In honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association (MAPACA), the Children and Childhood Studies Area of MAPACA will curate a new online collection titled “American Childhood in 25 Artifacts” to be housed on H-PCAACA.
We seek proposals of popular culture objects or media productions that are notable for their influence on American Childhood, their prominence as a cultural icons, or their importance or influence on the landscape of American Children’s Culture. Artifacts may come from any period in American history. With each suggestion, we ask for an image or video and 50-500 words describing the importance of the object to American Childhood. Single items are not expected to represent ALL of American Childhood; rather the description should explain the specific importance of the suggested object. Sample criteria for selection: something unique to American Childhood; something of major cultural, aesthetic, historical, or technological significance; high quality within a class of such objects, or typical representation of a class of objects; something that draws attention to a group underrepresented in American Children’s Popular Culture; children's production of culture. Artifacts might be toys, documents, TV shows or movies, items used daily, books or magazines, art work, spaces, architecture, policy…Collectively, the artifacts and essays will help readers learn the story of American Childhood.
Images or videos of artifacts along with short writings will be archived on H-PCAACA at least two weeks before the 2014 MAPACA conference and will form the centerpiece of a lively pre-conference online discussion of American Childhood. This will be followed up by a special panel discussion at the conference including some of the contributors to and curators of the collection.
In addition to embracing 21st century publication and communication technology, we hope this project will allow people to participate in MAPACA’s 25th Anniversary who are unable to attend the conference and expand the discussion of children and American Popular Culture to include a wider audience. You are welcome to submit proposals to both “American Childhood in 25 Artifacts” and to the Children and Childhood Studies Area CFP to present papers at the conference; acceptance in one will not rule out acceptance in the other.
Please send proposals for “American Childhood in 25 Artifacts” to Patrick Cox (ptcox@camden.rutgers.edu) or Brandi J. Venable (brandijvenable@gmail.com) Proposals for regular conference papers or panels should be send through "Submit a Proposal" button on the conference site.
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