This May\, the \;Reel Politics \;conference\, hosted \;by \;the University of Guelph Department of Philosophy\, will meet online \;as a forum \;to \;explore \;a range of \;topics pertaining to film and radical politics. \; \;Participants will have the \;opportunity to present philosophical \;responses to \;film as an important site of experiencing and reasoning about political culture\, particularly as they relate to immediate justice movements and crises\, \;such as anthropogenic climate change\, BLM\, and COVID-19. \; \; \;
\nFilm and filmmakers have \;been \;instrumental in articulating \;radical political discourses \;since the early 20th \;century. \; \;As a tool of \;representing \;revolutionary struggles\, as a form of activism\, or as a means of critique\, film is a medium of political praxis which presents diverse images of \;potential worlds\, be they cautionary or aspirational. \; \;Reel Politics \;asks how \;film \;can \;function \;to galvanize forms of resistance and \;to \;build solidarity \;in \;audiences \;by contextualizing \;important political moments \;and by making them \;real. \; \; \; \;
\nBut we \;must \;take care &ndash\; \;film is \;of course \;not always radically \;oriented and \;may often be used contra \;both \;radicalism and solidarity. \; Film\, while a means of realizing important progressive or radical political goals\, also has a powerful capacity to reinforce \;the \;politics of exploitation\, hierarchy\, and injustice. \;
\nHistorically\, film \;has \;functioned \;more \;frequently \;as a tool for oppressive propaganda than as a means of liberation\, and its capacity for positive change is often contradicted by the circumstances of its production in political economy &ndash\; \;the prominence of \;The \;Birth of a Nation \;relative to that of \;Salt of the Earth\, \;for example\, \;speaks to this predicament. \; \;In the hands of reactionary forces \;or agents of anti-progressive ideas\, film quite readily becomes a \;celebration of \;ideologies of domination and \;violence. \; \;
\nReel Politics \;will provide a platform for \;critiquing the oppressive uses of film\, and for \;exploring \;its \;potential as a means of envisioning a more radical and revolutionary political theory. \; \; \;
\nParticipants are encouraged to submit an abstract of 300-500 words outlining a presentation of 20-25 minutes. \; \;Topics for consideration may include\, but are not limited to\, \;the study of film \;as related to: \;
\n\nAffect\, Politics\, \;and Resistance \;
\nSolidarity Theory \;
\nDocumentary or Journalistic Film as a Form of Activism \;
\nSettler \;Colonialism \;and \;Decoloniality \;
\nFeminism \;
\nCritical Race Theory \;
\nLGBTQ2S+ \; \;
\nDisability and Sound Studies \;
\nFilm as Critique of Carceral Politics \;
\nLabour Relations \;
\nCameras: Tools of Resistance\, Tools of Domination \;
\nCritical Animal Studies \;and Posthumanism \;
\nMad Studies \;
\nThe Limits of Film as Praxis \;
\nFascism &\; Image\, Reactionary Film &\; Challenges to the Radical \;
\nTo submit an abstract\, please email \;Nour Abu Husan\, at \;nabuhsan@uoguelph.ca\, \;with a Word document or PDF
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