CFP Sea of Change – Spring 2021 Conference

Sea Change: Lifeworlds & Ecological Upheaval
Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness
39TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
March 12th – 14th, 2021 (Online)

 
“How do people imagine the landscapes they find themselves in? How does the land shape the imagination of the people who dwell in it? How does desire itself, the desire to comprehend, shape knowledge?”
-Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams
 
The Program Committee for The Society of the Anthropology of Consciousness invites members and their collaborators to investigate how we engage with communities around ongoing concerns of ecological change. The title “Sea Change” points to the context and social climate in which we currently live: a time in which drastic social, political, and environmental change is occurring. During these times of chaos and ecological upheaval, conflict and despair inevitably arise as responses to the ongoing precarity and uncertainty. As anthropologists and consciousness researchers, there are many ways to interpret and understand these changes. “Sea Change” also acknowledges that we live in a time in which all forms of life are experiencing radical changes on the planet (such as rising sea levels), and with such changes, suffering and conflict increases. Therefore, we invite presenters to reflect and engage with subjects related to change, embodied transformation, and ecological disruption. We consider this conference an opportunity to build networks for collective engagement, restorative practices, healing, and reconciliation.
 
We welcome works that explore indigenous and/or plant-based practices that might provide transformational learning and opportunities for collective action. It is our goal to elevate oppressed voices and wisdom that honor those communities and challenge the power dynamics of colonization. We also welcome members, collaborators, and those new to the conference to engage in discussions related to exploring consciousness in all lived experiences, both human and non-human consciousness. 

Potential paper, panel proposals, pre-recorded events, short films, and workshops include but are not limited to:
●       Transdisciplinary dialogue on the ecological changes, including immediate and long-term implications.        
●       Political instability and rise of nationalism.      
●       Plant based and indigenous wisdom on change.      
●       Global capitalism, corporate influence and instability.       
●       Impact of COVID 19 on cultural and ecological practices.   
●       Upheaval in medical systems and methods of healing.
●       The impact of ecologically caused migration on social movements and social consciousness.
●       Empowering change makers with traditional wisdom practices.
●       Intersection of plant animal, and human consciousness.
●       The sacred feminine & women’s movement into political power.
●       Militarization, globalization and the role of anthropology in helping to shape a more connected and integrated world.
●       Attempts to bridge emic and etic perspectives in fieldwork using consciousness frameworks.
●       Voices of youth and subaltern amidst ecological chaos.
   
Workshops, Experientials, and Art
 
AoC also invites submissions of artistic works and experiential workshops exploring or cultivating consciousness, specifically those that relate to the conference theme. We aim to build bridges across scholastic and creative communities, and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.
 
Prerecorded Content Gallery
 
Do you have a short film, a podcast episode, a prerecorded panel discussion, or other academic or artistic work that you feel aligns with our conference theme? Will this pre-recorded media work as an integral part of our online gallery that will be live for the entire conference? Reach out and let us know. We can accommodate a number of different formats, and they need not be limited to academic projects or those with a decidedly anthropological lens. We are an interdisciplinary organization and are seeking content from a variety of different perspectives. The closer to the communities most affected by ecological upheaval, the better.

Instructions
Proposals and questions regarding individual papers, panels, workshops, and special events should be submitted by Jan. 15, 2021 to
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