Papers are invited for the 2nd International Congress of Bengal Studies scheduled to be held during 17th – 19th December, 2011. The 2nd Congress will be jointly hosted by the University of Dhaka and Bangla Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The theme of the 2011 Congress is ‘Contemporary Bengal Studies’. Papers on other areas of Bengal Studies, including, but not limited to, Literature and Criticism, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Folklore, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, History, Economics, Sociology, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Anthropology, Archeology, Museulogy are also invited. Papers should be either in Bengali or in English.
Last date for submission of paper proposal/abstract (300-500 words) is 15th March, 2011. Proposals may be submitted to the Convener through post or email. Decision on the acceptance of the proposal will be communicated to the scholar within 15th July, 2011. .
Participants must register by 30th July, 2011, by paying BDT 1500/- (for Bangladesh)/ USD 30 (for SAARC countries)/ USD 50 (for other countries)/ BDT 500 or USD 10 (for students). Registration will cover right to attend all sessions, lunch, snacks and one copy of the abstract-book. Participants may arrange for their own accommodation. Information about some selected hotels and guest houses will be provided soon by the organizers. Organizers have also arranged for a limited number of accommodation package which covers stay during 16th – 20th December, 2011, and, breakfast and dinner. The package may be booked through payment of USD 70 (for SAARC countries) / USD 200 (for other countries) / USD 20 (for students). Mode of payment etc will be communicated to confirmed participants. Participants are expected to share room with other delegates. Students will be allotted dormitory type accommodation.
The organizers may arrange for a few scholarships for students and independent scholars covering the travel, registration and accommodation costs. Students and independent scholars interested to be considered for this scholarship must submit their full paper by 30th March, 2011.
Assistant Professor, Department of English, Raja Peary Mohan College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata,India.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Islam and English in India: Cultural, Literary, Pedagogic, Historical, Political and Philosophical Encounters
Call for Papers
Islam and English in India: Cultural, Literary, Pedagogic,
Historical, Political and Philosophical Encounters
The earliest encounter of the English with Islam in India perhaps dates back to their first trade license granted by the Mughal emperor Jehangir in 1615. It was also the foundation of a long lasting yet tumultuous relationship that would eventually pave the way for a modern India, indelibly marked by the bitter-sweet experience of British rule in India. One of the most abiding legacies of British rule in India is of course the English language and all its attendant accoutrements – English literature, culture, history, cuisine, governing and legal systems, education, ad infinitum. What India lost – or gained – in this most ambivalent relationship has been probed and analysed in umpteen attempts to understand the phenomenon of British colonial rule and its single and most effective aftermath – English.
Yet the interface between Islam and English in India is an area that remains little explored partly due to the preoccupation of most scholars with the predominant idea of India as a Hindu and Sanskritic entity and partly due to the fact that most studies dealing with the issues relating to Islam and English in India are still confined to small regional groups mostly working in regional languages (bringing to the fore the question of power associated with the use of an elite language).
The proposed three day seminar/conference proposes to fill this gap by focusing on the specific relationship/s Islam had with English and continues to countenance, in contemporary times, in India.
The following is an indicative list of areas that will receive intense attention during the seminar:
Muslim and British Encounters in India: Historical Texts, Contexts and Pre-Texts:
The Mughals and the British
English Records, Diaries and Popular Stories about Islam in India
English Narratives of the 1857 Mutiny
Muslim Narratives of the Mutiny
Macaulay’s Minute and Muslim Reaction/s
Islam, English and the Nineteenth Century Muslim Intellectual: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Others
The Struggle for Dominance: The Power of English and Muslim Resistance
English and Indian Muslim Culture and Education in the Nineteenth Century: The Role of the Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia and the Deoband Dar ul Uloom
Islam and English in India: Literary Encounters
E. M. Forster and Islam in India
Kipling and Islam in India
English and the Contemporary Indian Muslim:
English and Islam: A Troubled Legacy and an Awkward Relationship?
Islam, English and the Indian Muslim’s Modernity
Islam in India and English Medium Education
English and the Islamic Madrassa
The Uses of English in the Context of Islam in India:
English and the Propagation of Islam in India
Indian Translations of the Quran and Hadith into English
English and the New Islamic Media in India
Representations of the Muslim in Indian Regional and English Media
English and Muslim Personal Law/Sharia
Islam, Arabic/Persian/Urdu, and English in India
Urdu and English: Languages in Competition?
English Translations of Urdu Literature
English Transliterations: A ”Romanised” Urdu?
The Influence of English on Urdu Language and Literature
The Influence of Urdu on Indian English Literature
Representations of Islam, Muslims and Urdu in Indian English Literature
Convergences: Arabic/Persian and the English Language: “Romanisation”, Again?
The Contribution of Muslim Women Writers
Influence of English on Muslim Women Writers
The languages in which they write
How they respond to English in all its manifestations
Linguistic/ELT Issues
Is there an Indian Muslim English?
ELT for the Indian Muslim
English Studies Pedagogy for the Indian Muslim
The Linguistics Context of the Indian Muslim
Indian Muslim Specific Spoken/Communicative English?
Cultural Encounters
Encounters of the Culinary Kind: Muslim/Indian Food on the English Tables
Muslim Impact on English Lifestyles
The above list is by no means exhaustive but is certainly indicative of the vast unexplored research potential of the area. The Seminar/Conference, it is hoped, will help enhance our understanding of the various facets of the Indian Muslim’s life experience in India as well as their encounters with English in India. The Seminar/Conference is envisaged as an inter-disciplinary affair that will encourage scholars and individuals from different disciplines and various walks of life to actively participate in and contribute to the deliberations and discussions.
Participation will be strictly based on the merit of the papers submitted to the Seminar Committee.
Participants whose abstracts are selected will receive travel reimbursement subject to rules and regulations of the University in addition to local hospitality.
All abstracts must be sent to the Director of the Conference by 30 April 2011 at the address given below. Electronic submissions are strongly recommended @ mujeeb_syed@hotmail.com
Prof. Syed Mujeebuddin
Director, Conference on Islam and English in India
Department of English, University of Hyderabad
Hyderabad – 500 0046, A.P., India
E-mail: Mujeeb_syed@hotmail.com
mujeebsyed@yahoo.com
Mobile 00 91 98497 23821
Office: 00 91 40 2313 3400
Gender, Space and Resistance: Women’s Theatre in India
Gender, Space and Resistance: Women’s Theatre in India
Theme
Theatre in India has a long tradition. Women have performed roles that have ranged from playwright to direction and acting, to criticism, research and organization. There is extensive material to show the presence of women in all these areas.
This proposed anthology furthers research undertaken to explore women's presence in and their contribution to theatre in the recorded history and provide a platform to raise, discuss and debate, to the minutest details, issues connected with theatre—from aesthetics and techniques of the theatre to the political, social and moral values of the women involved in theatre. From the study of the available material it is seen that the actual contribution of women to theatre is marginalized in the otherwise comprehensive analysis of the theatre Thus an important component of women's cultural tradition is missing.
1960’s threw up new spaces for reconceptualizing and negotiating questions of women’s agency and identity. Aurat was street plays produced by Janamor Jan Natya Manch (People’s Theatre) of India, (This play has had more than 2,500 performances, and has been translated into almost all Indian languages). It challenged bourgeois notions of womanhood and articulated a politics that explicitly connected gender, class, and sexuality with home, factory, and fields, on the one hand, and with revolutionary change, on the other. Flood gates for women centric plays were flung open .Much of the plays that surfaced were based on Brechtian poetics, in which the spectator delegates power to the character to act in her place but the spectator reserves the right to think for [herself] often in opposition to the character. In contrast to Aristotelian poetics, wherein a passive spectator experiences a catharsis at the end of the dramatic action, the Brechtian spectator achieves a more activist, unsettling, “critical awareness” of societal issues. New generation of theatre practitioners were sculpting a new dramaturgy, creating an audience that does not demand to be delighted but content to engage with dialectics. The ultimate objective of this theatre was the creation of a more just society.
Topics
Original and unpublished papers are invited on the following topics and we also welcome suggestion for inclusion of other relevant topics as well:
1. Trends in feminist theatre
2. Theorizing feminist theatre
3. Themes/concerns of feminist drama
4. Discussion of particular texts/productions/performances
5. Focus on major dramatist, director, dramaturge, performers, and technicians on stage
6. Pedagogical implications of feminist theatre
7. New directions in the 21st century
MS Guide:
Style: MLA
Text: Heading 1—Ariel 16 bold, Heading 2—Ariel 14 bold, Body Ariel 12 normal, double spaced, Letter
Images/illustrations, if any: copyright free images in JPEG format between 800-1024 pixels on the longest side
Word-limit: minimum 3000 words and maximum 5000 words.
Submission:
Please send an abstract of about 150-200 words explaining your proposal by February 28. If selected, final articles should be submitted by 30th April 2011.
Contact
Anita Singh
Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005, India. Email: anitasinghh@gmail.com
Tarun Tapas Mukherjee
Assistant Professor & Head, Department of English, Bhatter College, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. E-mail: ttm1974@gmail.com
Theme
Theatre in India has a long tradition. Women have performed roles that have ranged from playwright to direction and acting, to criticism, research and organization. There is extensive material to show the presence of women in all these areas.
This proposed anthology furthers research undertaken to explore women's presence in and their contribution to theatre in the recorded history and provide a platform to raise, discuss and debate, to the minutest details, issues connected with theatre—from aesthetics and techniques of the theatre to the political, social and moral values of the women involved in theatre. From the study of the available material it is seen that the actual contribution of women to theatre is marginalized in the otherwise comprehensive analysis of the theatre Thus an important component of women's cultural tradition is missing.
1960’s threw up new spaces for reconceptualizing and negotiating questions of women’s agency and identity. Aurat was street plays produced by Janamor Jan Natya Manch (People’s Theatre) of India, (This play has had more than 2,500 performances, and has been translated into almost all Indian languages). It challenged bourgeois notions of womanhood and articulated a politics that explicitly connected gender, class, and sexuality with home, factory, and fields, on the one hand, and with revolutionary change, on the other. Flood gates for women centric plays were flung open .Much of the plays that surfaced were based on Brechtian poetics, in which the spectator delegates power to the character to act in her place but the spectator reserves the right to think for [herself] often in opposition to the character. In contrast to Aristotelian poetics, wherein a passive spectator experiences a catharsis at the end of the dramatic action, the Brechtian spectator achieves a more activist, unsettling, “critical awareness” of societal issues. New generation of theatre practitioners were sculpting a new dramaturgy, creating an audience that does not demand to be delighted but content to engage with dialectics. The ultimate objective of this theatre was the creation of a more just society.
Topics
Original and unpublished papers are invited on the following topics and we also welcome suggestion for inclusion of other relevant topics as well:
1. Trends in feminist theatre
2. Theorizing feminist theatre
3. Themes/concerns of feminist drama
4. Discussion of particular texts/productions/performances
5. Focus on major dramatist, director, dramaturge, performers, and technicians on stage
6. Pedagogical implications of feminist theatre
7. New directions in the 21st century
MS Guide:
Style: MLA
Text: Heading 1—Ariel 16 bold, Heading 2—Ariel 14 bold, Body Ariel 12 normal, double spaced, Letter
Images/illustrations, if any: copyright free images in JPEG format between 800-1024 pixels on the longest side
Word-limit: minimum 3000 words and maximum 5000 words.
Submission:
Please send an abstract of about 150-200 words explaining your proposal by February 28. If selected, final articles should be submitted by 30th April 2011.
Contact
Anita Singh
Professor, Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221005, India. Email: anitasinghh@gmail.com
Tarun Tapas Mukherjee
Assistant Professor & Head, Department of English, Bhatter College, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India. E-mail: ttm1974@gmail.com
Friday, February 25, 2011
Call for Contribution.....
Chitrolekha International Magazine on Art and Design has been conceived of as an attempt at exploring the world of art and design, as a platform dedicated to the artists and designers, design lovers, dreamers and people from the industry to share new ideas and innovations.
For the inaugural issue we are seeking writings on the featured section, other regular sections and projects works from writers, designers and artists on the following topics:
Topics
* Traditional art: Alpona
* Architecture: Brihadeeswara Temple
* Feature: Stone Sculpture
Use of stone sculptures in enhancing the beauty of our world (interior, exterior, landscape, garden, city etc)
The processes of creating stone sculpture (from past to present)
Remarkable ancient stone sculptures
Modern/abstract sculptures with analytical description
Sculptures with multiple stones (granite, white marble, colored marble etc)
* Interview of a famous sculptor
* Factory in focus: Problems and suggested solutions
* Home fashion: Indoor vertical garden
* Human fashion: Jewelry on marine theme
* Occasion: Designs created for an occasion
* Artist’s corner: Profile and works
* Designer’s corner: Profile and works
* Project: Submission of a design/art project
* Phenomenon:
* Book Review
Books on Art/and Design
For detailed guidelines, please visit www.chitrolekha.com/submission.php.
Contact: editor@chitrolekha.com
Deadline of Submission: 28 February, 2011.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Call for Papers for Volume 3, Number 2
Call for Papers for Volume 3, Number 2: Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities Posted: Call for Papers for Volume 3, Number 2 Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities ISSN 0975-2935 www.rupkatha.com Contemporary Trends in Poetry in English/translations In the 21st century a perception or rather an apprehension sometimes surfaces that poetry will have a slow death in the techno-consumerist world. But contrary to apprehension poetry has survived and is thriving everywhere—in all forms of print and electronic media. In our next issue of the Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, we would like to explore various aspects of contemporary poetry in English/translations from different parts of the world. Topics Submissions may be made on the following topics/areas. At the same time we welcome suggestions for inclusion of any topic on the theme: 1. Theorising Poetry in the late 20th and 21st centuries 2. English and Poetry in English/translations: analyzing the culture/s 3. Poetry in our postdigital condition 4. New forms of poetry and new tools for communication: electronic poetry and the digital tools 5. Discussion of major trends in a particular region 6. Discussion of major poet/s of a particular region Creative Works
Book Reviews
CONTACT
DEADLINE OF SUBMISSION: April 30, 2011. |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
International Conference on Rabindranath Tagore Today
RABINDRANATH TAGORE (
“The Indian heart will again be full when our education is a blend of the Vedic, Puranic, Buddhist, Jain and Islamic minds. That is how
We must rediscover ourselves in this connected way or else our education will not be our own. No nation can thrive on imitation.”
- Rabindranath Tagore, 1919, in Uma Das Gupta ed., Rabindranath Tagore, My Life in
My Words, Penguin Books, 2010, p. 196.
Welcome
International Conference
on
Rabindranath Tagore Today
“Where the Mind is without Fear and the Head is held High”
7 –
Department of English
Contact
Dr Arun Kumar, Professor & Head, Department of English
Cell: 91 – 98977 06116
----------------------------
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Uma Das Gupta
Santiniketan
UMA DAS GUPTA did her postdoctoral research on Rabindranath Tagore and the history of the institutions he founded at Santiniketan and Sriniketan, 1940-41. Her recent publications include The Oxford India Tagore: Selected Writings on Education and Nationalism and Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography. Her forthcoming publications include a collection of Tagore’s writings on
Call for Abstracts (200-300 words maximum)/Papers (designed for 15 Minute delivery; maximum)/Bio-Briefs (150-200 words).The deadline for submission by Registered Post is
The mission of the Department of English at
Registration:
INR 2,500/-
INR 1,000/- Research Scholars/Student Fee
Registration Form
INR 2,500/-
INR 1,000/- Research Scholars/Student Fee
Your registration fee includes: breakfast and lunch on 7th April, Thursday and 8th April, Friday and all conference sessions, kit and materials.
Presenter registration closes on March 15 2011.
The detailed programme will be posted on the conference website shortly after this date. Attendee registration will remain open until the conference facility fills.
First Name ………………......... Middle …………………………. Last Name ……………………….
Affiliation …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Address for Correspondence ………………………………………………………………………………
E-mail Address…………………………………………………………………………………………….......
Cell ……………………………………………… Tel ……………………………………………………........
Cheque/Demand Draft No. /Date ………………………………………………………………………..
Bank Name ………………………………...............................................................................
Do you need accommodation? …………………………………………………………………………….
Please enclose an Abstract and a Bio-Brief for inclusion in the programme.
Payment Method (Please tick one):
- Personal Cheque/Demand Draft favouring Dr Arun Kumar and payable at
- Cash (in person only)
- INR 2,500/- Registration Fee
- INR 1,000 Research Scholars/Student Fee
Please PRINT and fill out a separate form for each registrant.
Mail by Registered Post to:
Dr Arun Kumar
Professor & Head, Department of English
drarun_kumar72@rediffmail.com
-------------------------------
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Rabindra Jayanti: 150th Year Celebrations
University of Hyderabad
along with
Hyderabad Bangalee Samity
and
Department of Culture, A.P.
is pleased to host
Rabindra Jayanti: 150th Year Celebrations
Basanta Utsav: Roop-Raag
4-6 February 2011
At
Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad
4th February, Friday
6 pm
Introduction: Dr. M.T. Ansari and Dr. Nandini Bhattacharya, UoH
Welcome: Prof. Vinod Pavarala
Dean, S.N.School of Arts & Communication, UoH
Sri Basuthakur,
President, Hyderabad Bangalee Samity
Inauguration
by
Sri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS
Secretary to A.P. Government
Department of Culture and Tourism
Welcome Messages
by
Smt. Chandana Khan, IAS
Principal Secretary to A.P. Govt., Primary Education
And Sarvasiksha Abhyam
and
Dr. Kanta Rao, IPS
Director of Cultural Affairs, Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad
4th February, Friday
6.30 pm
Chandalika
A dance drama in Kuchipudi style
Director: Dr. J. Anuradha
Dance Department, S.N. School of Arts and Communication, UoH
Introduction: Dr. J. Bheemaiah
Synopsis:
Chandalika (1933), a dance drama by Tagore, tells the story of a ‘untouchable’ woman, Prakriti, her mother and their sufferings in a caste based society. Prakriti’s love for the Buddhist ascetic Ananda, and the consequences of such asymmetrical desire in a society (informed by caste, class and gender hierchies) brings about the crisis of the play to the fore.
Prakriti’s mother’s use of ‘magic’ to ‘tame’ Ananda and ‘force him’to accept Prakriti (even though his emtails the going back on his monastic vows of chastity) brings the play to its climatic point. The audience is invited to witness the resolution of this crisis and see how the play engages with questions of love and humanity.
8 pm
Raktakarabi
Director: Sri Manish Mitra
Kasba Arghya, Kolkata
Introduction: Smt. Chandana Khan
Synopsis:
Raktakarabi (translated as Red Oleanders, 1925) is acclaimed as one of Rabindranath Tagore’s finest plays. It describes a conflict between mechanized forces regimentation and the independent human spirit. In this play Nandini represents that independent spirit which cannot be crushed even within an oppressive system and who symbolizes the hope that springs eternal in the human heart.
The lay narrates the tale of a king who remains invisible behind the iron curtain and orchestrates an oppressive, soul-killing, subjugating system. Nandini leads the people towards the identification of the mechanisms of regimentation and their final destruction.
5th February, Saturday
6 pm
Welcome: Prof. Mohan G. Ramanan
Dean, School of Humanities, UoH
6.10 pm
Rabindranath’s Paintings: Smt. Chandana Khan
Tagore’s Vision of Culture as Civilisation: Sri Samik Bandopadhyay
7.30 pm
Raja
Director: Abhijit Sen
Natyam, Kolkata
Introduction: Dr. Anindita Mukhopadhyay
Synopsis:
Raja is the story of Queen Sudarshana’s search for Raja (The King of the Dark Chamber), and final journey towards the realization of the King. Sudarshana’s companion (and her other self) Surangama (an old man playing the choric role) and Thakurda, also help her understand that the Raja (or by association the coveted one) must be discovered (and accepted) within before he may be realized without. In the process the play engages within questions of form/formlessness, beauty/ugliness in a haunting manner.
6th February, Sunday
6 pm
Valedictory Message by Guest of Honour
Sutirtha Bhattacharya
IAS, Chairman, A.P. Power Generation Corporation
Prof Sayed E. Hasnain
Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad
6.30 pm
Vote of Thanks
Prof. Tutun Mukherjee, UoH
7 pm
Raag-Anurag
A Jugalbandi musical concert of Hindusthani Classical and Rabindra Sangeet.
Shreya Guhathakurata and Parthasarathi Desikan,
Narration: Saswati Guhathakurata
All are welcome
No Entry fee…Its Free for all
Please join us and make it a big success
HCU bus will start @ 4 Pm everyday form post office and bring back you after the program finishes…
See You then @ Rabindra Bharati
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