nsula.edu. Presentations should run no longer than 15 minutes. Rasmussen said proposals should include a separate cover page with your name, affiliation, mailing and e-mail address and the title of your presentation. E-mails should be entitled: 2024 Louisiana Studies Conference Submission. Conference organizers will send an e-mail acknowledgement of having received each abstract within one week of having received it. If you do not receive an acknowledgment, please resend your submission as we may not have received it. The deadline for submissions is June 1. Accepted presenters will be notified via e-mail by June 15, if not before.
This interdisciplinary conference will be accepting proposals from the following disciplines: American studies, anthropology, architecture, archival studies, communications, craft, creative writing, criminal justice, cultural studies, cultural tourism, dance, design, education, English and literary studies, environmental studies, ethnic studies, fashion design, film studies, fine arts, folklore, gender studies, geography, heritage resources, history, interior design, journalism, linguistics, media studies, museum studies, musicology, music performance, philosophy, photography, political science, preservation studies, psychology, queer studies, religious studies, Romance languages, social work, sociology, theatre, and vernacular architecture.
Read broadly, consider the following possibilities for presentation topics relating to the theme of Lyrical Louisiana. The following list of suggestions is not meant to be comprehensive. Louisiana, its cultures, history, literature, peoples, places, etc. should be an intrinsic aspect of the proposed presentation. For example, “thematic motifs in Southern literature” in itself would not be an appropriate presentation topic proposal for the Louisiana Studies Conference, while “thematic motifs in 21st century Louisiana short fiction” or “thematic motifs in the contemporary legends of Evangeline Parish” would both be highly appropriate.
Possible topics could include Archived Music and Lyrics, Arts and Artists, Composing Louisiana, Crafting Louisiana, Dance in Louisiana, Depictions of Music and Poetry, Ethnic Music and Lyrics, Feminist Music and Lyricism, Flash Fiction, Folklore, Folk Music and Musicians, Forgotten Music and Poetry, Gendered Lyrics, Inspirations, Instruments, Louisiana Beauty, Louisiana Literature(s), Louisiana Lyrics, Louisiana Mythologies, Louisiana Writers, Lyrical Descriptions, Lyrical Film, Lyrics/Music and the Environment, Mardi Gras, Memorials, Monuments, and Murals, Music and Musicians, Music History, Orators and Orations, Parades, Percussion, Poetry vs. Prose, Poets, Poetics, and Poetries, Rap and Rappers, Religious and Spiritual Music and Poetry, Slam Poetry, Poetics, and Poets, Songs, Singers, and Songwriters, Vernacular Lyrics, Musicalities, and Poetries and Visions and Visionaries.
A selection of scholarly and creative work presented at the conference will be solicited for publication in the Louisiana Folklife Journal, a peer reviewed academic journal produced by the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State. Rasmussen is the general editor, Additional information is available on the website for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/louisianastudies/.
Conference co-chairs are Donna Baker, university archivist and records officer, Northwestern State, Jason Church, chief, technical services, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Daniel Gordy, assistant professor of criminal Justice and English, Northwestern State, Dr. Charles Pellegrin, professor of history and director of the Southern Studies Institute, Northwestern State and Rasmussen.
The Conference is co-sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the Department of English, Languages, and Cultural Studies, and the Northwestern State College of Arts and Sciences.
