We warmly invite submissions for ‘Diffractions’, a forthcoming international symposium on intra-actions between music studies and the theoretical, philosophical, and political work of Karen Barad.
Barad’s writings have been illustrative in reckoning with the social and political contours of science—especially physics—and the concrete aspects of feminist and queer studies. Their radical ontology repeatedly emphasises the mutually constitutive articulation of material and discursive elements, which we might take up as a means for interrogating the remnants of disjuncture between the hermeneutic and physical qualities in the diverse studies and practices of music. Their concept of diffraction, in particular—borrowed from physics but put to work as a powerful critical tool—offers possible ways of rethinking what we understand to be the object of investigation in music studies, invites approaches to how we go about our inquiry, and challenges us to think about the entangled irreducibility of ontology, epistemology, and ethics.
This event is not only the first symposium of its kind but also the first collective academic engagement of any kind to give sustained and much overdue attention to the many new horizons that Barad’s work might make doable and hearable in music studies and practices. Extending this, we intend to invite contributors to further develop their work for a future edited volume.
The symposium will take place in person at the Creative Arts Research Institute, Griffith University, Meanjin (Brisbane), Australia, and online. We are pleased to announce that Judy Lochhead (Stony Brook University) will be the keynote speaker.
We invite proposals from music researchers and music practitioners for traditional paper presentations and alternative presentation formats (e.g. performance-based) that think with any of Barad’s work. We are interested in proposals from musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory and analysis, music education, ecomusicology, sound studies, artistic research, and beyond. We especially welcome engagement with Barad’s more recent work. Presentations will be 20 minutes long, followed by 15 minutes for discussion. We are also open to proposals for alternative format special sessions or roundtables.
Please email your 250-word submission, including whether you wish to attend in person or online, and 100-word bio to Mathew Klotz (m.klotz@griffith.edu.au) and Chris Stover (c.stover@griffith.edu.au) by Friday 26 April, 2024. We will communicate decisions by Friday 10 May. Any questions can be directed to either Mathew or Chris.