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7th International Crossroads Conference of the ACS Agreement to be Signed

The 7th International Crossroads in Cultural Studies Conference of the Association of Cultural Studies (ACS) will be held at University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus from July 3-7, 2008. The conference agreement between the UWI and the Association of Cultural Studies (ACS) will be signed on Thursday, December 7 at 10.00 a.m. at the Office of the Deputy Principal. Mikko Lehtonen, Treasurer and Executive Member of the ACS will be visiting Jamaica to facilitate the signing. Crossroads 2008 will be hosted under the UWI Cultural Studies Initiative which is headed by the Vice Chancellor Emeritus, Professor Rex Nettleford (scholar, dancer and artistic director of the National Dance Theatre Company).The conference is being held under the theme ‘Of Sacred Crossroads’.

The theme ‘Of Sacred Crossroads’, builds on the original name of the ACS conferences, and appropriately captures many of the themes that will be highlighted at the conference. These include: Rituals of arrival and contact, The art of the Caribbean crossroads, Globalization and the spirit, Indigenous spiritualities, Rituals of conflict, Rites of rebellion Virtual realities, virtual spiritualities, The spirit of music, Cultures of reconciliation, and Crossroad Deities and divination. The Caribbean is ideal for the hosting of a Conference of this nature as it may be regarded as one of the first crossroads of the modern era, the Amerindian space where Africa and Asia first met Europe and as a site of crossings, memory, ritual, conquest, and immense cultural creativity and heritage. The general conference call for papers will be spring 2007 with the conference expecting to have over 700 presentations from international and regional scholars.

The conference website will be available by summer 2007 when ACS members and potential participants can access the call for papers, details on registration fees, plenary speakers, highlight sessions, the venue, excursions, accommodation options, as well as sites for accessing readings from key Caribbean scholars of Cultural Studies. Dr. Sonjah Stanley Niaah, Conference Coordinator – Crossroads 2008 may be contacted for additional information at 877 1456; 977 1951 or e-mail: sonjah.stanley@uwimona.edu.jm

The teaching of Cultural Studies at the Mona Campus began in 1999 in the Institute of Caribbean Studies which now offers both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Graduate students pursuing the M.Phil/Ph.D. programme are researching and documenting various Caribbean cultural expressions including indigenous religions, dance, music and theatre, media, tourism, and storytelling. The Crossroads Conference is expected to bring visibility to Jamaica as a destination, and the Cultural Studies Initiative at the UWI which has been involved in the strategic planning for Cultural Studies programmes such as artists in residence, graduate fellowships, and implementation of new graduate programmes.

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Contact: Patricia Valentine
Actg. Assistant Public Relations Officer
Mona Campus
Telephone: 977-7346, Fax: 977-6669
Date: December 5, 2006


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