Wednesday, August 24, 2011

African American / Jamaican rhythm tutorial

Press this link for a tutorial about Jamaican rhythm (i.e 44 minutes of the classic Answer rhythm).
For a great comparison with African American rhythm culture see the following link for 2hours!!! of rapping over the drum break from Melvin Bliss "Substution Substitution". The first 30 minutes are especially great.

Friday, August 19, 2011

ARC Postdocs

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme is a separate element of the Discovery Program. The DECRA scheme will provide more focused support for researchers and create more opportunities for early-career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions.
http://www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/decra/instructions.htm
Wednesday 18 May 2011

The Australian Sociological Association Conference- Newcastle- End of November 2011

Call for Papers- open until Sept. 5

http://www.tasa.org.au/tasa-conference/2011-tasa-conference/abstractguideline-paper-submission/

Since the late 1960s, much prominent and influential social theory has been united by one common theme: social relations have individualised whilst economic relations have globalised. The TASA Conference 2011 – Local Lives/Global Networks – will explore the nexus between global economic, social and political discourses and the localised experiences and emotions that these forces engender for individuals faced with ever increasing uncertainty. As new inequalities arise and as traditional inequalities remain but are commonly obfuscated, a publically engaged sociology is well placed to make interventions and provide understanding in complex times. We invite papers and abstracts from all who would like to contribute to this enterprise.

  • Call for Papers & Abstracts - OPENS Monday April 4, 2011
  • Registration - OPENS Monday May 2, 2011
  • Referred Paper Submission -  EXTENDED to July29th. CLOSED. For further extensions please contact the conference conveners.
  • General Paper/Work-in Progress Paper - CLOSES Monday, August 29, 2011 EXTENDED to Monday September 5th, 2011
Check out theHealth Day:
Day theme: Engaging theory in health sociology
Date: Monday the 28th November, 2011, Newcastle, Australia
Conveners: A/Prof Alex Broom (The University of Queensland) and Dr Fran Collyer (The University of Sydney)
Key questions for the day:
  • How do we balance theory and doing research that resonates with ‘real world’ contexts?
  • To what extent are health sociologists contributing to social theory more broadly?
  • What is ‘theoretical’ and what do journals view as theoretically sophisticated?
  • Is theory needed for something to be sociological (versus health or public health research)?
  • How useful is theory for clinicians, practitioners and patients?
  • How important is theory for getting research funding from the ARC/NHMRC and other bodies?
  • What theoretical ideas are emerging at present and why/how are they useful/limited?
  • What theoretical trends dominate in Australia, the UK, Europe and the US?
Plenary panel contributors:
Professor Alan Peterson (Professor of Sociology, Monash University)
Associate Professor Maria Zadoroznyj (Associate Professor of Sociology, The University of Queensland)
Professor Kevin Dew (Professor of Sociology, Victoria University, New Zealand)
Dr Mark Davis (Lecturer in Sociology, Monash University)
Professor Jon Adams (Professor of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney)
PhD Student (TBA)
International Plenary Panel Contributors:
Professor Steve Wainwright and Professor Clare Williams from Brunel (London)
Directors of the Centre for Biomedicine and Society at Brunel and Editors of the Sociology of Health and Illness.
Timetable:
10-10:15 Welcome and Introductions
10:15-12:30 Plenary Panel 1: ‘Social Theory in Health Sociology’
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-3:00 Plenary Panel 2: ‘Theorising health issues: A focus on publishing and journal expectations’

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Marc Anthony Neal

This is a video featuring - Marc Anthony Neal (MAN) interviewing Pierre & Jamyla Bennu & Rebecca Walker.
Pierre & Jamyla Bennu are a couple of film-makers. They made a great film about African American dance called Sun Moon Child.
They also made a great and quite provocative series about black barbie.  They talk about how unusual it is too see a black woman in power (i.e. with gun) in the way that is depicted in the black barbie series.
(I'm not sure where part 3 is.)
There is a great section during the interview where MAN asks Pierre Bennu about why he uses social media to distribute his work. He says that it is impossible to compete with the giant oligarchs of the media. With social media you can be like the mosquito  buzzing aroud but moving too fast for the big guy. You can annoy him. (He might even crash his car).
He cites Michael Jackson as an example of this. Hollywood wasn't giving any African-Americans lead roles- so Michael Jackson made his own films using a format that no one had ever taken seriously- the music video- with his music as the soundtrack.
See “Bad”. Directed by Martin Scorcesee- Best song ever.

MAN also interviews Rebecca Walker. Rebecca Walker is the daughter of Alice Walker. She lives in Maui. She writes and teaches. She is a Buddhist. She seems like a great woman.
They have a great conversation about the recent strikes in Wisconsin in the context of global political turmoil. Walker suggests that things have to break down periodically in order to reshape themselves.
Walker cites:
Dambisa Moyo, How the west Was Lost
A great book of poetry by a Russian Poet called Vera Pavlova called If there is something to desire there will be something to regret.
Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, Harlem is Nowhere: A journey to the Mecca of Black America.
Walter Mosley, The Last days of Ptolemy Grey
MAN cites
Nataliey Moore, The Almighty Black P Stone Nation
Nicole R. Fleetwood, Perfomance Visuality and Blackness
Grant Farred, What’s my name: Black vernacular intellectuals
He also mentions that itunes has just released four episodes of the Nat King Cole show.