The KBS 2025 conference has pivoted to virtual-only format, so we have reopened the submission window. The new deadline is April 20, 2025, at midnight wherever you are. With the change to the virtual format, we’ve revised the conference description and details, which you can read in full at the KB Journal website or in summary form below. Conference Website: http://kbjournal.org/kbs25. Submit proposals via Submittable here.
The 12th Triennial Conference of the Kenneth Burke Society 2025
"Kenneth Burke, the Humanities, and Agency in the Era of AI"
A Virtual Conference and Film Festival
Fast Facts
Conference Dates: May 23–25, 2025
Location: Online in Zoom, Gather, and New Art City
Proposal Submission Deadline: 20 April 2025. Submit proposals via Submittable here.
Proposal Acceptance Notifications: Revolving
RENEW A MEMBERSHIP OR JOIN THE KENNETH BURKE SOCIETY HERE ($10 for students; $25 for all others; all presenters must be current members of the Kenneth Burke Society)·
- Conference Website: http://kbjournal.org/kbs25
- Conference Chair: David Blakesley (dblakes)
- Program Chair: Taylor Wyatt (tjwyatt)
- Conference Coordinator: Andrew Okai (aokai)
- New Art City Coordinator: Eddie Lohmeyer (elohmey)
- Film Festival Coordinator: David Williams (dgwilli)
- Accessibility Coordinator: Ashlyn Walden (acwalde)
- Gather Coordinator: Dave Rochlin (drochli)
KBS Awards
Call for Nominations for the 12th Triennial Kenneth Burke Society Awards (coming soon)
Registration
Attending KBS 2025 will be free for all attendees. Presenters must be members of the Kenneth Burke Society. Not yet a member? Student memberships are only $10 annually, and regular memberships are only $25!
Summary of the Conference Details
The 12th Triennial Conference of the Kenneth Burke Society welcomes proposals that focus on any Burkean subject. Proposals that address the conference theme, “Kenneth Burke, the Humanities, and Agency in the Era of AI,” are especially welcome. The conference will be hosted by the Kenneth Burke Society and Clemson University, from May 23 to May 25, 2025. In addition to lively presentations, performances, exhibits, a film festival, games, and unending conversation in the parlor, KBS 2025 will also feature a virtual exhibition space in New Art City that features presentations, installations, art, and video. A film production crew will film a live theatrical and cinematic enactment of the Burkeian parlor for The Wordman film. The theatrical trailer for The Wordman will premiere at the conference.
Conference Theme
Kenneth Burke, the Humanities, and Agency in the Era of AI
Daniel Plate and James Hutson argue that we must view AI “not merely as a technological tool, but as a powerful extension of our symbolic lives, with profound ethical implications” (“Reclaiming the Symbol: Ethics, Rhetoric, and the Humanistic Integration of GAI: A Burkean Perspective,” p. 69). They view AI as an extension of human symbolic action and argue for a balanced approach to its use, which can potentially bridge the divide between humanistic inquiry (what Burke advocates) and continuing digital innovation. Is it possible to view AI as anything other than an adversary of the humanities (especially since AI isn’t going anywhere soon)? Plate and Hutson argue that it is possible to develop a more nuanced understanding of AI by viewing this technology specifically within the context of Burkean rhetorical theory. The LLMs that fuel generative (and textual) AI may enable contextually coherent and persuasive or informative predictions, so how might this generative capacity be differentiated from what Burke calls the entelichial nature of language, our efforts to track down the implications of a terminology (dramatism, terministic screens), or the idea that language does our thinking for us. What might Burke have thought of the technological, linguistically infused golems of generative AI? How does or might generative AI transform (for better or worse) the understanding and value of the humanities? What’s the difference between human and AI agency? What acts might human-AI agency or agents perform? This theme welcomes presentations that offer Burkean readings of AI, which collectively may attest to the importance of the humanities in guiding our ethical and creative uses of AI technology.
“I expect AI to be capable of superhuman persuasion well before it is superhuman at general intelligence," ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) in October of 2023, "which may lead to some very strange outcomes." We welcome proposals for individual presentations, panels, flash talks, Film Festival entry, critical AI projects installations, games, BAHFest presentations, or seminars that explore them:
- What strange outcomes might those be?
- What does AI have to do with Kenneth Burke?
- How might dramatism (Burke) differ from pattern recognition (AI)?
- How does AI complicate our understanding of Agency? Act? Scene? Agent? Purpose? Attitude?
- In what ways might generative AI and its superhuman persuasion/rhetoric function as a counter-statement to traditional principles of rhetoric?
- For Burke, pure persuasion is a motive. Can AI simulate pure persuasion? Agency?
- How does generative AI reinforce or challenge systemic racism, ableism, sexism, classicism, and the intersectional nature of identity and identification?
- How might a Burkean rhetoric of ecological action illuminate the material and economic impact of AI?
- In the era of AI, why/how does rhetoric matter?
As with prior KBS conferences, we also welcome all proposals from all disciplines—and all students and scholars of Kenneth Burke’s work.
We invite proposals for individual presentations, panels, flash talks, Film Festival entries, critical AI projects installations, games, BAHFest presentations, or seminars exploring the above ideas and concerns. Proposals should be submitted in Submittable HERE. The submission window opens January 21, 2025, and closes Sunday, April 20, 2025, at midnight wherever you are. Proposals for individual presentations, flash talks, short films, critical AI projects, installations, performances, or BAHFest presentations should be no more than 250 words. Proposals for panels with multiple presenters may be up to 500 words. Acceptances will be announced on a revolving basis.
Film Festival
We invite conference attendees, both in person and virtual, to submit short films for the inaugural Kenneth Burke Film Festival. Those who wish to participate should submit pitches of 150-200 words for their films (also due by April 20, 2025). A film pitch is a brief but concise rundown of your film: title, premise, style, and thematic relevance. The pitch doesn’t have to completely summarize the film but should highlight a compelling idea that connects with the theme of this year’s conference (“Kenneth Burke, the Humanities, and Agency in the Era of AI”). Conference attendees whose pitches are accepted will be notified by April 25, 2025, and invited to submit a rough cut or trailer at the next step.
The Virtual Venues
Asynchronous virtual presentations will be in the form of pre-recorded video hosted by the presenter “live” in Zoom, with additional interactivity in Gather. All presentations (papers, films, posters, flash talks, installations, performances) will also be curated in the interactive virtual space drochli). Watch a Gather demo here: https://youtu.be/JePchzu_USM?si=4yldHcfHVTg2ymOv.
For Burkean Nomads
Some hearty KB travelers and local presenters will meet at Clemson for "live" presentations in a hybrid space that allows for virtual participation in Zoom, Gather, and New Art City. They’ll also gather at the Post-Conference Festival/Pool Party/Wordman filming (hosted by ParlorFlix in Anderson, SC). If you’ll be on site (or want to be), let Dave know (dblakes).
Technical Support
Virtual and onsite presenters can ask for technical support to produce video presentations, installations, or other alternative formats. Email Andrew Okai (Program Coordinator) at aokai, Ashlyn Walden (Accessibility Coordinator) at acwalde, or Taylor Wyatt (tjwyatt).
Cheers,
Dave
Campbell Chair in Technical Communication
Professor of Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design
Interim Director, RCID
Immediate Past President of the Faculty Senate
Publisher, Parlor Press
he/him/his
Clemson University
616 Strode Tower
Clemson, SC 29634