8 March 2019
Reading the Landscape
deadline for submissions: April 5, 2019full name / name of organization: Graduate Literature Student Association of City College of New Yorkcontact email: screane000@citymail.cuny.edu
“Reading the Landscape”
The Second Annual City College of New York Graduate Literature Conference
Conference Date: May 17, 2019
Submission Deadline: April 5, 2019
Landscapes inspire contemplation. Some consider landscapes to be natural while others see them as something created by effacing people and their work. Much literature centers on relationships between people and landscapes and how these relationships are shaped by economic forces.
“Landscape” can be interpreted in many ways; not only a barren windswept heath but also a towering city skyline could be considered a landscape, for example. To further extend the concept, we might talk of the media, literary, academic, or political landscapes. Regardless of how we define the term, this conference seeks to explore how we imagine ourselves as part of the contexts we inhabit. Among other questions, we want to ask how we view landscapes, how we create them, and how they shape us. Participants should consider how attention to landscape informs our understandings of literature and culture.
Interest and Intentions
The conference explains that landscapes encourage thinking and some believe that landscapes are natural in their existence while others think they’re created by people and their work. The “landscape” the post refers to is not only the physical concrete landscape, but includes spheres such as the media, literature, academics, and politics. Regardless of what the terms refers to, the purpose of the conference is to discuss and analyze the relationship between people and the landscape and how the landscape is shaped by economic forces.
This conference is interesting because the “landscape” it is referring to is similar to the Superstructure that Marx discusses. Including the physical landscape, this landscape also includes spheres such as education, politics, law, etc. Using Marxism, this landscape of our society is reflective of our capitalist economic base, and analyzing the extent of the effects this base has on our society is intriguing. Another interesting aspect of this conference is that it doesn’t limit the discussion to one sphere such as education or economy, because it understands that economy has a far extending influence. To meet the tenants of the conference, my research will focus on various spheres of our society. I will provide an in-depth analysis on the relationship between people and the various “landscapes” in our society. I’m interested in using examples within the media and entertainment industry which are influential entities in our modern society. I intend on discussing modern day politics and the fact that it doesn’t influence economy as much as it itself is influenced by economy. I also intend to learn how understanding this relationship influences our perspective of the society through events, literature, and art. The question I intend to discuss is what is the extent of the influence of the economy on other spheres in our society, and is the economy still considered a separate sphere since it deeply influences many aspects of our collective society. Using Marxist arguments, I will overall analyze how the “landscape” of our society reflects the base, and how the base influences the “landscape”.
Conversations on Marxism 