Popular Music and Public Diplomacy Technische Universität Dortmund, Germany 6-8 November 2015 (Deadline for submissions: 1 April 2015) >From the Call for Papers: This conference seeks to illuminate the diplomatic function of popular music from a transnational and transdisciplinary perspective, accentuating its interconnectivity and dissemination across national borders. We are particularly interested in the nexus of power, popularity, aesthetics, and cultural exchange. How did popular music function in the ideological conflict between East and West, for instance, and how did its function change after the fall of the Iron Curtain? How did U.S. popular music programs interact with other nations’ initiatives to channel their self-representation through popular music? Who are the agents, stakeholders, and gatekeepers of popular music diplomacy? What is the role of celebrity in music diplomacy? Has popular music been an “efficient” instrument of national and communal self-representation and how do institutions measure its efficiency? Proposals: We invite contributions from a variety of disciplines, including cultural studies, musicology, ethnomusicology, political science, diplomacy studies, history, sociology, literature, international relations, and other relevant fields. Proposals should include a title, 250 word abstract, technical requirements, and short biographical sketch. Please submit your proposal by 1 April 2015 to musicaldiplomacy2015@gmail.com. Keynote speakers include Martha Bayles (Boston College, U.S.) and Klaus Nathaus (University of Oslo, Norway). The conference is hosted by the English Department and the Department of Music and Musicology at TU Dortmund University, Germany. Organizing Committee: Mario Dunkel (TU Dortmund University, Germany) Sina Nitzsche (TU Dortmund University, Germany) For further details, see www.musicaldiplomacy.org