For the first Contemporary Theory Reading Group of the academic year we discussed ‘The Rhetoric of Video Games’ (2008) by Ian Bogost. Bogost begins his article ‘The Rhetoric of Video Games’ by examining Animal Crossing, a quaint, village-based game, where Tom Nook an ‘unassuming raccoon continues to offer renovations’ on a player’s house as they … Continue reading “Contemporary Theory Reading Group – Video Games (08/10/2019)”
CCLC Autumn Schedule – Weeks 1-6
We’re pleased to release the schedule for the first half of term. More details to come! Email r.sykes@bham.ac.uk to be added to our mailing list.
Het Phillips, ‘The Possibility Of Evil: Shirley Jackson, True Crime and the Horror of the Everyday’ (13/02/2019)
The Centre for Contemporary Literature and Culture was delighted to welcome Het Phillips to speak on true crime and its influence on the fiction of horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson. Phillips traced through Jackson’s fiction a fascination with true crime, which brought her repeatedly back to the thematic influences of several real-life cases. … Continue reading “Het Phillips, ‘The Possibility Of Evil: Shirley Jackson, True Crime and the Horror of the Everyday’ (13/02/2019)”
People & Pages, Tuesday 26th February (6.30-8.30 pm)
** This is a guest post by Alice Seville, research assistant for the American and Canadian Studies research centre** As any local taxi driver will doubtless confirm, Birmingham is currently experiencing an era of unprecedented development. Yet with a truly unseasonable hot spell in February (fun for our students on the green heart; disconcerting for … Continue reading “People & Pages, Tuesday 26th February (6.30-8.30 pm)”
Siblings, Kinship and Allegory in Jesmyn Ward’s Fiction and Nonfiction (04/03/2019)
The evocative and urgent voice of Jesmyn Ward is a significant force in our contemporary movement towards amplifying the existence of black women in the United States. Through a wide reading of her literary works, Arin Keeble continued this project in a compelling and important talk on allegory and its applications, reading into the kinships … Continue reading “Siblings, Kinship and Allegory in Jesmyn Ward’s Fiction and Nonfiction (04/03/2019)”
CSN Reading Group: Xenofeminism (06/02/2019)
For our latest reading group in the Contemporary Studies Network, we read from Helen Hester’s 2018 book Xenofeminism. The section we examined – her introduction, ‘What is Xenofeminism?’ – is an attempt to conceptualise a new branch of feminism that is emerging from a world of increasing technological complexity. Adapting the digital Xenofeminist manifesto by … Continue reading “CSN Reading Group: Xenofeminism (06/02/2019)”
Sara Ahmed – Mind the Gap: Complaint as Diversity Work (30/01/2019)
A full lecture room welcomed Sara Ahmed to the University of Birmingham for her talk, Mind the Gap: Complaint as Diversity Work, which would prove to be a hugely engaging and thought-provoking evening. Ahmed’s brilliant talk on complaint was just part of a bigger ongoing project she has been undertaking about university institutions and the … Continue reading “Sara Ahmed – Mind the Gap: Complaint as Diversity Work (30/01/2019)”
Guest speaker: Het Phillips, ‘The Possibility Of Evil: Shirley Jackson, True Crime and the Horror of the Everyday’ (13/02/19)
Wednesday 13th February, 4.30pm-6pm, Arts LR8 This paper will explore Shirley Jackson’s literary engagement with real life crime and the ways in which she makes use of genre features from various modes of crime writing to radical and disorienting effect. Het Phillips has a PhD on cultural representations of the ‘Moors Murders’ and ‘Yorkshire Ripper’ … Continue reading “Guest speaker: Het Phillips, ‘The Possibility Of Evil: Shirley Jackson, True Crime and the Horror of the Everyday’ (13/02/19)”
CCLC Public Lecture: Sara Ahmed, ‘Complaint as Diversity Work’ (30/01/19)
Date: Wednesday 30th January 2019, 5-7PM Location: ARTS LR/LT1, University of Birmingham What can be learnt about the workings of power from those who challenge power? This lecture draws on interviews conducted with staff and students who have made complaints within universities that relate to unfair, unjust or unequal working conditions and to abuses of … Continue reading “CCLC Public Lecture: Sara Ahmed, ‘Complaint as Diversity Work’ (30/01/19)”
Poetry Reading: Nature and Our Environments (27/11/2018)
At 6pm, our evening of poetry reading at the Birmingham & Midland Institute began. The theme of the event – ‘Nature and Our Environments’ – hinted initially at the increasingly pressing ecological crises emerging in the contemporary age, yet proved to be a highly flexible point of departure for thinking about not only the physical … Continue reading “Poetry Reading: Nature and Our Environments (27/11/2018)”