Call for Participants

The
 New
 School 
for
 Social 
Research


2012 
Anthropology 
Conference: 
“Rethinking
 Inheritance”

April 
28th, 
2012


The
 Theme:
 Inheritance
 has
 typically
 been
 conceived
 as
 a
 passive
 process
 of
 reception.
 Yet,
 inheritance
 also
 implies
 claims
 to
 something.
 Claiming
 inheritance
 and
 claiming
 selves,
 communities,
 nations
 and
 other
 units
 as
 heirs
 is
 an
 active
 practice.
 How
 can
 we
 better
 conceptualize
 the
 labor
 involved
 in
 establishing
 inheritance?
 How
 are
 inheritances
 rejected,
 resisted,
 renewed,
 reformed,
 or
 renegotiated?
 How
 are
 identity
 and
 belonging
 implicated
 in
 inheritance?

As
 we
 begin
 to
 think
 of
 inheritance
 in
 multiple
 registers,
 we
 hope
 to
 challenge
 its
 supposed
 passivity 
and 
expand 
its 
conceptualization.

 What
 does 
it
 mean 
to
 inherit 
a
citizenship, 
a 
nationality,
 a
 legal
 framework,
 or
 an
 ethnicity,
 and
 what
 are
 the
 modes
 for
 these
 inheritances?
 
How
 can
 inheritance
 be
 employed
 to
 think
 through
 temporal
 relationships
 of
 historical
 consciousness,
 collective
 memory,
 and
 their
 narration?
 
We
 also
 hope
 to
 think
 together
 about
 how
 active
 inheritance
 relates
 to
 materialities
 and
 economies,
 financial
 institutions,
 and
 the
 act
 of
 making
 claims
 on 
properties, 
whether 
virtual
 or
physical. 

Similarly, 
we
 can 
consider
 inheritance in terms
 of
 spaces
 and
 boundaries,
 wondering
 how
 territories
 are
 passed
 down
 and
 how
 borders
 are
 maintained.

Seeking:
 Participants
 who
 are
 engaged
 in
 creative
 and
 critical
 rethinking
 of
 inheritance
 in
 ways
 that
 may
 include,
 but
 certainly
 are
 not
 limited
 to
 the
 ideas
 above.
 As
 part
 of
 this
 process,
 we
 are
 reimagining 
the
 conference
 format 
that
 we 
have 
inherited
 as 
scholars.
Rather
 than
 curating 
panels
 in
 which
 participants
 read
 papers,
 we
 seek
 an
 active,
 dialogue‐driven
 event
 featuring
 multiple
 conversations
 through
 which
 attendees
 can
 move,
 beginning
 with
 a
 keynote
 address
 from
 an
 innovative
 scholar,
 and
 closing
 with
 a
 second
 address
 that
 reflects
 on
 what
 we
 have
 thought
 and
 experienced
 in
 the
 course
 of
 the
 day.
 To
 prompt
 discussion
 and
 encourage
 an
 expansion
 of
 the
 mediums
 with
 and
 through
 which
 we
 think
 inheritance,
 we
 encourage
 submissions
 of
 “objects”
 (including,
 but 
not 
limited 
to,
 physical 
objects, 
artifacts,
 short 
film
 clips,
 photographs, 
texts,
 games,
 artwork,
 music/sound,
 and
 performance)
 alongside
 a
 brief
 300‐500
 word
 statement
 explaining
 your
 choice
 of
 “object”
 and
 how
 it
 relates
 to
 our
 theme.
 When
 selecting
 participants,
 we
 will
 primarily 
be 
looking 
for 
innovative 
ideas 
that 
identify 
a 
”site” 
of 
inquiry 
that 
attendees 
will 
engage
 with 
during
 the
 event.
 We 
are
 NOT 
looking
 for 
finished
 papers
 or
 solidified 
arguments.
 Rather, 
your
 submitted
 “object”
 will
 inspire
 new
 questions
 and
 interventions
 targeting
 inheritance.
 Selected
 participants
 will
 attend
 the
 event,
 informally
 present
 their
 “object”
 as
 it
 relates
 to
 Rethinking
 Inheritance,
 and 
take
part 
in 
workshop 
conversations.

How 
to 
Submit:
 Email 
submissions,
 300‐500
 word
 statement, 
and,
 if 
you 
are 
including
an
 object 
or
 prompt,
 a
 picture
 or
 description
 to
 inheritanceconference@gmail.com
 by
 February
 20th,
 2012.
 Please
 also 
include 
your 
full 
name, 
academic 
affiliation,
 and
 a
current 
CV 
in 
the 
email.

*A 
general 
conference 
announcement
 for
 attendees
 will
 be 
issued 
in 
late 
February.