SAMLA 90: Fighters from the Margins: Socio-Political Activists and Their Allies
November 2–4, 2018 ◆ Sheraton Birmingham ◆ Birmingham, Alabama


Flânerie From the Margins

Celebrating its fourth year at SAMLA, this regular session on flânerie will continue to explore the topic of urban walking in literature, art, and popular culture. As a concept that emerged in 19th century accounts of the modern European metropolis, flânerie is a practice rooted in the effort to better understand and improve the city experience. It is therefore unsurprising that many 19th and 20th century narratives highlighting flâneur and flâneuse characters treat themes of rebellion and activism. This panel seeks papers that examine how the act of city strolling emerges from a desire to change, resist, or alter canonical ways of being in, engaging with, and seeing the city in any period and any aesthetic tradition. We encourage contributions that study the relationship between flânerie and activism on all levels, be it civil, political, social, moral, or sexual. Possible questions to address are:
• How is flânerie a sign of discontent, noncompliance, or rebellion?
• How does flânerie emerge in narratives about marginal figures, and how does strolling become an act of defiance against social norms and mainstream culture?
• What is the relationship between alternative forms of flânerie (running, cycling, locomotion, automobile) and the marginal?
• What forms of art (literature, graphic, digital, media, dance, fashion) express flânerie as a means of transforming the world, on a global or local level?
• When is flânerie an expression of protest, and when is it a routine practice of conformity?


NEW EXTENDED DEADLINE JUNE 13, 2018. By this date, please send abstracts of 250-500 words along with AV requests and short bio to Marylaura Papalas, East Carolina University, at papalasm@ecu.edu.