Humorous > Disruptions: Humor in Feminist Media Colloquium

Synoptique: An Online Journal of Film and Moving Image Studies is proud to announce the HUMOROUS > DISRUPTIONS Colloquium.

HUMOROUS > DISRUPTIONS is dedicated to the polyvalent ways in which humour has functioned as a disruptive technology in feminist media theories and practices. Humour and its many manifestations—parody, satire, irony, and mimicry—have the potential to destabilize existing systems of representation, media production, and gender constructions. Humour can be used to forge new circuits of knowledge, as well as political and emotional solidarities. The colloquium therefore seeks to explore the diverse possibilities humour offers as a technology, representation practice, and tool for renewing dialogues with feminisms in all their manifestations today. This approach likewise necessitates a critical recognition of productive multiplicities and the centrality of critical race studies, Global South and indigenous feminisms, feminism and class, and posthuman concerns.

The two-day colloquium will consist of two roundtables of invited scholars and artists, and three panels of open call papers dedicated to disruptive humour in feminist media practices. There will also be a curated exhibition of feminist video and media works featuring the work of local Montreal and international media-makers.

For a detailed schedule of events, please visit the colloquium website.

Speakers

• DR. LIZ CLARKE (Concordia University)
• DR. ELENA GORFINKEL (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
• DR. MAGGIE HENNEFELD (University of Minnesota)
• DR. ALICE MING WAI JIM (Concordia University)
• DR. GADA MAHROUSE (Concordia University)
• SHELLEY NIRO (artist, Ontario)
• DR. ARA OSTERWEIL (McGill University)
• DR. CARRIE RENTSCHLER (McGill University)
• DR. GABRIELA T. RICHARD (Penn State)

Organizers

The colloquium is organized by doctoral students Desirée de Jesus, Tess McClernon, Rachel Webb Jekanowski and Vanessa Meyer, in collaboration with Synoptique and the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema.

Special thanks to ARTHEMIS, the Feminist Media Studio, the Global Emergent Media Lab, the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Technoculture, Art and Games, the Concordia University Alumni Association, the Concordia University Small Grants Program, the Cinema Studies Graduate Student Colloquium Series, the Film Studies Doctoral Studies Association (FSDSA), Dr. Gada Mahrouse (Simone de Beauvoir Institute), Dr. Luca Caminati (Associate Dean), and Dr. Thomas Waugh (Research Chair in Sexual Representation and Documentary) for their generous support.

HUMOROUS > DISRUPTIONS emerged out of a forthcoming journal issue of Synoptique dedicated to humour in feminist media practices (Vol. 5, no. 1). Synoptique is accepting contributions to the issue until Dec. 31, 2015. For the journal CFP and more information about Synoptique, please visit the Synoptique website.