Call for papers: Transnationalism and beyond: Travelling Terms in Literary and Critical Discourse

The Centre for Transnational Cultural Analysis (Carleton University), in association with the Canadian Comparative Literature Association and the Association des professeur-e-s de français des universités et collèges canadiens

Carleton University, 23-24-25 May 2009

Transnationalism, transculturation, diaspora, migrancy, postcoloniality, ethnicity, mestizaje, multiculturalism, creolization, these are only some of the rubrics that literary critics employ as a corrective to the national paradigm of literary study and to call into question singular cultural, national and linguistic allegiances. Such terms are variously evoked in discussions of immigration, mobility, temporary and permanent forms of displacement, and other forms of cultural and geographic flow. Indeed, closely related phenomena connected to globalization are being analysed through divergent theoretical frameworks and the vocabularies that attend these frameworks. This panel will explore the root causes of these divergences in terminology. More specifically, we will ask:

* Do these terminological divergences point to different methods of literary analysis that offer distinct advantages or disadvantages?

* How much overlap or mutual influence exists among these models? Should there be more dialogue between them?

* To what extent do these critical vocabularies reflect divergences among disciplinary traditions or among national, linguistic and regional traditions of literary practice and study?

* Are there tensions created by the movement across fields and disciplines of vocabularies that have specific, local origins?

* What do these terms tell us about particular historical, geopolitical and ideological considerations and their impact on critical discourse?

We invite proposals for papers that will engage with some of the above questions in relation to a range of literary traditions. Please forward your proposals (300 to 400 words) to one of the following organizers by January 15, 2009:

Sarah Casteel;Pascal Gin;Catherine Khordoc

Call for papers: Adaptation

Annual Cambridge French Graduate Conference
University of Cambridge (UK) – 3rd-4th April 2009
Adaptation

Confirmed keynote speakers:
Dr Sophie Marnette (Oxford), Dr Laurence Grove (Glasgow), Dr Miranda Gill
(Cambridge)

Adaptation is a key notion in the history of French and Francophone culture and language. It is central to the construction and contestation of identity, and the survival, endurance – but also the disappearance – of linguistic and cultural forms. It is a running thread through the varied eras of French and Francophone history, functioning throughout as the means through which individuals or cultures relate to, deal with or often resist more dominant or opposing forms. This conference will therefore consider the process of adaptation both as cultural practice and in its more Darwinian conception, and will look for contributions from all areas of French and Francophone studies. Topics might include, though are not limited to: transculturation, acculturation, multiculturalism, and their reflection on theory and the arts; ‘migrant’ texts and their interpretation or translation; the evolution of the French language, its cultural uses and practices, encompassing aspects such as the language of literature, visual media, and popular music; the status of visual culture, in particular cinema, internationally; the practices of French-language literature in translation, and translation into French; approaches to film subtitling and international marketing; practices of the body in visual and performing arts; the movement of texts, narratives and images across different arts; issues of hierarchy in the arts and cultural shifts.

Abstracts of no more than 250 words should be submitted in English or in French, along with your name, email address, and university affiliation.
You should also indicate on your proposal any audiovisual requirements you may have.

Please email as Word or PDF attachment to:
cam.fr.gradconf@googlemail.com
(conference organizers: Neil Archer and Andreea Weisl-Shaw).

Deadline for submission: Friday 17 January 2009

Call for papers: Representing Citizenship

The Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University conference, Representing Citizenship, will be held at Wayne State’s Detroit campus on 26 – 28 March 2009.

Distinguished philosopher Wil Kymlicka, (Queens University, Ontario, Canada), will serve as the conference’s keynote speaker.

The Center invites proposals for papers, panels, poster sessions, artistic displays, and performances that examine citizenship and representation, from the political and legal to the literary and artistic.

We invite presentations from any time period or geographic area from among and across the widest range of disciplines, including but not limited to literature, political science, history, anthropology, law, communications, sociology, economics, geography, medicine, film studies, and the fine arts.
Abstracts limited to 300 words for individual papers and posters; panel proposals limited to a 250-word panel abstract, including panel title, and a 300-word abstract for the individual papers.

Please submit abstracts on the Center’s website.

Marc W. Kruman
Center for the Study of Citizenship
Wayne State University
3094 Faculty Administration Building
(313) 577-2525
Email
Visit the website