2006-11-30

Academia goes to the movies

This just came in the old e-mail. I doubt that I will get myself organised in time to respond, but maybe one of you will, yes?
From Slavic Review: Call for Papers: Borat: Eurasia, American Culture, and Slavic Studies

Few recent works of literature or film have made Eurasia as central and, perhaps, as flagrantly irrelevant to the American experience as Sacha Baron Cohen's hit film, Borat. In many respects this movie touches on key aspects of our discipline and expertise, and it also marks the distance that "Eurasia" has traveled in the American mentality since the appearance of other epoch-defining films (From Russia With Love, Doctor Zhivago, The Manchurian Candidate). Slavic Review invites its readers to submit contributions for a cluster of scholarly essays on Borat. Contributions may use the methodologies of any discipline so long as they relate in some substantial way to Borat and to interaction between Eurasia and the West.
Length should not exceed 5000 words. Contributions will be peer reviewed and must be received by the end of March 2007. If you have questions, please contact the editor, Mark Steinberg, at slavrev@uiuc.edu.

6 comments:

Catherine said...

I think Mr Sagdijev already had a couple of papers in his honour at ASN...

Eric Gordy said...

I dont think there has been so much academic fascination with a popular culture phenom since the Sex Pistols.

Catherine said...

Oh, Morrissey runs them pretty close on this side of the pond...

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping someone in the bunch that would be submitting the 5,00o word article has a sense of humor.
Is Vladimir Voinovich still among the living? Even Gary Shteyngart's take on things would be worthwhile reading.

Eric Gordy said...

Oh, my, I've forgotten the title, but I recently reread Voinovich's story of his effort to get himself an apartment. Brilliant, underappreciated fellow.

Anonymous said...

I'm considering doing such a paper, but it depends on how much I get nailed with the classes for Winter Quarter. The thing is one really doesn't have any idea until one walks into the room and gets the syllabus what will become of your so-called life.
If things are not too bad, it is something I may do. If things look really really bad, well it won't happen.