CALL FOR PAPERS
National Young Researchers' Seminar on
"(Re)-Imagining World Literature"
Under the University of Bergamo for Interzones Related Activities
Organised by
Centre for English Studies
School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi – 67
20-21th March, 2015
We find ourselves at a juncture in history where postcolonial as a category raises more questions than answers. The neo-colonial tendencies of globalization constantly put to question the very notion of cultural studies, and in particular, literary studies. What is it that we are still battling with out there? Media, Internet, movies and television have made everyone (hypothetically) across global more conscious of their perceptions and actions, than ever before. When the binaries of east-west, black-white, oriental-occident have all been put to test and interrogated at length, why do we still find ourselves trapped in the same precarious position, or are we simply trapped in the politics of language and the culture it carries within itself?
Despite much of this outwardly inclination towards a global culture, a nuanced understanding of this transnational neo-colonial enterprise belies a conniving colonial interest on the one hand and a fearful suspicion of its homogenizing and effacing effect by natives of the receiving cultures, on the other. The authorial centre of both literary and political power is still inclined towards the west. However, at the same time this centralization of power is vigorously contested continuously.A range of responses have emerged with regard to the changes ensued in politics both at the macrocosmic, global arena and subsequently, at the national level. As has been often argued, famously by Homi Bhabha, English that was once a language of colonization and conversion is now being used by the native speaker to articulate their own critique of colonial structures, his identity and also his views on the corporate vicissitudes of global culture.
While on the one hand, there is a questioning of the canon and inclusion of world literatures in universities all over, at the same time there continues to be a bias in reading a few of these literatures under an over encompassing ideological frame. For example,literature from the African continent are all slotted conveniently into onecategory — in complete rejection of the nuanced differences in their culture and politics— as also the literature emerging out of South America and Southeast Asia. At the same time literature written in America and Britain is put under sufficient scrutiny to check for instances of not only racial prejudices and colonial authoritarianism, but also the positive forces of universalism. However, while these guards are in place via literary criticism, stereotyping, eroticization, gender bias and social/cultural/racial categorization are practices that still exist in literatures world over.
Given the changing political environment of the world and even more insidious and invisible modes and routes of neo-colonization it is imperative to question the status of English literature in the world today. More importantly because English as a global language has provided a global platform to people around the world to make their local issues global and subsequently have the global take notice of the local. It is with the introduction of varied responses to English literature around the world that we seek to understand the importance of the same and try to understand to what extent we benefit and lose from it. This conference will try to question some of the intercultural exchanges that happen every moment in the field of "World literatures" and question the very categories that it implies.
The Centre for English Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, JNU is pleased to invite research papers from young researchers for a seminar focussing on new research in these and associated fields. The seminar will be conducted on a panel-respondent model, where we hope to invite experts on the various focus areas to critique the papers presented. Papers of about 3000 words must be submitted in advance so that the concerned respondent will be able to formulate their critique so that the exchange of ideas in this area can be maximized. Given the format of the seminar, we are looking to engage with participants with research experience so that discussion may be taken to the next level, critically and creatively.
Abstracts must be submitted by 28th February to <sap.ces@gmail.com> to be considered. Authors of abstracts selected for the Seminar will be notified about their acceptance by 3rd March. The deadline for full papers will be 15th March. Papers can be structured around, though not restricted to, any of the following focus areas, or related fields:
Theoretical Turns
Comparative Studies and Translations
Cultural Studies and Globalisation
Postcolonial Exotic
Nation and nationalism(s)
Universalism and Nativism
Diaspora and Essentialism
Transcultural Studies
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