The "Shakespeare and the Early Moderns" session seeks proposals focusing on: Shakespeare and the early moderns; Shakespeare and/or his peers (Massinger, Heywood, Beaumont, Fletcher, Wroth, Middleton, etc.); the influence of Shakespeare and the early moderns on later works of literature. Topics of particular interest include work on Shakespeare and power and authority; labor and hierarchy, national identity, Shakespeare and race, feminism, gender and sexuality, disability studies, post-colonial studies, early modern economies; adaptations, and other proposals that touch on any aspect of Shakespeare, his contemporaries, and related topics. As a standing session we welcome paper proposals on a wide variety of topics; however, papers that address the conference theme of "Our Ruling Classes: Culture, Power, Conflict" in relation to Shakespeare are particularly welcome.
Some topics of particular interest include the following in connection to Shakespeare, his contemporaries, and his influences:
· Power and authority
· Labor, class, and social hierarchy
· National identity
· Race and Cultural Studies
· Gender and Sexuality
· Disability Studies
· Environmental Studies / "Blue Humanities"
· Early modern economies
· Adaptations