CFP: Exploring the #Anthropocene in #Literature-2024- SCS COLLEGE, PURI, ODISHA, INDIA

 

The Anthropocene refers to a proposed epoch that recognizes the significant and lasting impact of human activities on the Earth's geology and ecosystems. This concept has gained prominence in discussions about environmental change and serves as a framework for understanding the profound alterations humans have made to the planet. Postcolonial perspectives often highlight the role of colonial powers in exploiting natural resources from colonized territories. The Anthropocene can be seen as an extension of this historical exploitation, with the environmental consequences affecting not only the colonized regions but the entire planet. Postcolonial discussions emphasize the disproportionate impact of environmental changes on marginalized communities, particularly those in the Global South. Climate fiction within this context may explore how vulnerable populations bear the brunt of ecological disruptions caused by human activities.

Postcolonial thinkers often explore the concept of hybridity, wherein cultural and ecological systems blend and adapt. Climate fiction set in the Anthropocene could envision new hybrid ecosystems and cultures emerging as a response to environmental challenges. Climate fiction within a postcolonial framework may also depict narratives of resistance and decolonization, where communities strive to regain control over their environments and challenge the systems that perpetuate ecological exploitation. Postcolonial perspectives will help to examine how historical global power structures contribute to the environmental issues and how collaborative efforts are needed for sustainable futures.

Climate fiction, as a genre, allows authors to speculate on future scenarios shaped by climate change. In the context of postcolonial discourses, these narratives can serve as a platform for envisioning alternative futures and challenging existing power dynamics. Both postcolonial discourses and climate fiction can recognize the intersectionality of environmental issues, considering how factors such as race, class, and gender intersect with ecological challenges in the Anthropocene. In exploring the Anthropocene through postcolonial discourses and climate fiction, it's essential to consider the diverse perspectives and voices that contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between human activities, historical legacies, and the environment.

When exploring the Anthropocene within postcolonial discourses and climate fiction, several sub themes emerge. We invite scholars to submit abstracts/paper proposals that addresses the following (but not limited to) issues contextualised in the narratives and discourses:

Climate Change Narratives and the Reader

Climate change narratives within a postcolonial framework often highlight the role of colonial histories in shaping environmental degradation. Readers need to engage with narratives that explore how past exploitation continues to impact vulnerable communities, contributing to a broader understanding of environmental injustice. Readers, particularly those from more privileged backgrounds, need to recognize their own positionality and engage empathetically with characters and communities affected by climate change in postcolonial narratives. This encourages a deeper understanding of the intersecting issues of climate justice and social inequality.

Postcolonialism and Ecojustice

The intersection of postcolonialism and ecojustice involves exploring how colonial histories, structures, and power dynamics contribute to environmental injustices and how postcolonial perspectives can inform efforts toward a more equitable and sustainable world. Ecojustice discussions within this framework delve into how colonial practices, such as resource extraction and land dispossession, have lasting ecological consequences, leading to environmental degradation and imbalances. The intersection of postcolonialism and ecojustice offers a critical lens to examine and address environmental injustices rooted in colonial histories

Intersection Of Gender, Class and Ethnicity and the Anthropocene

The intersection of gender, class, and ethnicity within the Anthropocene involves examining how environmental changes, human activities, and the impacts of climate change intersect with and exacerbate existing social inequalities. The Anthropocene, marked by significant human-induced environmental changes, disproportionately affects marginalized communities. Exploring the intersection of gender, class, and ethnicity within the Anthropocene is essential for understanding how environmental changes interact with existing social structures and inequalities.

Ecological Language for Sustainability

In a postcolonial framework, adopting ecological language for sustainability involves recognizing the importance of diverse cultural perspectives, respecting traditional ecological knowledge, and challenging colonial legacies that contribute to environmental degradation. Using ecological language that aligns with postcolonial principles ensures a more inclusive and culturally sensitive approach to sustainability.

Role of History in Promoting Sustainability

History plays a multifaceted role in promoting sustainability by offering valuable insights, guiding decision-making, and fostering a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of human societies and the environment. Examining historical practices can reveal sustainable traditions and lifestyles that were in harmony with the environment. Incorporating these practices into contemporary approaches fosters a connection with nature and promotes sustainable living.

AI And Bioethics

Stories often depict complex relationships between humans and AI entities. Ethical questions arise about the rights and treatment of these artificial beings, exploring themes of empathy, exploitation, and the blurring of the line between the artificial and the human. AI and bioethics in literature raise profound existential questions about the nature of consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human. Narratives explore the ethical considerations of using AI and biotechnology in medical contexts, including genetic engineering, personalized medicine, and the implications of manipulating the human genome.

The Anthropocene and The Posthuman Condition

As humans alter the planet on a global scale, the concept of the posthuman condition explores how evolving technologies, environmental changes, and societal shifts shape the future of humanity. The integration of AI into daily life prompts reflections on human identity, consciousness, and the implications of coexisting with intelligent machines. The posthuman condition explores developments such as bioengineering, genetic modifications, and the integration of digital technologies into the human body, leading to new forms of existence.

Representation of Natural Spaces and Landscapes

 

Postcolonial literature may explore how cultural ecologies and the meaning of landscapes are shaped by colonial histories. The representation of natural spaces might delve into the ways in which cultural identities and connections to the land are impacted by colonial interventions.Narratives within a postcolonial framework may address the displacement and loss of land experienced by indigenous and local communities. Discussions about restoration and conservation can be framed within the context of reclaiming or preserving indigenous and local ecological knowledge.

Important Information:

Last date for receiving abstracts within 250-300 words with 4-5 keywords: 20.12.2023 

Information about acceptance of abstracts: 22.12.2023

Last Date for Full Papers(2500-3500 words): 31.12.2023

Submission must be made only in MS Word Document attached to the email.

MLA 9th Edition must be followed strictly for in-text citation and Documentation.

Selected Papers will be peer reviewed and published in the Conference Proceedings bearing ISBN Number.

 

Registration details:

All co-authors should register as delegates.

Last date for Registration: 01.01.2024

Registration Fee: 1500 INR

(Registration fees entitles you for a Conference Kit, Tea & Snacks, Two working lunches

No TA/DA or Accommodation will be provided

Research Scholar: Rs1200/-

Kindly send abstracts to and seek information from: engdept.scs@gmail.com

 contact email: 

engdept.scs@gmail.com

Patron

Prof. Mihir Prasad Mishra, Principal

Convenor

Smt. Sasmita Pramanik, H.O.D. English

Co-Convenor

Dr Rabindra Kumar Pradhan, Asst. Prof of English

CFP: Voicing Otherness Reconfiguring #Australia’s #Postcoloniality-17th ESSE Conference 2024

 

17th ESSE Conference 2024 Lausanne  26-30 August 2024

(please note, only members of one of the European Association for English Studies or similar can present papers at the Conference, so you should consider applying for one before sending a proposal)

Recent debates in so-called Commonwealth nations have raised issues about the representation of others and the way in which an Other is o;en defined through a distorted vision stemming from the sustaining of imperial/nationalistic practices that may been even more significant in the late 20th and the 21st Centuries at a global level. The place of Europe in former colonies is still paramount with the binary centre/margin, locating the non-European Other in a liminal space and, in fact, conveying a nostalgia for an imperial past.

 The post-reconciliation stage in Australia and the Uluru statement from the heart (2017) have paved the way for the current political debates around “A Voice to Parliament” meant to enshrine an

Indigenous voice in the Australian constitution and thus bring all Australians together and encourage them to move forward as a nation.

Several critics in various fields of the academia (Ashcroft; Appadurai; C Bhabha; Mbembe…) have sought to explore the perception of otherness in order to question the various discourses that seek to reappraise the role of the nation, reconfigure the space of the nation or the agency of Other. Australian fiction often shows how the cultural encounter between individuals under the flagship “multicultural nation” is even more complex, considering the sustaining of practices inherited from Europe and of a discourse that maintains the “non- European” in a liminal space.

In his book, Postcolonial Melancholia (2005) Gilroy argues that the need for the homogenized nation often surfaces as an attempt to dismiss a postcolonial situation deemed desperate. Gilroy focuses on the mechanisms that trigger the return of nationalisms (in their various forms) and induce a postcolonial chaos. 

Taking on Gilroy’s analysis of ethnicity and identity issues and Ghassan Hage's work on multiculturalism and his idea that Australia’s multiculturalism is a “cosmopolitan multiculturalism”, that it thus prevents inclusion for the sake of less visible forms of exclusion, we encourage papers that analyze the various forms of marginalization that occur in the “postcolonial moment” and to what extent such a ”moment” may encourage writers to search for new alternatives: alternative ways of living and of relating to the earth, alternative ways of approaching and experiencing otherness, also alternative literary discourses of the Other – which may point out to tensions between the postmodern and the postcolonial.

Bourdieu’s notion of “habitus” may be useful for the understanding of discourses that articulate physical space, social space, and spiritual space. The issue at stake will be to determine to what extent a reconstruction of landscapes, a rewriting of myths and stories can or cannot trace the contours of a post-colonial cultural dilemma.

In following these ideas, we encourage papers in the field of Australian literatures that address the displacement of individuals and the many forms of wanderings that that occur within the space of the nation and global environments. Thus, it might be noteworthy to determine the extent by which the act of wandering may trace the contours of various forms of enrooting and may create a diaspora of

forms. How such a diaspora may question, affect, or simply relocate the postcolonial in an “alter moment”.

Please send your proposals to both:

Pr Salhia Ben-Messahel, University of Toulon (France)

salhia.benmessahel@unjiv-tln.fr

Pr Marilena Parlati, University of Padova (Italy)

marilena.parlati@unipd.it