Translation and the Postcolonial: Multiple Geographies, Multi-lingual Contexts...

Translation and the Postcolonial: Multiple Geographies, Multi-lingual Contexts

An international conference organized by the Leverhulme Network on “Postcolonial Translation: The Case of South Asia”

June 8-9, 2011

Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Keynote Speakers:

Professor Susan Bassnett, Warwick University, UK

Professor Vasudha Dalmia, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Professor Sherry Simon, Concordia University, Canada

Professor Robert Young, New York University, USA

This international conference seeks to explore the relationship between translation, location and canon. Translation has long played a key role in the construction of “world” literary canons, as well as contributing to the development of comparative literature not only as an academic discipline, but also as a literary practice. Writers are frequently bilingual, if not multi-lingual, and this heteroglot dimension to writing means that the boundaries of national literary canons are constantly transgressed and questioned. The conference looks at the practice and theory of translation in multiple geographical contexts, but we will have one dedicated day to papers focusing on South Asia. This conference is the culmination of the three year international research network, “Postcolonial Translation: The Case of South Asia”, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. http://www.postcolonialtranslation.net/

We solicit proposals for papers on the following topics (these are suggestions, and we are happy to consider proposals along similar, even if not identical lines to the ones sketched out below):

· How translation contributes to the emergence of literary geographies not defined by the nation-state

· Translation and the idea of world literature

· Location, translation and gendered identity

· Geographies of coolietude and slavery, and how they are shaped by translation

· The role of translation in multi-lingual contexts and geo-political formations (e.g. India, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe)

· Political trajectories of translation: examples might include the role of the Cold War in fostering translation between specific languages, such as Indian languages and Russian.

· Translation through political channels of transnational circulation, for example the circulation of socialist literature in different languages and in translation.

· Translation and globalization (for example, the role of the publishing sector in fostering or hindering translation)

· Circulation and translation of ideas and cultural tropes

· The translation and circulation of drama and performances through transnational networks of communication

If you are interested in submitting a paper for this conference, please send an abstract of 300 words, plus a 50-word bio, to Dr Victoria Patton: victoria.patton@ncl.ac.uk

Deadline for submission of abstracts: February 21, 2011