2025
2025 IASPM Canada Conference
French follows. . .
Let Your Body Move to the Music: Popular Music and the Body
2025 International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) Canada Conference
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Toronto, ON
October 16-19, 2025
Early submission deadline (for possible SSHRC funding consideration): April 15, 2025
Submission deadline: May 1, 2025
Submit IASPM 2025 proposals here!
Alternatively, submit proposals to: iaspmcanada2025@gmail.com
The body has been central to Popular Music Studies since the fieldâs inception, as the experience of musical participation is not only an auditory process but involves a bodily engagement with sonic properties. For Susan McClary, this is precisely where the politics of music reside: where musical sound and bodies interact and where normative behaviours, subjectivities, and logics are destabilized. This conference explores the capacious theme of popular music and the body. How do our bodies mediate, enhance, and/or limit our interactions with popular music? How are practices of music-making, listening, and dancing tied to bodily capacities and desires? How does participation in popular music produce, resist, and disseminate logics of bodily norms and deviations?
In addition to those that address broad questions about popular music and the body, we encourage submissions that relate to the following themes:
Feeling rhythms, temporalities, and grooves. In Groove: A Phenomenology of Rhythmic Nuance, Tiger C. Roholt argues that âfeeling a groove, and understanding it, does not occur in thought, nor in listening alone, but through the bodyâ (1-2). How does popular music encourage or potentialize new conceptions of embodied temporalities and rhythms? What collective rhythms are made possible or impossible through popular music? How do certain rhythms and/or genres encourage specific types of bodily participation and how are these expectations challenged?
Embodiment, subjectivity, and the body politic. Barry Shank argues in The Political Force of Musical Beauty that music is âone of the central cultural processes through which the abstract concept of the polis comes into bodily experienceâ (16). How does participation in popular music inform the way we understand ourselves, our bodies, and our place in the world? How do our bodies learn through and alongside music? How does music elicit collective feelings? How does music (dis)connect you with others and broader collective bodies?
Intimacy, sex, and eroticism. In âOn a Lesbian Relationship with Music,â Suzanne Cusick argues that participation in music shares a closeness with sex as âa way of expressing and/or enacting relationships of intimacy through physical pleasure shared, accepted, or givenâ (70). How do bodily interactions with and through popular music potentialize intimacy, lust, and/or care? How does music inform sexual desires and experiences? How do specific genres of popular music encourage certain understandings of sex and eroticism? What can bodies do when they come together through music?
Bodily connections, bodily control, and the body as a battleground. In her book In the Houses of the Holy, Susan Fast writes that âI am in your rhythm and therefore in your bodyâwe are one, perhaps first through sharing an âextradailyâ time and second through the particular rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, and timbral gestures, which impact on our bodies in a particular wayâ (131). How does music connect bodies? How are bodies controlled (and uncontrolled) through popular music? How does the nation use popular music to compel certain embodiments and bodily capacities? How do we break free of bodily constraints? Can listeners and/or dancers experience liberation through bodily participation in popular music? What are the boundaries between âproperâ and âimproperâ bodily engagements with popular music? What can bodies do?
Penetrated, enhanced, and virtual bodies. When describing her dancing practices in her book Raving, Mackenzie Wark writes that âI want the situation, the entire situation, to fuck me. I want to be penetrated by light, fog, the floor, the walls, the anonymous swaying bodies. I want to be railed by pounding soundâ (38). How does music animate our bodies? How are bodies and bodily norms changing in light of contemporary music technologies? What effects does artificial intelligence have on the bodies of performers, listeners, and dancers? How are bodily capacities enhanced and altered through popular music participation? What are bodies and what might bodies be?
The Program Committee welcomes proposals for submissions on all popular music topics, not just those specified above.
Submission Guidelines:
Abstracts of individual papers, workshops, performances and other presentations should be no longer than 300 words. The program committee is especially interested in proposals in diverse formats. Panel submissions should include a title and abstract for the panel (300 words max.) as well as titles and abstracts for the individual papers on the panel. All abstracts for a panel should be submitted together, with one member or respondent designated as the chair. Abstracts will be adjudicated individually, so it is possible for a panel to be accepted but not an individual paper and vice versa. Each abstract should also include a short biography of the author (100 words max.) including the institutional affiliation, if any, and email address of each author. Each abstract should also include five keywords. Submissions in French and English are acceptable. IASPM Canada uses anonymized peer review to vet proposals.
Submit proposals to: iaspmcanada2025@gmail.com
Presentation Logistics and Modality:
Papers will be limited to 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of questions. Panels will be limited to a maximum of 4 papers. Other presentations (workshops, film screenings, roundtables, etc.) will generally be limited to 60 minutes, but alternatives can be proposed. All participants must be members of IASPM-Canada at the time of the conference. Membership information is available on the following website: https://www.iaspm.ca/signup.
For questions about the conference, please contact the Program Committee Chair Richard Sutherland (rfsutherland@mtroyal.ca) or Local Organising Chair Craig Jennex (craigjennex@torontomu.ca)
Program Committee Members:
Richard Sutherland, Chair (Mount Royal University)
Melissa Avdeeff (University of Stirling)
Steven Baur (Dalhousie University)
Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier (University of Victoria)
Craig Jennex (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Charity Marsh (University of Regina)
Danick Trottier (Université du Québec à Montréal)
Les musiques populaires et le(s) corps
Branche canadienne de lâInternational association for the study of popular music (IASPM)
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Toronto, ON
Du 16 au 19 octobre 2025
Date limite de soumission anticipée (pour un éventuel financement par le CRSH) : 15 avril 2025
Date limite de soumission : 1 mai 2025
Soumettre les propositions aÌ iaspmcanada2025@gmail.com
Depuis leur Ă©mergence, les Ă©tudes sur les musiques populaires ont mis le corps au cĆur de leurs intĂ©rĂȘts, alors que lâexpĂ©rience de la participation musicale va bien au-delĂ du processus auditif et implique un engagement corporel avec les propriĂ©tĂ©s sonores, notamment. Pour Susan McClary, câest prĂ©cisĂ©ment laÌ que rĂ©side la politique de la musique : laÌ ouÌ le son musical et les corps interagissent et lĂ ouÌ les comportements normatifs, les subjectivitĂ©s et les logiques se trouvent dĂ©stabilisĂ©s. Cette confĂ©rence explore le thĂšme trĂšs vaste des musiques populaires et du corps. Comment nos corps mĂ©diatisent-ils, amĂ©liorent-ils, augmentent-ils et/ou limitent-ils nos interactions avec les musiques populaires ? Comment les pratiques de crĂ©ation musicale, dâĂ©coute et de danse sont-elles liĂ©es aux capacitĂ©s et aux dĂ©sirs corporels ? Comment la participation aux musiques populaires produit, rĂ©siste et fait-elle circuler des logiques de normes corporelles et de diffĂ©rences?
En plus des propositions portant sur des enjeux généraux de la recherche sur les musiques populaires et le corps, nous encourageons les soumissions qui se rapportent plus particuliÚrement aux thÚmes suivants :
Ressentir les rythmes, les temporalitĂ©s et les grooves. Dans Groove : A Phenomenology of Rhythmic Nuance, Tiger C. Roholt souligne que « feeling a groove, and understanding it, does not occur in thought, nor in listening alone, but through the body. » (p. 1-2) Comment les musiques populaires encouragent ou potentialisent-elles de nouvelles conceptions des temporalitĂ©s et des rythmes tels quâils sâincarnent dans des corps ? Quels rythmes collectifs sont rendus possibles ou impossibles par les musiques populaires ? Comment certains rythmes et/ou genres musicaux encouragent-ils des types speÌcifiques de participation corporelle et comment ces attentes sont-elles remises en question ?
Embodiment, subjectivitĂ© et le corps politique. Barry Shank affirme dans The Political Force of Musical Beauty que la musique est « one of the central cultural processes through which the abstract concept of the polis comes into bodily experience. » (p. 16) Comment la participation aux musiques populaires influence-t-elle la façon dont nous nous comprenons, dont nous comprenons notre corps et notre place dans le monde ? Comment nos corps apprennent-ils par et avec la musique ? Comment la musique suscite-t-elle des sentiments collectifs ? Comment la musique nous (deÌ)lie-t-elle aux autres et aÌ des corps collectifs plus larges ?
IntimitĂ©Ì, sexe et Ă©rotisme. Dans On a Lesbian Relationship with Music, Suzanne Cusick affirme que la participation aÌ la musique partage une proximitĂ©Ì avec le sexe « as a way of expressing and/or enacting relationships of intimacy through physical pleasure shared, accepted, or given. » (p. 70) Comment les interactions corporelles avec et par les musiques populaires potentialisent-elles lâintimitĂ©Ì, le dĂ©sir et/ou le care ? Comment la musique informe-t-elle les expĂ©riences et dĂ©sirs sexuels ? Comment des genres spĂ©cifiques de musique populaire encouragent-ils certaines conceptions de la sexualitĂ© et de lâĂ©rotisme ? Que peuvent faire les corps lorsquâils sont rĂ©unis par et dans la musique ?
Connexions corporelles, contrĂŽle des corps et le corps comme champ de bataille. Dans son livre In the Houses of the Holy, Susan Fast eÌcrit : « I am in your rhythm and therefore in your bodyâwe are one, perhaps first through sharing an âextradailyâ time and second through the particular rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, and timbral gestures, which impact on our bodies in a particular way. » (p. 131) Comment la musique connecte-t-elle les corps ? Comment les corps sont-ils contrĂŽles (et incontrĂŽlĂ©s) par et dans les musiques populaires ? Comment la nation utilise-t-elle les musiques populaires pour imposer certaines incarnations (embodiments) et capacitĂ©s corporelles ? Comment se libĂ©rer des contraintes de nos corps ? LâĂ©coute ou la danse peut-elle reprĂ©senter une expĂ©rience de libĂ©ration par la participation corporelle aux musiques populaires ? Quelles sont les limites entre les rapports « appropries » et « inappropriĂ©s » des corps dans les musiques populaires ? Que peuvent faire les corps ?
Des corps pĂ©nĂ©trĂ©s, amĂ©liorĂ©s et virtuels. En dĂ©crivant ses pratiques de danse dans son livre Raving, Mackenzie Wark eÌcrit : « I want the situation, the entire situation, to fuck me. I want to be penetrated by light, fog, the floor, the walls, the anonymous swaying bodies. I want to be railed by pounding sound . » (p. 38) Comment la musique anime-t-elle nos corps ? Comment les corps et les normes corporelles Ă©voluent-ils aÌ la lumiĂšre des technologies musicales contemporaines ? Quels sont les effets de lâintelligence artificielle sur les corps qui interprĂštent, qui Ă©coutent et consomment, qui dansent? Comment les capacitĂ©s corporelles sont-elles amĂ©liorĂ©es et modifiĂ©es par la participation aux musiques populaires ? Que sont et que pourraient ĂȘtre les corps?
En plus des thĂšmes mentionnĂ©s ici, le comitĂ©Ì de programme invite les personnes candidates qui le souhaitent Ă proposer des contributions sur tout autre thĂšme pertinent pour lâĂ©tude des musiques populaires.
Pour proposer une contribution:
Les rĂ©sumĂ©s de communications individuelles, dâateliers, de spectacles et autres prĂ©sentations ne doivent pas dĂ©passer 300 mots. Le comitĂ© de programme est particuliĂšrement intĂ©ressĂ©Ì par des propositions de formats divers. Les propositions de panels doivent inclure un titre et un rĂ©sumĂ©Ì pour le panel (300 mots maximum) ainsi que les titres et les rĂ©sumĂ©s des communications individuelles. Tous les rĂ©sumĂ©s dâun panel doivent ĂȘtre soumis ensemble, une personne membre ou rĂ©pondante Ă©tant dĂ©signĂ©e comme prĂ©sidente. Les rĂ©sumĂ©s seront Ă©valuĂ©s individuellement, il est donc possible quâun panel ou une communication soit refusĂ©, mais que les autres propositions soumises soient acceptĂ©es. Chaque rĂ©sumĂ© doit Ă©galement inclure une courte biographie de(s) lâauteur(s) ou lâautrice(s) (100 mots maximum par personne), y compris lâaffiliation institutionnelle, le cas Ă©chĂ©ant, et lâadresse Ă©lectronique. Chaque rĂ©sumĂ©Ì doit Ă©galement inclure cinq mots-clĂ©s. Les soumissions en français et en anglais sont acceptĂ©es. IASPM Canada a recours aÌ un examen anonyme par les pairs pour Ă©valuer les propositions.
Soumettez vos propositions IASPM 2025 ici!
Alternativement, veuillez soumettre votre proposition de communication aÌ iaspmcanada2025@gmail.com
Logistique et modalités de présentation :
Les communications seront limitĂ©es aÌ 20 minutes, suivies de 10 minutes de questions. Les panels seront limitĂ©s aÌ un maximum de 4 communications. Les autres prĂ©sentations (ateliers, projections de films, tables rondes, etc.) seront gĂ©nĂ©ralement limitĂ©es aÌ 60 minutes, mais des alternatives peuvent ĂȘtre proposĂ©es. Toutes les personnes participantes doivent ĂȘtre membres de lâIASPM-Canada au moment de la confĂ©rence. Les informations relatives aÌ lâadhĂ©sion sont disponibles sur le site web suivant : https://www.iaspm.ca/signup.
Pour toute question concernant la confĂ©rence, veuillez contacter le prĂ©sident du comiteÌ de programme, Richard Sutherland (rfsutherland@mtroyal.ca ), ou le prĂ©sident de lâorganisation locale, Craig Jennex (craigjennex@torontomu.ca).
Membres du comité de programme :
Richard Sutherland, président (Mount Royal University)
Melissa Avdeeff (University of Stirling)
Steven Baur (Dalhousie University)
Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier (University of Victoria)
Craig Jennex (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Charity Marsh (University of Regina)
Danick Trottier (UniversiteÌ du QueÌbec aÌ MontreÌal)