We seek papers for a session we are organizing for the annual meeting of the North American Conference on British Studies (Portland, Oregon, October 24-26, 2003) on the significance of recent exhibitions of British art that have debuted in Great Britain but subsequently traveled abroad. Indeed, as exhibitions of British art circulate outward from Great Britain, what kinds of Britishness do they advance and constitute? What does the art afford venues in which it appears? How can we make sense of the fact that text accompanying exhibitions of British art traveling internationally eludes questions of Britishness that so many artists and scholars active today in Great Britain, in other words, domestically, emphasize in relation to citizenship and ethnicity? For example, "Exposed: The Victorian Nude" debuted at Tate Gallery Britain (2001), after which it traveled to Munich. Currently it can be seen at the Brooklyn Museum, from where it will travel to Japan. In regard to the exhibition itself and also as the exhibition engages with the many venues in which it appears, what does “Exposed” reveal or suppress about recent scholarship reframing British imperialism, colonialism, and nationalism, as well as the conceit that “it is still the case that when people think of Britain they instinctively think of white people, and believe that Britain belongs to them”? (Bhikhu Parekh, “Changing What it Means to be British,” The Daily Telegraph, 18 October 2000) In that Britains “belong to different religions and regions, and cherish their Scottish, Yorkshire, Welsh, Irish, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Protestant identities,” to what extent - internationally and/or domestically – does “Exposed” “foster a common sense of belonging among these groups [thus forging] a single national community with a firm sense of collective purpose and identity”? (Parekh, 2000)

Please e-mail your abstract (300 word limit) and cv (2 page limit) to both Jennifer Way (below) and Sara-Jayne Parsons (Parsons@unt.edu.)

Deadline: January 16, 2003