Analyzing the fine print
Academics debate impact of newspapers during 'Print Culture and the City' at McGill
Alternative tabloids and mainstream dailies, such as New York's Village Voice and Montreal's Le Devoir, regularly shape and reshape the mores of their cities. That's why a group of academics from around the world is assembling in Montreal to debate the many levels of urban life that are affected by print media, from atheism to queer rights.
"Print Culture and the City: An Interdisciplinary Conference" is being hosted by McGill's Department of Art History and Communication Studies on March 26 and 27. Cities being examined include Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Prague and San Salvador. Over 50 presentations will be given by scholars from Belgium, South Africa, the United States and Canada.
Lectures will be wide-ranging. One session will cover the emergence of punk zines in the 1970s. Montreal Mirror journalist Matthew Hays will talk about The Alternative Press and the Growth of Queer Pride Events. David Abrahamson, of Northwestern University, will review The City Magazine: The Cultural Evolution of Consumption, Identity and Class. Annie Gérin, of the University of Regina, will review Establishing the "Antireligious Proletariat Dictatorship of the Atheist City over the Countryside." A complete list of lectures and times is available online.
An exhibition of tabloid newspapers, magazines and posters, entitled "Print Culture and City Sensation," will also open at McGill Redpath Library (3459 McTavish St.) on March 26. "Through our exhibit and lectures, we hope our conference will demonstrate the various ways alternative tabloids, zines, periodicals and dailies can transform the urban landscape of their cities," says Will Straw, chair of McGill's Department of Art History and Communication Studies. "Newspapers also act as reflectors of cities, which are gathering places for people, artefacts, economic enterprises and social-political institutions which give each nation its distinctiveness."
Media are welcome to attend the "Print Culture and the City" conference at Thomson House (3650 McTavish St.) by calling Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins at 514-398-6752. Public admission for the conference, which includes meals, is $60 at the door. Online registration.
"Print Culture and the City: An Interdisciplinary Conference" is being sponsored by McGill's Department of Art History and Communication Studies. The event's organizing committee includes: Kevin-John Bozelka, Danielle Schwartz, Will Straw and Jessica Wurster. For more information, please consult the web.
