IVSA2019: International Visual Sociology Association 2019 Annual Conference Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY, United States, June 19-22, 2019 |
Conference website | http://visualsociology.org/?page_id=936 |
Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ivsa2019 |
VISUAL IMPERATIVES/VISUAL UNCERTAINTIES
FINAL Submission Deadline: January 15, 2018
The 2019 International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA) conference invites papers, photo
essays, posters, and films that explore the theme “Visual Imperatives and Visual Uncertainties.”
What should be attended to in visual studies of society, what can be dismissed or discounted,
and what lies in-between? Visual sociology, and scholarly visual studies generally, may be
understood as restlessly situated between modernist notions embracing science and postmodernist
criticisms of that outlook. Can that tension be settled? Should we even try to do so?
More specifically, presentations may explore:
• What we “must” attend to as we create images, as we analyze those created by others,
and as we teach about them? What must we avoid, if anything?
• What is the status of the visual in a discipline like sociology, where there has been such
historical resistance to some varieties of visual presentation (film and photographs) and
such ready acceptance of others (tables, graphs, and standardized presentations of
theoretical and empirical findings)?
• What are the boundaries—ethical, practical, technical, performatively, and otherwise—
for what is acceptable practice in still and moving image creation and presentation
within visual sociology and visual studies?
• Where do those visually-advanced practitioners need to go next with their research,
analysis, and teaching?
• Are there meaningful distinctions between social science and art?
We also welcome abstracts that address topics relating more generally to visual methods and
theories, as well as the visual analysis of society, culture, and social relationships. These
proposals need not specifically address the theme of the conference.
We invite individual paper and poster proposals and hands-on workshop proposals. (Note:
workshops may last up two hours and may include up to two sessions, for a total of no more
than four hours. Workshops tend to focus on the teaching of specific skills in visual data
collection, production, and analysis.)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All presenters should submit abstracts of no more than 250 words through the Easychair
conference management system at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ivsa2019. Prior to
submitting, you will need to create an Easychair account if you do not already have one; for
assistance go to: https://easychair.org/help/how_to_submit.
Abstracts must include the following: 1. Title of presentation, 2. Name of presenter(s) as it will
appear in the program, 3. Affiliation of presenter(s), 4. Presenter’s e-mail address, 5. Type of
presentation (paper, film, etc.), 6. Abstract text (250 words, maximum), 7. Keywords (three or
four).
Filmmakers should include a link to their film (along with the password, if protected) within
their abstract. Photographers should upload no more than five images, along with an abstract,
through Easychair. All submissions, regardless of their central medium (text, film/video,
photography, illustration, VR, web-/app-based, etc.), will be evaluated on their scholarly and
scientific-analytic merit. All accepted submissions, regardless of medium, will be delivered as
research presentations in the context of a panel. Some number of films and photographs may
be selected by the review committee for featured exhibition at the conference.
Information on travel grants will be posted on IVSA’s conference page.
Questions? Please contact: Rik Scarce, Conference Director, at IVSA2019@gmail.com, or visit
our website: https://visualsociology.org/2019conference
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visualsociology.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ivsa_/
ABOUT IVSA
The IVSA (https://visualsociology.org) is a non-profit, democratic, and professional organization
devoted to the visual study of society, culture, and social relationships. Our members represent
a wide spectrum of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, education, visual
communication, photography, filmmaking, art and journalism. While strongly rooted in the
discipline of sociology, the IVSA welcomes participation from a wide range of disciplinary and
artistic approaches. We also encourage those unfamiliar with visual methods and analysis to
visually innovate and experiment in their respective areas of substantive specialization.