Paper proposal deadline: November 15th, 2011

Breaking In, Out and Away: Generational Change

Seminar Organizer(s):

Julia S. Feldhaus (Saint Anselm College)

Change is often perceived as a threat, especially if it is imposed from the outside and has the potential to affect our way of life. When a change brings about generational conflict such as sending the new generation on a new path or causing a rupture in the traditional family structure, it becomes especially intimidating and is often perceived as a catastrophe. For example, the “Hippie” Generation was often called the lost generation at the time, and the “Millennials” are labeled “Generation Me” (Jean Twenge), because of their individualism and feelings of entitlement. This panel seeks answers to questions such as: What generational shifts we can observe in literature, film, art and other media? How do these changes come about, and how are they seen and represented from the parent and the children point of view? What specific historical, social or technological changes cause these ruptures between generations? Have we learned to live with these tensions? Does literature and film offer answers or solutions to generational conflict? Does social/technological progress always mean that the old generation gets rebuked by the new one? When has the capacity to honor, listen and obey the parent generation disappeared, and a cult of the new, young and fast society put in its place?