February 13-16, 2008

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
http://albuquerque.hyatt.com/property/index.jhtml

The 2008 SW/TX PCA/ACA Conference will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Hyatt Regency downtown. Join us this year, as a returning or first-time participant, as we celebrate a new future on Route 66 at this regional popular culture conference. Further details regarding the conference (listing of all areas, hotel, registration, tours, etc.) can be found at http://www.h-net.org/~swpca/.

Proposals for both Panels and Individual Papers are now being accepted for the Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture Area. We had excellent representation in this Area for 2007, and we are looking to expand in both quantity and complexity for 2008. This year, we are particularly interested in proposals that address the following:

- Intersections of Hip Hop and Pedagogy
- Rap Music, Hip Hop Culture, and Space/Place
- Theoretical approaches to Hip Hop (i.e., Language Theory/Postmodernism/Social Theory)
- Rap, Hip Hop, and Academic Disciplinarity
- Rhetorical Approaches to Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture
- Rap, Hip Hop, and Film/Documentary
- Hip Hop Subjectivities/Agency
- Anthropological/Sociological approaches to Hip Hop Culture
- Economics and Hip Hop Culture

As always, papers and panels that consider the myriad ways that Rap Music and Hip Hop culture impact and feed upon Popular and American culture are encouraged. This Area should be construed broadly, and we seek papers that aren’t afraid to take risks. Proposals from Graduate Students are particularly welcome, with award opportunities for best graduate papers.

Please send abstracts of 250 words with relevant audio/visual requests by November 15, 2007, to Brian McNely at the email or physical address below. Panel proposals should include one abstract of 200 words describing the panel, accompanied by the underlying abstracts of 250 words of the individual papers that comprise the panel.

Brian J. McNely
Area Chair, Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture
Rhetoric and Writing Studies Program
101 Vowell Hall
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso TX, 79968
brianmcnely@hotmail.com