CFP: Two days seminar on Tales of Timelessness: Understanding the Heritage of Bengal-March 21- 22, 2024, Kazi Nazrul University

 Call For Papers

Panchakot Mahavidyalaya, Purulia, is organizing a two-day seminar on 'Tales of Timelessness: Understanding the Heritage of West Bengal' from 21st and 22nd March 2024. On this occasion, we are pleased to announce a call for papers, inviting research students and independent scholars to submit their original research (300-400 words abstract) along with their bio-note to suvajit.halder@panchakotmv.ac.in.

Last Date of Abstract Submission: 1st March 2024.

Concept Note

Understanding/conserving heritage is more than creating museums or collecting artifacts, stories, and songs. Heritage is a living experience that weaves together the threads of our past, present, and future. It goes beyond the surface, delving into the stories, values, and legacies that shape our identities as individuals and communities.

At its core, heritage encapsulates tangible and intangible expressions of human creativity and achievement. It encompasses historical sites, cultural practices, languages, folklore, and collective memories that bind a society. Heritage is a repository of knowledge, a bridge between generations, and a testament to the diversity of human experiences.

Heritage is dynamic, evolving with time while retaining its intrinsic essence. It reflects the continuous interplay between tradition and modernity, adaptation, and preservation. Recognizing and safeguarding heritage becomes a collective responsibility as it contributes to a sense of belonging and shared identity within communities.

Moreover, understanding heritage fosters an appreciation and respect for cultural diversity. It encourages cross-cultural dialogue, allowing individuals to embrace the richness of traditions different from their own. Heritage becomes a source of inspiration, a reservoir of creativity that sparks innovation while grounding societies in their roots.

In essence, understanding heritage is an invitation to explore the roots of our existence, to appreciate the cultural mosaic that defines us. It prompts us to preserve, celebrate, and transmit our heritage to future generations, ensuring that the stories of our past continue to resonate in the present and echo into the future. Heritage is not merely a static snapshot of history; it is a vibrant, ever-unfolding narrative that invites us to connect, learn, and carry forward the legacy of our shared human experience.

Nestled in the eastern part of India, Bengal is a state that exudes cultural richness and historical significance. Many of its treasures are still unexplored but significant in understanding the richness of Bengali culture. For instance, Garh Panchakot of Purulia district, which holds immense significance in the history of this region, remains historically unexplored. Another example is Telkupi village, containing the finest and largest number of temples in one place in the Chota Nagpur circle of Bengal, unknown to many Bengalis. Moreover, the opulent tradition of handicrafts, paintings, dance, and plays in these regions remains unheard of by many scholars and the common masses. Therefore, to explore and understand the heritage of Bengal more thoroughly, we invite scholars and professionals to present their research in the seminar entitled 'Tales of Timelessness: Understanding the Heritage of West Bengal.'

Objective: 

The primary objective of this seminar is to provide a comprehensive exploration of West Bengal's heritage, shedding light on its historical, cultural, and architectural significance. Participants will gain insights into the evolution of the state's heritage and its impact on contemporary society.

 

Themes

Historical Narratives:

• Historical events, chronology of lesser-known dynasties, epigraphic, and numismatic studies.

Cultural Narrative:

• Exploring the vibrant festivals and traditions that define the cultural ethos of West Bengal.
• Analyzing the role of literature, music, and performing arts in preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

Architectural Marvels:

• Investigating the architectural heritage of West Bengal, including iconic structures, temples, and palaces.
• Discussing the fusion of indigenous and foreign architectural styles that characterize the region.

Food/Dress/Residence:

• Delving into the unique culinary traditions of West Bengal, including the world-famous Bengali cuisine.
• Understanding the historical and cultural significance of traditional dishes and culinary practices.
• Exploring diverse traditions of dresses of Bengal.
• Different styles of houses and their ornamentation.

Craftsmanship and Handicrafts:

• Showcasing the intricate craftsmanship and traditional handicrafts passed down through generations.
• Discussing the role of artisans in preserving and promoting West Bengal's artistic heritage.

Socio-economic study of different heritage sites.

Exploring the possibility and making a plan to make lesser-known Heritage sites a tourist attraction.

 

Exploring the Heritage sites of Purulia with special reference to Garh Panchakot and its surrounding areas.

 

Expected Outcomes

• Increased awareness and appreciation of West Bengal's rich heritage.
• Creation of a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration.
• Generation of research and documentation to contribute to the preservation of West Bengal's cultural legacy.

Free accommodation may be offered at the college hostel, subject to availability. The seminar committee can also arrange accommodation at resorts (Panchet Hill) for participants on payment. No TA will be provided to the participants. 

 

Registration fees: 

For offline presentation: INR 1500/- 

For online Presentation: INR 500/-

Selected papers will be published in a special issue of PANCHAKOTesSAYS: Multidisciplinary, Refereed, International Journal, ISSN: 0976-4968.

https://journal.panchakotmv.ac.in

For any queries, please feel free to write to us at suvajit.halder@panchakotmv.ac.in.

N.B.: A guided tour of Garh Panchakot will be organised for the Participants after the Seminar.

Contact Information

For any queries, please feel free to write to us at suvajit.halder@panchakotmv.ac.in.

Contact Email

suvajit.halder@panchakotmv.ac.in

Attachments

tales-timelessness.pdf

International #Conference on Endangered #Folk #Literarture and Culture of Jetor and other Indian #Indigenous #Communities: Documentation, Department of English, Vidyasagar University Digitalization, and Translation in the Global Context-

Every community craves a sense of identity in this world, and continuity with the cultural past. This is more so with the communities whose language, literature and culture are on the verge of extinction on account of multiple factors. Literature and culture can offer indigenous communities a sense of belonging and promote social cohesion, respect for diversity, human creativity as well as help people connect with each other. Hence, the call to preserve endangered folk cultural heritage of communities such as the Jetor, an indigenous nomadic community of Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram settled on the edges of Kangsabati and Subarnarekha. UNESCO has declared 2022-2032 as the decade of indigenous languages. In the global context, many countries are making concerted efforts to encourage and support measures to safeguard and transmit the cultural heritage of indigenous communities. Various government institutions (for example, the ICSSR, Sahitya Akademi, and Sangeet Natok Akademi in India), groups, individuals, NGOs, researchers and scholars are engaged in strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the tangible and intangible folk cultural heritage. In this context of extinction and vulnerability documentation, digitization, and translation can play a pivotal role.

Documentation of manuscripts, songbooks and performances along with their preservation in community centres, archives, museums or libraries for consultation, leads to meaningful research in the field of Cultural Studies. Digitization, the creation and sharing of computer-processed materials in the forms of texts, databases, etc., is one of the vital means of preserving endangered indigenous cultural heritage. UNESCO has been stressing the conversion of the existing analogue cultural resources into digital form and preservation of indigenous cultural heritage through digitization. Digitization of ‘endangered’ indigenous folk cultural heritage in its original form and language is a crying need as the communities and their languages carrying the legacy of those cultures are fast going extinct. In the 1980s Translation witnessed a cultural turn and since then translation is being used as a significant tool not only to expose asymmetrical power relations between the cultures negotiated in translation but also in charting cultural histories of indigenous communities among others. Documentation, digitization, and translation are vital to the Indian context as many of the languages spoken by the scheduled and non-scheduled people, Adivasi people, and nomadic people are critically endangered.

The Conference purports to create an important opportunity for researchers, scholars, teachers, policymakers, and indigenous people to engage with and contribute to the discourse of documentation, digitization and translation in the context of indigenous cultural studies with a view to safeguarding, helping to grow and transmitting endangered cultural heritage. The Conference focuses on but is not limited to the following sub-themes:

• Identity and well-being of endangered communities vis-à-vis cultural heritage

• Endangered cultural heritage vis-à-vis international cooperation and assistance

• Endangered cultural heritage, sustainable development and cultural diversity

• Endangered cultural heritage and global awareness building

• Documentation, Digitization, and Translation vis-à-vis the role of performance

• Perspectives on Indigeneity and endangered languages of the world vis-à-vis documentation, digitization, and translation

• Theories and practices of documentation, digitization, and translation

Abstracts with the following specifications on the themes of the Conference are invited for presentation at the Conference (blended mode). We have a plan to publish an edited volume comprising select papers (either from the ICSSR publication division or from a publishing house of repute). However, since the Conference is part of an ICSSR Project, the matter regarding the publication of an edited volume is subject to the approval of the ICSSR authorities, and nothing can be committed in this regard until permission is obtained.

Last Date of submission of Abstract: 10.12.2023

• Word limit for Abstract: 250-300 words

• Notification of the acceptance of Abstracts: 15.12.2023

• Mail ID for Abstract Submission: vuicssr.int.conference@gmail.com

Registration

•

Last Date of Registration: 18.12.2023

• Link for Registration (only participants): https://forms.gle/2ZXiqeKhMwZSY1uS6

• Registration Fees for Paper Presentation: 1500/-

• Registration Fees for ParticipationTeachers/Academician/Scholars: 500/-

• Paper Presenters from Abroad: 30 USD

• No accommodation will be provided.

Payment Options:

• NEFT/IMPS: Name of the Account Holder: NANDINI SAHA (JRF Research Scholar of the Department of English, Vidyasagar University), Account No.: 6295403340, IFSC: IDIB000M037 Bank Name: Indian Bank, Midnapore Branch. • Pay/Phone Pe / Paytm no: 9474672329 (NANDINI SAHA)

Contact:

• Aishwarya Banerjee – 7003229321

• Nandini Saha - 8250024775