Call for Contributions: Seminar on "Languages of Diplomacy" at ACLA Conference 2009
Diplomacy represents a particularly vivid example of the attempt tocope with difference and dispute through language. Throughout history,diplomats have been compared to linguists, poets, actors, and orators.(Indeed, from Petrarch, Philip Sidney, and Antoine Galland to PabloNeruda, Octavio Paz, and Ferdinand Oyono, creative writers have oftenemployed their literary talents in their roles as official envoys andstatesmen.) This seminar proposes to explore the forms of language thatserve in a more-or-less official capacity as agents of international orintercultural mediation. What might diplomacy teach us about language'spotentialities and limitations in overcoming the estrangement ofstates, nations, or cultures? What kinds of language (includingextra-linguistic modes of communication) have proved useful in creatinga space for negotiation and reconciliation? Presenters are welcome toaddress these questions and related concerns from any and allgeographical and historical perspectives. Possible topics might includethe representation of diplomats in fiction and drama, the use ofliterature in various types of diplomatic exchanges (both political andcultural), rhetoric and diplomacy, the role of translation andtranslators in international politics, the intersection of literarycareers and diplomatic careers, and the material and gestural languagesof diplomacy (such as gift exchange). The panel particularly encouragescontributions that examine, to some extent, the theoretical utility ofdiplomacy as a metaphor or model for comparativism.
To submit a proposal, fill out the form at http://www.acla.org/submit/, and select "Languages of Diplomacy" from the drop-down menu.