CFP: “Sound Changes: Music and Social Justice”
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario Canada
February 24 and 25, 2012

Carleton University’s newly formed Music and Social Justice Collective invites proposals for an interdisciplinary symposium on the subject of music and social justice to be held on February 24 and 25, 2012 at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Bringing together graduate students and academics from a wide variety of disciplines as well as performers, community activists, and other cultural workers, the symposium will examine music’s capacity to act as an agent for positive social change in a variety of musical, social, and cultural contexts.

Proposals, in English, will be accepted on the topic of music and social justice
Interdisciplinary topics and methods of presentation are encouraged. Some topics for consideration include, but are not limited to:

- “Protest songs” then and now
- The sounding(s) of social justice
- Music and human rights
- Music and the “Occupy Wall Street” (and related) movements
- Music and the law: intellectual property, copyright, censorship
- Music and community
- Hip-hop as social protest
- The politics of benefit concerts
- Revolutionary songs in Latin America
- the “El Sistema” movement
- Music and disability
- Critical pedagogy and music education

Those wishing to present a 20-minute academic paper should submit a 250 word abstract no later than December 9, 2011. Please include the following in the body of the email: your name, institutional affiliation, contact information, and technical requirements. Panel submissions are also encouraged. These should include a 250 word rationale for the panel, as well as a 250 word abstract for each paper. Please submit each panel in one email, wherein the names, affiliations, technical requirements and contact information for each member are listed. Submissions from graduate students and community members are particularly encouraged. Each proposal should be submitted in .pdf format, attached to an email directed to contact@musicandsocialjustice.org. Proposals will be reviewed by the MSJC selection committee, and results will be announced no later than December 23, 2011. For more information, please see our website: www.musicandsocialjustice.org