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Boundaries and Limits of Postcolonialism: Anglophone, Francophone, Global

Boundaries and Limits of Postcolonialism: Anglophone, Francophone, Global

Publié le par Julien Desrochers

CALL FOR PAPERS

 

Boundaries and Limits of Postcolonialism:

Anglophone, Francophone, Global

 

International Conference

Under the auspices of the Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies and the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies

 

Florida State University, Tallahassee

November 30-December 2, 2006

 

Keynote speakers:

Graham Huggan (University of Leeds, UK)

Françoise Lionnet (UCLA)

Tyler Stovall (Berkeley)

 

Perhaps more than any other field, postcolonial studies has, since its inception, been the site of anxious and often polemical debates about what have been perceived ­ even by many postcolonial practitioners themselves as its boundaries, limits, excesses and failings. In recent years, the questioning of the boundaries and limits of postcolonial studies has taken on a new dimension, with an intriguing series of parallel and somewhat contradictory debates emerging that are concerned with the shape and future of this field of inquiry. Within its heartland in English literature departments, postcolonial studies has increasingly been challenged by new theoretical models, particularly globalization theory, together with transnational, transcultural and intercultural paradigms. At the same time, within French/Francophone Studies departments, there have been numerous attempts to draw more extensively on the postcolonial paradigm and to define more clearly the nature of Francophone postcolonial studies, simultaneously borrowing from and challenging the established ‘norms' of Anglophone postcolonial criticism. Thus, on the one hand, we are presented with the latest ‘crisis' in a postcolonial studies careering towards its demise, while on the other, we are offered the enabling prospect of a postcolonial studies expanding into important new spaces.

 

It is the aim of this conference to draw together scholars engaged in these postcolonial debates on both sides of the Anglophone/Francophone divide and those attempting to bridge the gap between them, as well as those scholars who support the development of new theoretical paradigms that move beyond the postcolonial. Contributors will be encouraged to reflect on 3 main issues:

 

1) The relationship between different linguistic, cultural and theoretical camps in the postcolonial field. What are the dominant models in Anglophone and Francophone postcolonial studies? Is such a division between the Anglophone and the Francophone an artificial one? What is to be gained from a more active dialogue between scholars from different language backgrounds? What has been achieved by those scholars who have already attempted to bridge the gap between the different linguistic and cultural fields? Could it be argued that the emergence of a Francophone postcolonialism is a necessary element in the interdisciplinary/interdiscursive approaches that certain critics view as the future of postcolonial research?

 

2) The extent to which postcolonialism can be ‘exported' from one context to another. Recent groundbreaking work on Fanon, Foucault and Derrida has placed their ideas firmly within a Francophone North African context. Does this approach spell the end of ‘free-floating' postcolonial ideas, applicable in all contexts? What then of Said's ideas on the creative possibilities of ‘traveling theory'? To what extent can postcolonialism be applied beyond its heartland in Europe's former overseas empires to other territories such as those of the former Soviet Union or the spaces touched by the global reach of contemporary American power?

 

3) The extent to which postcolonialism is threatened as a theoretical paradigm by the rise of globalization theory and transnational studies. Does the growing academic ‘capital' accruing to globalization spell the end of postcolonial studies or should we regard them rather as complementary disciplines?

 

Above all, the conference seeks to chart new directions in the field of postcolonial studies. Although the focus will be on Anglophone and Francophone contexts, we also welcome proposals from other linguistic/imperial traditions (Hispanic, Lusophone, Dutch, Italian, Arabic, etc.), which explicitly seek to problematize the dominant models that have been promoted by postcolonial studies.. While welcoming theoretically-focused papers, we are also keen to encourage heuristic approaches which apply theories to specific texts, in order to illustrate the concrete dimensions of new paradigmatic shifts in postcolonial studies.

 

Topics for papers may include:

 

• comparative postcolonial studies

• the literary ‘bias' of postcolonial studies

• traveling theories and the translatability of the postcolonial

• the ‘death' of postcolonialism

• the postcolonial v the global

• the postcolonial v the transnational

• language and empire

• (post)colonial contexts

• Towards a postcolonial interdisciplinarity

 

These are indicative topics, and the list is not restrictive. Standard panels, lasting 90 minutes, will normally consist of three papers. Proposals in English or in French ­ are welcomed for individual papers, whole panels or non-standard types of session on any topic relevant to the overall conference theme. Presentations will be selected for inclusion in the conference program on the basis of merit.

 

All submissions must contain the following information for all proposed

speakers:

 

·        Name

·        Affiliation

·        E-mail address

·        Mailing address, phone and fax number

·        Title of paper or presentation

·        Brief description/summary of paper or presentation (250-500 words)

 

Proposers of panels and other sessions must provide the above information for each paper, together with their own contact details and a brief description/summary (250-500 words) of the overall rationale for the proposed panel or session.

 

Deadline for submissions:  1 February 2006

 

Proposals and enquiries should be addressed to:

 

Dr Alec G Hargreaves

Director, Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies

Florida State University

Tallahassee

Florida 32306-1515

USA

Telephone: 1 850 644 8559

Fax:  1 850 644 9917

E-mail Ahargrea@mailer.fsu.edu

 

The preferred method of communication is e-mail.

 

Information updates will be posted regularly on the conference

web-site:

 

www.fsu.edu/~icffs

 

Conference organizers: Dr Alec G. Hargreaves (Winthrop-King Institute

for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, Florida State University), Dr David Murphy (University of Stirling, UK).