Yiddish Technologies in Text and Context (NeMLA)
PANEL ABSTRACT
This interdisciplinary session invites scholars to submit papers which explore the intersections of Yiddish culture and the history of technology. Diasporic Yiddish culture is formed by the constant tension between forces of global fragmentation and cultural cohesion. Material technologies are entangled in this tension, delineating infrastructural and sociopolitical contexts while reinforcing the continuity of technological cultures across borders.
Given these dynamics, the study of Yiddish culture as shaped by material technologies—or of technology as instantiated by Yiddish culture—gives us useful opportunities to learn more about the forces of globalization and localization, continuity and rupture. How do material technologies inform cultural practices? How do existing social structures determine or expand the uses of material technologies? How do patterns of technology use, non-use, misuse, innovation, and adaptation emerge within these social structures? How are the sociotechnical imaginaries of non-dominant cultures created, developed, and communicated? How do the answers to these questions change when analyzed on the local or global scale?
We invite papers that offer answers to these questions and investigate the interrelation of Yiddish culture with material technologies, from electricity to printing, textiles, architecture, and beyond. This panel welcomes submissions from a variety of disciplines, including literary studies, media studies, and history. Papers focusing on Yiddish culture and technology in any period and locality are encouraged.
DETAILS & SUBMISSION
The panel will be comprised of 3-4 participants, reading a formal paper of 15-20 minutes each (2500-3000 words), followed by Q&A. Abstracts (up to 300 words) must be submitted via the NeMLA portal (https://www.cfplist.com/nemla/Home/CFP) by September 30, 2024.
https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/21169
Sophia Shoulson