Urban Otium: Materialities, Practices, RepresentationsUniversity of Freiburg, Germany, 2-4 May 2019Deadline for proposals: 31 October 2018

CRC 1015 Otium. Boundaries, Chronotopes, Practices

Speed, acceleration, the perceived intensification of time, expediency and efficiency are all recurring catchphrases of our present time, which are closely linked to the urban experience. The hustle and bustle of city life, hectic and busyness are central characteristics of the urban space, which supposedly subject the citys inhabitants to an increasingly functional logic. And yet it becomes apparent how fragile this domination is in characters like the flneur who moves calmly through the bustle of the city. We can even identify seemingly opposite tendencies: places like urban parks, museums and other recreational spaces, as well as a growing leisure industry suggest to be refuges of deceleration. But at the same time such opportunities can be subject to utilitarian rationality and self-improvement.In the interdisciplinary collaborative research centre 1015 on Otium at the University of Freiburg, these contradictory aspects are being discussed and at the conference on Urban Otium: Materiality, Practices, Representations they are going to be analysed in more detail. In interdisciplinary dialogue, free spaces of otium in the urban space can be identified, and through them a discussion on the relation of urbanity and otium can be initiated. In the context of the collaborative research centre, the term otium is not understood as being primarily tied to particular actions or spaces, but rather as the experience of a free being-in-time, an end in itself not identified with the logic of purpose-oriented achievement. The notion can be made more palpable with the help of paradoxical expressions such as productiveunproductiveness or active inactivity, which emphasise its social dimension. Against this background, otium and work are no polar opposites, nor can otium and free time (as well as an understanding of free time in the sense of leisure activity) be understood as synonyms. Moreover, there is a transgressive potential in this understanding of otium: even in situations of the greatest hectic and time pressure moments of otium can arise which enable the individual to free her- or himself of these circumstances.The connection of the concept of otium with the thematic field of urbanity raises multiple questions: How do opportunities for otium manifest themselves in the urban space as well as in the social fabric in general? Can we establish differences between different kinds of urban spaces (e.g. small town, city or metropolis) and the forms of otium specific to them? Is the traditional dichotomy between city and nature at all tenable in the context of experiences of otium? How does the concept relate to recent developments like the forming of global cities or the specific context of postcolonial cities? How can the tension between, on the one hand, structures furthering inequality and, on the other, social autonomy in the city be applied to otium? In what way is gender relevant for urban otium?These questions will be at the core of the conference, which will consist of contributions from different disciplines, so that perspectives from the humanities, cultural studies and social sciences can complement one another. Already the categories mentioned in the conference title incorporate this idea: (urban) otium manifests itself in the material form of the urban space, in the actions of its agents as well as in differently mediated representations.The aim of the conference is to connect historical-diachronic observations with reflections on the present, and thus to discuss possible cultural histories of urban otium. Above that, the conference topic should not be approached from a purely Eurocentric or Western viewpoint, but instead the debate should do justice to the global variety of cultures of otium.

The conference will be structured along the following thematic emphases:

Two possible formats are intended: Papers (max. 30 minutes) and shorter contributions (max. 15 minutes)Exposs of one page (approx. 500 words) as well as a short CV are requested by 31.10.2018.Please send both to Ren Wamer: rene.wassmer@sfb1015.uni-freiburg.dePeter Philipp Riedl will be happy to answer any questions you may have: peter.riedl@sfb1015.uni-freiburg.de

(posted 19 September 2018)

We invite you to our symposium to understand scientists, educators, principals, experts, teachers, graduate students and those who are passionate about education, to share, to contribute and to address the theme profoundly. In this symposium to take place in Buca Faculty of Education in which science and nature meet, participants will have chance to benefit from keynote speechs, oral presentations, workshops and panels.

Proceedings which will be reviewed and accepted by judges will be published as an abstract booklet in the symposium website and will be published as full-text in 1st International Science, Education, Art & Technology Symposium Proceedings book after the symposium.

We will be pleased to welcome you in zmir, the pearl of Aegean.

Keynote speakers:

The scope of the symposium is not limited with the ones listed below and all teacher education related subjects are included in the symposium.

Important Dates:

More information is available on the Symposium Website: https://www.bestsempozyum.org/BEST2018/sempozyum-cagrisi

(posted 6 January 2019)

We invite abstracts for 20-minute presentations on literary and linguistic issues that relate to the conference topic.Brexit and Beyond: Nation and IdentityDebates about national identity have received new currency in recent years in a context of demonstrations of national self-assertion, which has resulted for example in the Brexit decision in Britain, in significant changes in American international policies, and the introduction of authoritarian measures in some member states of the European Union. Shortly after Britain will most probably have left the European Union, the conference will address the developments outlined above and the cultural discourses surrounding them. As regards Brexit, we argue that many attempts at explaining the Leave victory and current British Euroscepticism focus quite narrowly on economic, legal and political factors, underestimating more fuzzy phenomena such as cultural myths, narratives and images which circulate in literature, travel writing, visual arts and other media, influencing people on a visceral level, sometimes against their better judgement. During our conference, we will examine the construction and negotiation of cultural identities in language, literature and the media with a focus on cultural memory and the cultural imaginary as well as stereotyping, mythmaking, peoples shared fictions and the impact of the resulting policies on peoples lives. We believe that literary studies and linguistics can make an important contribution to our understanding of current political developments, and to a critique of jingoistic populism. Topics addressed at the conference could include:

Keynote Speakers:

Deadline for abstracts: January 13, 2019Submit to: sauteconference2019@unibas.chAbstracts of no more than 500 words should be sent together with a brief bio-blurb and contact details to the above e-mail address in one PDF document. Notifications of acceptance will be issued from February 17, 2019.Conference website: https://english.philhist.unibas.ch/en/research/conferences-and-colloquia/saute-conference-2019/A selection of papers will be published in the Swiss Papers in English Language and Literature (SPELL).

(posted 4 September 2018)

All of the subdisciplines of English Studies address issues of exchange, transformation and communication: ranging from the temporal development, regional variation and functional properties of language; through the societal interactions examined in history and cultural studies; to the permutations of plot, negotiations of character and voice, and evolutions of genre within literature, film, and other aesthetic forms. Exchange, transformation and communication are crucial to an understanding of English as a humanistic discipline; to its international role in political, institutional and market-driven contexts; and to the mediation between English(es) and other languages that is performed by textual and cultural translation.

In Etc. we intend to find space for all of the above-mentioned areas of study, and for the transformative possibilities that may arise from communication and exchange between them. Furthermore, we will consider exchange, transformation and communication not only as objects of study within English Studies but also as characterising the structure, roles and processes of English Studies itself as an international academic field, especially in relation to the meeting between national and institutional traditions and experiences sometimes similar, sometimes very different that a forum such as this conference permits.

Plenary speakers will include Michael Eaton, MBE (playwright and scriptwriter) and Prof. Alastair Pennycook (Distinguished Professor of Language, Society and Education, University of Technology, Sydney). Further speakers to be announced.

Possible focus areas include:

Abstracts for 20-minute papers must be submitted via the NAES2019 website https://events.au.dk/naes2019/about.html by 30 November 2018.

(posted 8 October 2018)

K.N. Panikkar in his article Literature as History of Social Change made the following statement:

Despite the distinction between literature and history, their relationship is characterised by a close interface between the two. History is invariably the subject matter of literature as its universe is humanity, and humanity has no existence without its history. In other words, history is the inspiration and source of literature. The commonly used term historical literature is a misnomer, as there is no literature devoid of history. History intercedes in literature not only when history is invoked, as in the case of Walter Scott or Leo Tolstoy, or, closer home, Brindavan Lal Verma or C.V. Raman Pillai, but it is embedded in all social situations and hence reflected in literary representations.

It seems that the question of the relation between literature and history is still current and widely discussed among academics, scholars and writers throughout the world. Literature undoubtedly shapes our understanding of the past. No one can truly deny the contribution of Charles Dickens to our perception of Victorian Britain, the role of Mark Twains works in building our comprehension of the 19th century American South, or Shakespeares role in reviving the historical figures of Richard III or Henry V. Likewise, nobody denies the significance and salience of Thomas Paines Common Sense in triggering the American War of Independence or the role of John Drydens political poems in shaping the public opinion in the Restoration England. It seems challenging a task to grasp the historical epoch and its consequent events without remembering about its literary representatives and so it is hardly feasible to fully appreciate a work of literature without being familiar with its historical, social or cultural backdrop.

Literature can undeniably serve as a historical source, whereas history can act as a source of inspiration for literary achievements.

The aim of the conference LITERATURE IN HISTORY HISTORY IN LITERATURE is to provide academic forum for established scholars, early career researchers, doctoral students and independent scholars who, in their work, strive to find the interface between literary and historical studies.

The Conference will prioritize the following thematic areas although proposals referring to other related issues are welcome:

Please send paper proposals of approximately 250 words, complete with a short bio note and your academic affiliation to ujkconference@gmail.com.Selected papers will be published in a monograph.

Important dates:New extended deadline for sending proposals: 30 March 2019Notification of acceptance: 5 April 2019Payment of registration fee: 20 April 2019

Registration fee: 350z/ 80 euro, doctoral students: 250z/ 60 euro

Further information on conference website: http://www.ujk.edu.pl/ifo/conference/

(posted 28 December 2018, updated 9 Mach 2019)

Organised by London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research

London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Sydney, Shanghai, Dubai are leading global hubs of finance and commerce, research and development, education and media, art and culture, entertainment and tourism. They consist of an intriguing and yet irresistible mixture of past and present, history and commercialism, monuments and leisure culture. Contrasts and paradoxes present these megacities as exceptional phenomena of artificiality and naturalness, livelihood and unpredictability, whose horizontal and vertical mobility has imposed an unmistakable tempo upon the course of the world and has shaped particular physical and mental geographies.

The conference will explore the singular nature of the symbols that represent the worlds cosmopolitan metropoles. It will also focus on the fascination exerted by these large urban areas and their complex character as unrivalled sites of self-confidence and assertiveness, progress and sophistication.

The main objective of the event is to bring together all those interested in examining the intersections between their professions and/or interests and some distinct aspects of metropolitan life, providing an integrated approach for the understanding of the mechanisms that lie behind the undisputed global centres.

Topics include but are not limited to several core issues:

Paper proposals up to 250 words and a brief biographical note should be sent by1 February, 2018to: urbanstudies@lcir.co.uk.

Please download Paper proposal form.

Registration fee 100 GBP

Provisional conference venue:Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7HX

(posted 22 October 2018)

Following the conference Metaphor: retrospect and prospects organised in Genoa in May 2016, the research group won a PRIN (Progetto di Ricerca di Interesse Nazionale) award from the Italian government to further our work in the area of Cognitive Metaphor and the intense debate surrounding it, regarding the nature of metaphor, types of metaphor, classification of metaphors, metaphor and psychological theory, modes of research into metaphor, including corpus-based methodologies, concrete applications of metaphor theory to text and multimedial analysis. Just as the theoretical domains are extremely wide-ranging, so are the domains of application, with every area of language having been treated literary, conversation, advertising, politics, classroom, art, medicine, law, economics, the world-wide web and other modes of multimedial communication, to name but a few.

Papers are therefore invited from all disciplines, including literature, linguistics, psychology, sociology, criminology, anthropology, communication studies, medicine, the hard and soft sciences, on any aspect of metaphor theory and its applications. Papers are also welcome which trace the development of metaphor theory and how developments in metaphor theory are related to more general developments in the field of scientific discovery.

Work in progress which is already under way and which is at a stage where progress made can provide valuable insights will also be given due consideration.

The conference languages are English and French. Publication(s) will follow, details of which will be announced at the end of the conference. When submitting their proposal, authors should indicate which of the two conference languages they will be delivering their paper in.

Scholars who have accepted to give a keynote lecture are:Marc BonhommeJonathan Charteris-BlackMonika FludernikRay GibbsZoltan KovecsesGerard SteenRita Temmerman

Submitting proposals:We invite proposals for 20-minute presentations (followed by 10 minutes for discussion). Please note that all the rooms will be equipped with computer, DVD player and overhead projector so you can project all supported documents, spreadsheets, presentations and films. Should you require any special equipment beyond these standard applications, please specify these requirements in your abstract.

Please send an abstract of no more than 400 words to the Conference email address: metaphorgenoa2019@gmail.com

Abstracts should be sent as email attachments in .doc format and should be named Surname_Abstract_Metaphor 2019. They should contain the following structural elements: (a) your full name, academic position, academic affiliation, email address, postal address, (b) a recognisable thesis/statement or research question, (c) an explanation of the methodology, (d) a short reference to emerging results (if applicable), (e) a list of keywords, (f) a short list of key references (max. 5).

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31st January 2019. Notifications of acceptance will be sent within two weeks of receipt of a proposal.

Detailed information on the conference, travel, accommodation etc. may be found at the conference website at http://www.lcm.unige.it/CALL/?op=cfp

The standard information and an automatic enrolment system will be running ASAP.

The Organising Committee: Michele Prandi, John Douthwaite, Micaela Rossi, Elisabetta Zurru, Ilaria Rizzato

(posted 6 August 2018)

The American Civil War may have ended in 1865, but in many respects it is still being fought today, over 150 years later. Ongoing battles over the Confederate flag and the recent Confederate monument controversy suggest that many of the wounds of the war, especially those related to race, class and gender, are still far from being healed. Clearly, what led to the Civil War is still dividing the nation: Americans are not only grappling with a future vision for the country, but are also struggling with the past. What are considered by some to be markers of cultural heritage are for many others painful symbols of the violent history of the United States, a nation that was built on the exploitation of African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and other minority groups. As William Faulkner expresses in his 1951 novel Requiem for a Nun, The past is never dead. Its not even past. It lingers like a ghost over the present and the future, haunting Americans and urging them to come to terms with its countless meanings and manifestations.

If we are what we remember then who are Americans exactly? Is what we remember just as important as how we remember it? American identity is closely invested in commemoration; national holidays, for example, construct a common past in a country of immigrants without a common past. They help make sense out of distant events, reinforce collective values in the present, and theoretically map out a shared future. Yet, those aspects of history that are (or are not) chosen for display in a museum, preservation in an archive, depiction in a work of art, or narration in a work of literature also speak volumes about a nation and its people. They remind us that there are always many competing, and often contradictory, histories, and that the past is truly never dead.

ASAT invites the submission of individual abstracts, panels, and workshop/ roundtable proposals that explore all aspects of this theme. Possible subthemes may include, but are not limited to:

Proposals should be sent to the American Studies Association of Turkey (info@asat-jast.org) and should consist of a 250300 word abstract, five keywords, and a short (200 word) biography for each participant. The time allowance for presentations is 20 minutes. An additional 10 minutes will be provided for discussion.

Submission deadline: December 1, 2018

Selected papers will be included in a special issue of the Journal of American Studies of Turkey (JAST) based on the conference theme.

More information will be posted on our website as it becomes available: http://www.asat-jast.org

(posted 20 April 2018)

Under the auspices of the Research Project Orientation: Towards a Dynamic Understanding of Contemporary Fiction and Culture (1990s-2000s) (ref. FFI2017-86417-P), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness https://orionfiction.org this conference addresses past, present and future orientations of (neo-) Victorian literature and culture.

Ann Heilmann and Mark Llewellyns acclaimed The Victorians in the Twenty-First Century, 1999-2009 (2010) offered insight into how neo-Victorianism had evolved as a historical sub-genre in the first decade. Now, nearly two decades into the twenty-first century, neo-Victorianism has consolidated into a literary genre and cultural phenomenon that continues to gain both in popularity and critical appraisal, and current trends in neo-Victorianism continue expanding and diversifying. Thus, we perceive that we have reached a point of reflection and, therefore, we wish to explore new paths and intersections of (neo-)Victorianism.

This conference examines (neo-)Victorian diversifications into the twenty-first century exploring the notion of orientation, a dialogical concept itself because it indicates ones position in relation to something or someone. We aim to conceptualise the current interest in dynamic processes, notions of becoming, fluidity and multilayering in the neo-Victorian mode through the lens of orientation. We would like to develop this idea in close relationship to the dynamic interplay between the past and the present, the Victorians and us. This way, this notion bears similarities to the polytemporality of the trace in that it underlines the dynamic interplay and interrelations between past, present, and future as modes of temporal orientation (Victoria Browne). In addition, Sarah Ahmeds concept of orientation, inspired by Maurice Merleau-Pontys philosophy, has explored the spatial quality of the term in relation to queer phenomenology and embodied situatedness. Therefore, we wish to examine orientation as place, habitation and space in different senses in that it directs itself towards the space in between bodies and objects, but also in the sense of the individuals orientation towards the Other. Ultimately, we would like to address the concept orientation from these interrelated perspectives (1) orientation as an apt critical tool to analyse time, as the passage of the trace, polytemporal and dynamic, and (2) orientation as a spatial notion, which serves to address questions of mobility, movement, and the in-between space that exists between bodies and objects, in phenomenological terms, as well as the I-you relationship that emerges in the encounter with the other.

We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers in the following topics (but not limited to) on (neo-) Victorian Orientations: Theoretical approaches and conceptualisations of orientation Passages, processes and the dynamic continuums between the Victorian past and the contemporary period. (Neo-)Victorianism oriented towards the past, the present and the future Time and temporality in neo-Victorian fiction; (multiple) temporality; Polytemporality Future incursions into the nineteenth century Situatedness, embodiment and the senses The Victorians Unbound Spatial orientations: spatial conceptions, dynamic spaces, geographical orientations Neo-Victorianism and the ethical encounter with the other; Orientations towards Otherness and the Other Neo-Victorianism and queer orientations Neo-Victorian orientations and orientalism; cultural cross points Multicultural, cross-cultural and global neo-Victorianism Neo-Victorian literature oriented towards Children and Young Adults New orientations towards the Victorians: digital humanities and (neo-) Victorianism

Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Professor Ann Heilmann (University of Cardiff, UK) Dr. Marie-Luise Kohlke (University of Swansea, UK) Professor Susana Onega (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain) Professor Patricia Pulham (University of Surrey, UK)

Main Organisers: Professor Rosario Arias and Dr Lin PetterssonPlease send a 250-word abstract to orientationliterature@gmail.com by 30 November 2018 (new extended deadline). Abstracts should include a short biographical note. All submissions will be peer-reviewed.

(posted 11 September 2018, updated 15 October 2018)

The JRAAS team is pleased to announce the third JRAAS Conference New Perspectives, which aims to give students and young researchers the opportunity to present papers on subjects connected to Anglo-American studies. We offer a platform where new ideas can be shared and discussed openly, in order to lay the foundations for an engaged dialogue between the next generation of scholars.

We strongly believe in the value of well-connected interdisciplinary research, employing various methodologies. Young scholars and students wishing to contribute should, therefore, feel free to bring their ideas to the table, from any domain found in present-day Anglo-American Studies.

The III JRAAS Conference New Perspectives will take place at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto, Portugal, on the 16th and 17th of May 2019.

Anyone interested might find guidance in the following (not restrictive) list of topics, based on the academic focus of our research center and team:

We invite you to send a 250 words proposal, in form of a word document, to jraascetaps@gmail.com until the 31st of March 2019. The eventual conference contributions are expected to consist of 20-minute presentations preferably in English, although Portuguese may also be considered upon deliberation. A short bio-note should be included (150 words at max.).

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

IMPORTANT DATES

REGISTRATION FEES(cover folder, certificate, and coffee breaks)

Early bird registration: until May 3rd, 2019Fee: 10,00Student Fee: 5,00

After May 3rd, 2019Fee: 15,00Student Fee: 10,00

For any queries, please e-mail us at jraascetaps@gmail.com

(posted 11 February 2019, updated 9 March 2019)

Plenary speakers:

Presentations (20 min) and workshops (60 min) are invited in the following sections:

Abstract submission

Please submit 60word abstracts, which will be included in the conference programme:

Deadline:15 February 2019

Conference fee:

Conference website:https://bas.events.uvt.ro

For additional information, please contact:

(posted 16 september 2018)

Organised by London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research

History is written by the victors according to a popular quote. Regardless of the accuracy of this statement, the fact is that history is commonly written by people with authority and bias, thus impeding any attempt to distill one single, objective, definitive truth and record it in immutable books. Moreover, history telling and analysis inevitably comes with different facets, based on context and the historians background. Nevertheless, perspective cannot be regarded as a mere thorn for the discipline, but instead can provide invaluable material to enrich, retrospect and constructively investigate past events, so long as proper mechanisms are in place to guarantee the mitigation of deceitful behaviors.

Recently there has been a rise of distributed systems as a viable means to democratise various aspects of our society. Blockchain has gained attention as the main technology behind Bitcoin and Ethereum, creating their own currency and promising simpler transactions that will replace the status quo financial systems. However, Blockchain potential is not limited to crypto-currencies and creating money out of thin air in an attempt to become rich overnight. Blockchain is the technology that maysignificantly benefit our lives in the near future by decentralizing governance, allowing peers to directly interact in a reliable and secure manner and empowering communities with the privilege and responsibility of defining their operation and evolution.

Adopting Blockchain technologies appeals as a very promising direction towards the democratisation of History. As the name implies, Blockchain is a chain of blocks, each registered at some point in time, which is in line with Historys linearity in terms of timeliness of events. What is written in each block, is a product of interactions among peers of the blockchain, who can all have access to the system, in a deterministic manner based on agreed predefined processes. How can History writing be mapped into a conversational process with the conclusions, as well as the reviews, discussions and links to facts, being printed on blocks of the Blockchain? How can access of all users to History reading and writing benefit the panoramicity and cultural inclusiveness into preserving our heritage? To which extent can a single reference system foster historical knowledge and awareness, while unleashing freedom of speech in event reporting and shedding light into the patterns of historical events?

We invite proposals from various disciplines including history, political sciences, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, IT, media and communication, literature, linguistics, etc.

Paper proposals up to 250 words and a brief biographical note should be sent by 1 February, 2019to: digital.humanities@lcir.co.uk. Please download Paper Proposal Form.

Read the original:

Calls for papers Conferences taking place in May 2019