Lunchtime Seminar Series
The Department's Lunchtime Seminar Series takes place every second Wednesday from 1:00-2:00 pm in the Education Building, room ED4036. Participants bring their lunches and enjoy exchanging ideas in an informal atmosphere. Colleagues and friends from Memorial University and beyond are welcome to attend.
If you are interested in presenting a seminar, would like more information, or have suggestions for future events, please contact the series coordinator, Laura Sanchini l.sanchini@mun.ca.
The following seminars are scheduled for the Winter 2011 semester:
Wednesday, January 18
Stephen Wall (PhD student, Folklore) presents "Conan Fandom and the Nostalgia of Masculinity."
Abstract:
This project began as an endeavor to understand how fans of Conan the Barbarian, a hypermasculine sword & sorcery hero created by pulp author Robert E. Howard in the 1930s, interpret the themes manliness in stories, comics, and films that feature the character. It quickly became an example of the pervasive presence of a dominant Western doxa of manliness that attempts to root itself in all things of which men are a part. Curiously, this fandom-centered construction uses nostalgia to conceal both dissent and dialogue, allowing Conan to mean different things to individual fans at the same time while leaving the monolithic façade of traditional masculinity undisturbed. According to his creator Conan was, over the course of his adventures, “a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth.” Perhaps this description is indicative of just how complex a nostalgic experience of “savage” masculinity can be.
Wednesday, February 1
Emily Urquhart (PhD Student, Folklore) presents "Clapboard & Ocean View: Second Home Ownership in Outport Newfoundland."
Abstract:
Former fishing homes in rural Newfoundland are being purchased by visiting tourists to be used as summer homes. These vacationers-turned-homeowners were prompted to buy property, often spontaneously, after experiencing a meaningful connection with the people, landscape and architecture of outport Newfoundland.
This talk, rooted in fieldwork carried out over two summers (2010-2011) in Upper Amherst Cove and other communities on the Bonavista Peninsula, explores the perception of rural Newfoundland through the eyes of seasonal residents, and the impact that seasonal residency has on the region—both socially and economically.
Wednesday, February 15
Shamus MacDonald (PhD Student, Folklore) presents "Micro-toponymy, oral history and folklore: Connections in Gaelic Cape Breton."
Abstract:
Employed for generations, but relevant only within small geographic areas, minor place names, such as those given to bridges, springs and brooks, were common but rarely made official in Gaelic-speaking areas of Nova Scotia. Today however, they represent important catalysts for story-telling sessions and sources of information about settlement patterns and traditional activities. This paper examines connections between toponymy, oral history and folklore in central Cape Breton. Video and audio recordings featuring local tradition bearers will be used to illustrate.
Wednesday, February 29
Ian Hayes (Ph.D. candidate in Ethnomusicology) presents “You have to strike that balance between sharing and charging”: Cape Breton Fiddling and Intellectual Property Rights"
Abstract:
While current copyright practices among music industry professionals must be followed by musicians who produce commercial recordings, current conventions have significant shortcomings in regard to traditional music. In Cape Breton fiddling, copyright is a relatively new concern, and places musicians at an intersection between the music industry and vernacular tradition. As such, musicians must choose whether they should collect royalties from the use of their compositions, or to waive their right to economic compensation and freely contribute to the tradition. This talk will address the discourses surrounding these issues and how ownership is negotiated within the musical community.
Wednesday, March 14
Dr. Andrea Kitta (Folklore Alumnus) presents "Life After Grad School."
Wednesday, March 21
Stephen Wall (PhD Student, Folklore) presents "Folklore Focus Group: The Communication of Masculinities in Television Advertising"
Abstract:
This presentation is related to ongoing dissertation research and consists of a twenty-minute primer on the central themes of masculinities studies in folklore, coupled with a discussion of how those themes relate to the medium of popular culture television advertising. Following this lecture, participants will be asked view a series of television commercials and note their thoughts on an anonymous response form. The goal of this exercise is to gain insight into how an audience perceives the symbolic communication of masculinities through the medium of television advertising.
Wednesday, March 28
Dr. Cory Thorne (Associate Professor, Folklore) presents "Survival / Resistance in a Cuban Queer Community: Creative Reactions to the Embargo / Creative Responses to the Revolution."
Wednesday, April 4
Matthew Howse (MA Student, Folklore) presents "Cyberplace: Resettled Communities and the Internet"
Abstract:
In the years following Newfoundland's government-sponsored centralization programs, resettled communities have been memorialized in song, poetry, and theatre. More recently, people have begun using the internet as a venue for establishing virtual communities devoted to the memory of their former homes. This medium facilitates the development of a past that is collaboratively constructed.
Wednesday, April 11
Dr. Paul Smith (Professor, Folklore) presents "The Lost Scott: Dr. James Scott, MD. RN. (1785-1859) and the Papa Stour, Shetland, Sword Dance," followed by a departmental potluck.
