Conference Agenda

There seems to be no other workplace as restrictive and oppressive as the modern merchant vessel where a small group of workers live together for months and take turns to work around the clock to maintain and operate the moving factory across the expanse of the ocean. All the while, they are facing limited social connectivity with the shore and looming existential threats at sea. On the other hand, seafarers have managed to improvise, make shift, and transcend rigid boundaries even or especially in the highly isolated and regimented environment of the ship.

Through long-term ethnographic fieldwork and media analysis of seafarer vlogs as a maritime genre of representation and communication, this paper discusses how shipboard R&R e.g. sports, games, and parties mitigates and also facilitates labor exploitation in the international shipping industry. I thus argue that seafaring is a heterotopian experience that simultaneously reflects and deflects larger social inequalities.

Due to the shifting consumer values among anime enthusiasts, they are often misconceived as socially isolated individuals who overspend on impractical anime merchandise. This study explores how anime goods, as symbols of fandom, show the changing of consumer perception and shape social relationships and cultural identity through the lens of materiality. Focusing on East Asia, particularly Japan and China, this research employs social media observations, interviews, and literary reviews to analyze the perceived value of anime goods among enthusiasts. Findings reveal that enthusiasts prioritize emotional significance over actual value, viewing anime goods as sources of familiarity, companionship, and passionate devotion, and they also seek identity recognition and self-expression by showcasing their collections. This study challenges misconceptions about anime fans and reveals the value of representing the materiality of anime practices.

Jamaican workers who participate in Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program contracts must manage competing pressures to maintain their livelihood strategy. These factors include temporal pressures related to their domestic life in Jamaica, government bureaucratic timelines, and Canadian agricultural cycles. This paper examines how farm workers refer to their "mindset" as both a key element of their identity and a coping mechanism during demanding and structured periods of work abroad. The ethnographic research is based on interviews conducted with over twenty seasonal laborers in Jamaica during January of 2024 between labor migrations.

Sid Meier's Civilization VI made great strides over previous installments in its efforts to accurately represent such a complex topic as all of human history. However, there are many issues present that can be improved upon. Various stereotypes still persist in the designs of many Civilizations and Leaders that have long been entrenched in the gaming world. It is hoped that by analyzing the stereotypes of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, insight may be gained that can help address the stereotypes present in other regions and other works.