Exercising Corpo-Realities (Vancouver, October 2026)

I am organising a panel stream at the October 2026 conference of the Society for the Study of Affect. The stream is called ‘Exercising Corpo-Realities’, listed at number 10 here:

https://affectsociety.com/make/#themes

I would love to invite you to submit an abstract for this theme. Deadline is 28th May. Submission portal is here:

https://affectsociety.com/make/conference/

Here is a description of the theme/s:

Why do we exercise, and how do physical practices shape our identity and ideology? Every physical practice creates distinct ways of experiencing the body–different ‘corpo-realities’–which impact how we feel, what we believe, and how we relate to the world. According to Lauren Berlant, affect studies can be regarded as an extension of ideology studies, as it moves further into the realms of lived, embodied life.

We exercise to change. Exercise changes us. We change our exercises–depending. On what? Some approaches may see only ideological capture. We are certainly affected by the structuring forces of pre-personal discursive energies, tendencies and trajectories. But we form agency within structuring structures. We craft our activities on the basis of changes they themselves have produced. Things change, so we have to. We change, so things have to. New vistas open. We can now do different things, or the same things differently.

Across the disciplines, many methodologies are used to try to capture these complex dynamics. Meanwhile, untold numbers of people have agonising or delightful conversations with themselves about their identities, orientations, hopes, dreams, fantasies, and fears; move the pin up or down the stack; tighten their running shoes; ponder a kettlebell; or lightly touch a punchbag and take a barely conscious sniff. Countless reels tell us we must change our life. Some arrest us. Some irritate. Others excite. All are potentially powerful interventions.

This stream explores ways we might grasp the exercise/affect nexus. How can we comprehend and conceptualise affective atmospheres, felt and lived through media and movement? What can the relations hope to be between scholarly knowledges, practitioner knowledges, and dispersed and profuse discursive energies?

Best wishes,

Paul

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Paul Bowman

Professor of Cultural Studies

Cardiff University. 2 Central Square, Cardiff. CF10 1FS. UK

Work: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/182916-bowman-paul

CV: http://bit.ly/4mrJE1C

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