CFP:Comparative Cultural Studies Conference- 29-31 August 2018,, Budapest, Hungary.

Call For Papers:

The comparative studies journals Comparative Literature Studies (Penn State University), Neohelicon (Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary), and Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art (East China Normal University, Shanghai), with support of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, will sponsor an international conference at the Institute of Musicology in Budapest, Hungary, from 29-31 August 2018, on the topic of “Comparative Cultural Studies.” Featured speakers are: Astrid Erll (Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany); Sabine Doran (Penn State University, USA); and Yehong Zhang (Tsinghua University, China).

Conference Theme:

In a 2005 special issue of Comparative Literature Studies devoted to the topic of comparative cultural studies, Michael Bérubé mused that “there does not seem to be any reason why cultural studies and comparative literature have had so little to do with one another.” And yet, such was the case.  One reason could be that the former has even less unity than the latter. In France, cultural studies might mean the literary sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel de Certeau; in Britain the attempt to understand culture as a “structure of feeling”; in North America the study of mechanisms of social inequalities attributed to race, gender, or disability, and so forth. Another reason may be the fact that comparative literature remains largely within the modality of close reading and the valorization of texts as aesthetic objects. In those cases  where cultural studies works primarily with texts, on the other hand, its task is to analyze them as embodying the “social life of subjective forms” at a particular moment of their circulation (Richard Johnson). Just as frequently, however, cultural studies pays scant attention to texts (at least as traditionally conceived) in favor of analyzing  the processes of cultural production or reception.

Is Bérubé’s assessment “still” true? Is the divide still there? Are there scholars who compare cultural phenomena across language areas, and comparatists who use the methodologies of cultural studies? Does the current fragmentation of cultural studies into a seemingly endless variety of “studies” sub-fields (Memory Studies, Border Studies, Biopolitics, Anthropocene Studies, Thing Theory, etc.) advance or hinder the possibilities for comparison?

Papers given at the conference will be considered for publication in a special issue of one or more of these journals devoted to this theme.

1. Research that actually “does the work” of cross-cultural comparison. Examples include: comparing conceptions of “disability,” “race,” or “gender” as these are conceived within different cultures; glocalizations of transnational media; cross-cultural (mis)understanding.
2. Theories of culture or critiques of theories of culture (e.g. Adorno, Gramsci, Jameson, Lotman, Macherey) with broad application. Examples include: how do cultures remember – and forget?; “minor” or “small” literature?; can Border Theory be applied to any border?
3. Reviews of the work done in one or more “studies” sub-fields with potential import for various language areas. Examples: current controversies in translation studies; why study the Global South? Frankfurt School – Third Generation.

We also welcome submissions of entire panels, workshops, or roundtables related to the conference theme.

The organizers of this conference welcome abstracts in English or French submitted by 31 March, 2018. At least three different types of contributions on comparative cultural studies in the form of 20-minute papers in French or English:

Questions? Questions concerning conference logistics, should be directed to Peter Hajdu. Questions on  conference theme, topics, etc., should be directed to Thomas Beebee.

Contact Info: 

Thomas Beebee, Editor-in-Chief, Comparative Literature Studies

Contact Email: cl-studies@psu.edu

URL: http://sites.psu.edu/comparativeculturalstudies/

Partially Funded STUDY ITALIAN DIASPORA CULTURE THROUGH A UNIQUE SUMMER PROGRAM IN ROME

Call For Applications:

The Italian Diaspora Studies Summer Seminar™ is a three-week summer program that takes place at Roma Tre University from June 11 to 29, 2018. It is designed to introduce participants (doctoral students and professors) to cultural studies of the Italian Diaspora from a variety of academic perspectives and to foster development of individual projects responding to the materials covered in the series of seminars in literature, film, and the social sciences. All participants will engage in a special research project.

The Italian Diaspora Studies Summer Seminar is open to graduate students (doctorate; advanced MA students may be considered) and professors from colleges and universities worldwide. This is a collaborative program between the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute / Queens College of The City University of New York and the Roma Tre University. Professors from these two institutions and others will comprise the teaching faculty of the entire three weeks. This is the fourth year of the Italian Diaspora Studies Summer Seminar.

The program will accept up to twenty participants for the 2018 summer program.

Fellowships of $1,500 per participant are available.

Cost of room, board (breakfast and lunch) and tuition (12 Roma Tre credit hours): $3,000. Air and ground travel are additional. Click here for the application form, and click here for more information on the program schedule and faculty.

For more information about the program schedule and faculty, contact Dean Anthony Julian Tamburri at 212.642.2094 or via email anthony.tamburri@qc.cuny.edu.

Application Deadline—February 24, 2018.

Contact Info: 

Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, PhD

Dean & Distinguished Professor

The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute

Queens College

The City University of New York

Contact Email: anthony.tamburri@qc.cuny.edu

URL: http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/calandra/

CFP:International Conference Language Studies: Mother of All Employability 22-23 February, 2018 Amity School of Languages,Lucknow

Concept Note:

Language is an instrument of expression and communication and therefore vital to employability in any framework. Even if we consider the mastermind as the original inceptor of any enterprise, we must concede that conceptualization is incomplete if not expressed in words and as soon as there is employment of words, language comes into being. Of all the varied human faculties, the most distinctive is the ability of man to give words to his thoughts. Articulation of thoughts has paved way for the rise and growth of language systems. In fact all processes of a civilized society owe their origin to language. In the past this unique human attribute accounted for the birth of new civilizations and the establishment of various socio- political and economic systems and ideologies. Language enabled and empowered man to sustain and survive in the backdrop of developments and transformations. The empowerment of mankind through language started when communication began to contribute to the growth of trade and industry. Lexical exchanges designed the fabric of cultures and distinguished one culture from the other. In this set-up language thrived and flourished on account of the immense possibilities it offered for growth and employability, The factors responsible for the continual significance of language and its contribution in opening avenues for growth and employability rested on one basic tenet and that was 'to conned .

Therefore, the significance of language cannot be discounted in any entrepreneurial activity that generates employment for unless an idea is expressed in words, it is not worthy of being implemented. Language therefore is the essential catalyst in the process of employment generation as well as acquisition. If we look at employability as a repertoire of an individual's skills and abilities that make one employment-worthy then we must also visualize a scenario where unless the qualifications are articulated they will remain unutilized. All the skills and expertise of an employee will remain in a state of limbo unless employed constructively and once again we find that for any kind of communication and expression, employment of language becomes inevitable. Since interaction is the undisputed basis of enterprise and entails commands, instructions, prescriptions, mandates, bids, contracts etc that need necessarily be expressed through language. Perhaps, it is not hyperbolic to say that language is the mother of employability.

Objectives: The aims and objectives of this International Conference are to modernize language learning, as well as promote education systems to respond better to poplin' learning and professional needs and to alkalize cooperation with employers, chambers of commerce and other stakeholders to support employability, mobility and growth.

The conference invites scholarly papers and deliberations in the following areas: 

• Linguistics 
• Literature
• Communication skills 
• Culture studies Gender studies 
• Subaltern studies 
• Theatre studies 
• Media studies 
• Film studies 
• Queer studies 
• Comparative Eco criticism
• Diasporic writing
• Translation studies
• Language studies it Social Sciences 
• English for Special Purposes 
• Foreign Business Languages

Highlights of the Conference:

Pre conference 'Workshop on Communication Skills

Panel Discussions

Oppormity to conduct workshops‘

Opportunity to chair/facilitate roundtable discussions 

Publication of select papers in the Conference Book of proceedings with ISBN No

21st Feb 2018 Pre-Conference Workshop on Communication Skills for 1st 50 entrants only @ 1000/- per head.

Who Should Participate?

Teachers, Researchers. Creative writcm, lirofessionals. Cnmorate Honchos and Students

Submission of Abstracts: 15th Janauary 2018.

For Any Queries, Kindly contact:

Dr. Nidhi Mehta.

 Email:   nmehta@lko.amity.edu; 

            arsrivastava@lko.amity.edu.

Website: https://internationalconferenceasl2018.weebly.com/

GIAN WOrkshop on Two Karls are Better than One!!! Capitalism, Crisis, Critique On Ecology, Democracy and Social Reproduction March 19-23, 2018, JNU

Overview 

Capitalism is an institutionalised social order and not merely an economic order.Such an understanding of capitalism foregrounds the constitutive institutional complex that underlies the logic of primitive accumulation that broke up social and customary rights and transferred control of resources to owners of capital. Through a complex (and spatially differentiated) process, the market emerged as the central allocator of the societal surplus, which in turn also structured many of the supportive social and political institutions. However, this process was constituted by the continued existence of non-market exchange mechanisms (such as social reproduction), without which the pursuit of the endless accumulation of capital could not have survived. Alongside, the process of capital accumulation also created conditions of emancipatory politics, often led by organised labour – the process evocatively described by Karl Polyani as the Double Movement. However, this process – many aspects of which are the subject matter of intense academic debate – does not adequately lend itself to an analysis of contemporary capitalism. Contemporary capitalism is at a distinct stage in its evolution, characterised by an expansion in its economic logic with a simultaneous contraction of the politicosocial processes of expansion of individual rights and entitlements. The fundamental factor in this is the shift from production to finance, which has led to a host of changes in the relations of production worldwide, leading to numerous dysfunctions – political, social, economic, financial, ecological – referred to in the

literature as the crises of contemporary capitalism. 


Besides, changes in the relations of production under contemporary capitalism have been expressed as the transformation of organised labour  into a precarious and informalised body of workers without the solidarity to lead the kind of emancipatory politics witnessed in the past century. Further, the vast majority of political leadership across the ideological spectrum seem to endorse neoliberal markets, which in turn is likely to destroy the bases of the social reproduction of capitalism itself. Protests in the form of social movements however seem to lack the solidaristic coalescence necessary to fulfil the role of organised labour of yore.

These processes have collectively been seen as a crisis of capitalism and are the subject matter of an emerging re-interrogation of the complex dynamics of capitalism. However, extant literature is marked by a relative paucity of robust critical social theory that could offer a thoroughgoing understanding of this crisis. Contemporary explanations privilege economic processes with only relatively marginal attention to the novel forms of political processes and idioms of social conflict engendered in the process, pre-eminent among which are contestations over public power, nature, and forms of social reproduction, aside from labour. 

Furthermore, new axes of inequality have emerged including nationality, race,ethnicity, religion, sexuality, class and identity, to which the extant models focussed on labour struggles are unable to provide a reliable analytical guide.  

Objectives:

To encourage critical engagements with the nature and character of contemporary crisis of capitalism.

- To offer a platform for postgraduate and research students to think collectively from a variety of theoretical and empirical vantage points.

- To construct an epistemological community to draw in a variety of experiences to reflect and theorise on the complexity of capitalism in its contemporary avatar in both, India and the world. 

Who  Can Attend

A maximum of 50 participants on a first come basis: Postgraduate students,

Research students & Faculty members of recognised academic institutions

Registration Fees*

•  JNU Masters Students: FREE

•  JNU Research Students (M.Phil. and Ph.D.): Rs. 1,000

•  JNU Faculty: Rs. 2,000

•  Other educational Institutions Research Students: Rs. 2,000

•  Other educational Institutions Faculty: Rs. 4,000

•  Other Government Institutions: Rs. 10,000

•  Industry and Private Institutions: Rs. 15,000

•  Participants from outside India: US$ 500

*Does not cover travel or accommodation.

Advance registration required at:

http://www.gian.iitkgp.ac.in/GREGN;

and

http://gianregister.jnu.ac.in  

Host Faculty
Prof. Amit PrakashEmail: amit@jnu.ac.in Prof. Niraja Gopal Jayal mail: ngj@jnu.ac.in
Centre for the Study of Law and Governance Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi - 110 067

Call For Applications: 2018 COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIP IN UK- MHRD Government of India

Online application is invited from Indian national for the ‘2018 COMMONWEALTH  SCHOLARSHIP TENABLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM’  for the Master’s & Doctoral degree programme. The study will commence in September/October 2018.

The candidates are also advised to read the public notice on Commonwealth site url:

Master’s:

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/terms-conditionsmasters-scholarships-2018.pdf

PhD: 

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/terms-conditionsphd-scholarships-low-middle-income-countries-2018.pdf

Number of nomination and award:

Nomination: Maximum 65 nominations, out of which, 26 nomination would be for PhD.

Online applications:

Candidates are required to apply online at the following portals:

 Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) portal by 7th February, 2018 (till 3:00 PM).

Link for online application: 

http://proposal.sakshat.ac.in/scholarship/

 Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Electronic Application System (EAS)

by 22.02.2018.

Link for EAS: https://csc.do-it-online.org.uk/csc/electronicapplicationsystem.htm

Note:

 It is compulsory for the applicant to apply in the above portals before the cut-off

date, failing which would make his/her candidature ineligible.

 Since the cut-off date for MHRD portal is prior to EAS cut-off date, it is advised

that the candidates adhere to the respective cut-off date.

Level of course:

(i) Master’s Course (one year)

(Note: Master Degree programs which are less than 2 years in duration, are not

equivalent to Master Degree in India.)

(ii) Doctoral degree (up to three/four years’ duration)

(Note: CSC would fund only few candidates for 4-year PhD programme. The

candidates are advised to choose at least one 3-year PhD option also).

Scholarship would be offered under following development themes and all candidates

must apply under one of the themes:

 Science and technology for development

 Strengthening health systems and capacity

 Promoting global prosperity

 Strengthening global peace, security and governance

 Strengthening resilience and response to crises

 Access, inclusion and opportunity.

Note: More than one application would lead to disqualification of the candidature.

Eligibility:

(i) AGE: The age of the candidate must not exceed 40 years (as on 7th February, 2018).

(ii) Minimum qualifications

(iii) Academic merit

(a) For Master’s course:

One should have completed or is expected to complete the Bachelor Degree by October, 2018. The academic qualification must have direct and applied relevance to the development theme selected by the candidate. Minimum eligibility is 60% or above marks in Social Science subjects and 65% or above marks in Science subjects.

(b) For Ph.D. degree:

One should have completed or is expected to complete the Master Degree/Qualifying Exam, by October, 2018. The academic qualification must have direct and applied relevance to the development theme selected by the candidate. Minimum eligibility is 60% or above marks in Social Science subjects and 65% or above marks in Science subjects.

The minimum prescribed eligibility percentage does not guarantee short listing for interview in any particular theme.

Others:

i) Candidates who have already been abroad for studies/training/ specialization either on scholarships or on their own, for a period exceeding six months are eligible to apply, if they have been in India for at least two consecutive years as on 7th February, 2018

after returning from abroad.

ii) Applications of candidates who are staying abroad will not be considered.

iii) Candidates must not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university before September/October 2018.

(iv) Candidates are compulsorily required to sign a declaration that they do not have access to sufficient funds to study in the UK.

Requirement of English language proficiency: 

The Ministry of Human Resource Development and CSC does not require any candidates to take an IELTS (English language)test. However, as a further condition of award, the university may ask the candidate to provide evidence of a particular level of English language proficiency.

Participating universities/institutions: Awards are tenable at any approved UK university or higher education institution with which the CSC has a part-funding agreement. A list of these institutions can be found at: http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/uk-universities/part-funding/

Preference for universities/institutions: Candidates are expected to give preference for at least one UK institution/university in their application form. The final decision on host institution will be made by the CSC.

Application to preferred universities: Candidates are advised to submit applications directly to their preferred institutions in advance. Many courses have strict admission deadlines. Candidate must check admission requirements carefully when applying. Where formal offer of admission has been obtained, the same should be mentioned in the application.

Supporting statement from supervisor:

All PhD candidates must provide a supporting statement from a named supervisor from at least one of the UK universities to which they are applying. If a supporting statement is not provided for their first choice university, the CSC reserves the right to place the candidate at another institution for which they have a supporting statement. The candidates are required to submit such statement to Ministry of Human Resource Development at the time of interview.

No candidate, for PhD, will be interviewed without such supporting statement/letter.

Candidates are required to give a write up of their Plan of Study (for Masters)

/Research Proposals (for PhD). The Plan of Study/ Research Proposal should have maximum of 300 words and 750 words respectively.

Study Plan:

The students applying for Master’s are required to submit plan of study highlighting:

(i) “Statement of what you want to learn

(ii) Extent to which the proposed course and institution of study have been well researched (including specific options and dissertation topics, where appropriate) and presented”

The above conditions are prescribed by the Commonwealth Commission.

Research Proposal:

The students applying for Ph.D. are required to submit research proposal highlighting:

(i) Clear abstract of the research proposal.

(ii) The work programme should be well researched, and consultation made with the hostsupervisor. 

(iii) Innovation and relevance to current research in the chosen field. 

The above conditions are prescribed by the Commonwealth Commission.

Nomination and final selection:

 Only shortlisted candidates would be called for interview and the Selection Committee consisting of experts will interview the candidates. Nominations would be made purely on merit. The nominations will be sent to Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for the final selection.

 Nomination of a candidate by the Government of India does not, in any way, guarantee final selection or placement. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission will make its own selection from the list of recommended candidates. 

Note: Candidates are advised to go through the CSC’s selection criteria. The specific link has been provided at the end.

Important dates:

Closing date of online application in the Ministry of Human Resource Development portal 07.02.2018 (till 3 PM)

Closing date of online application through CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS) 22.02.2018

Names of the shortlisted candidates (development theme wise) called for the interview 15.02.2018 (tentative)

Tentative dates for the Interview (development theme wise) First week of March onwards

Documents required:

Scanned copy of the following documents are required while applying to the Ministry of Human Resource Development online portal:

i) Marks sheet and certificate for Secondary Examination

ii) Marks sheet and certificate for Higher Secondary Examination

iii) Transcript in respect of the candidate’s higher qualification(s)

iv) Bachelor’s/Master’s degree

Note:

 In case where grades are awarded, the candidates are required to furnish exactpercentage of marks and its conversion formula. 

 Candidates who fail to upload the mark sheets and transcripts (provided by the university/institution) with their application, will not be considered.

 Candidates, shortlisted for interview, are required to bring the following documents at the time of interview:

i) Original Certificates along with mark sheets of Class X, XII & Transcripts and degree (if awarded) in respect of their higher qualification(s).

ii) NOC/ Cadre clearance (in case of Government Servant).

iii) In case applying for PhD, candidate must provide evidence of support from a prospective supervisor.

General Instructions:

1. Candidates who do not possess the essential eligibility criteria need not apply.

2. Canvassing in any form will lead to disqualification.

3. Candidate will not be allowed to appear for interview if he/she does not submit NOC

from the Employer. In case of Government Servant, clearance of the Cadre

Controlling Authority is mandatory.

4. Candidates are expected to have the knowledge of the donor country.

5. All announcements will be available on the Ministry of Human ResourceDevelopment website i.e. www.mhrd.gov.in/scholarships .

6. The shortlisted candidates will be informed through the mail and public notice on the MHRD website. THE DECISION OF THE SELECTION COMMITTEE SHALL BE FINAL.

 No correspondence will be entertained in this regard.

7. No TA/DA would be provided for attending the interview.

o Mere fulfillment of above eligibility conditions does not qualify a candidate for interview. Only shortlisted candidates would be called for interview.

Important links: 

 For applying online to the Ministry of Human Resource Development:

http://proposal.sakshat.ac.in/scholarship/ (link would be opened from 28.12.2017)

 Links for Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC)

 2018 Commonwealth Scholarship terms and conditions:

Master’s:

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/terms-conditionsmasters-scholarships-2018.pdf

PhD:

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/terms-conditions-phdscholarships-low-middle-income-countries-2018.pdf

 The list of UK universities:

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/uk-universities/part-funding/

 Details of the CSC’s selection criteria:

Master’s:

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/selection-criteriamasters-scholarships-2018.pdf

Ph.D.:

http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/selection-criteria-phdscholarships-low-middle-income-countries-2018.pdf

 Guidelines for applying in the Electronic Application System (EAS application) on

Commonwealth Scholarship Commission(CSC) site:

Master’s: http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/eas-guidemasters-scholarships.pdf

Ph.D.: http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/eas-guide-phdscholarships-low-middle-income-countries.pdf

 For applying to Electronic Application System(EAS) on CSC :

https://csc.do-it-online.org.uk/csc/electronicapplicationsystem.htm.

5 Day Funded Workshop on LANGUAGE DOCUMENTATION & REVITALIZATION- 26th February to 2d March, 2018 , CIIL Mysore

CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF INDIAN LANGUAGES 

Scheme for Protection & Preservation of Endangered Languages 

At present several projects on documenting endangered languages are going on simultaneously in India and in most of these projects there is hardly any emphasis on revitalizing these endangered languages. Responding to this need for revitalization efforts the Scheme for Protection & Preservation of Endangered languages is organizing a 5 day workshop on Language Documentation and Revitalization. This workshop aims to inform and introduce its participants to different models of revitalization & their suitability, designing revitalization programs, community participation in documentation & revitalization, MTBMLE, challenges in developing orthography, training native speaker to record/document, dictionary preparation and use of technology for documentation. 

Invited Speakers

 Dr. Julia Sollabank SOAS, University of London, UK

Prof. Anita Abbi Hon. Director, Centre for Oral and Trilml Literature, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi 

Prof. Peter Austin SOAS, University of London, UK 

Dr. Sheeny Shah SOAS, University of London, UK 

Prof. P.K. Pandey JNU, New Delhi 

Prof. Minati Panda JNU, New Delhi

Interested scholars must f ill the prescribed form attached herewith and send us latest by 10th Jan. 2018. Since seats are limited, applicants have to forward the application forms with approved from their PhD supervisor/Haid of Department. Priority will be given to independent scholars/ doctoral & M.Phil. students/community people who are working in the areas relevant to the workshop theme. However, students enrolled in master degree programme in linguistics, and allied subjects may also apply. 

The Institute will reimburse 3AC fare to shortlisted participants and will also be provided with modest accommodation in the CIIL campus on prior request. 

This link below will give you access to the application form: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-3zxBavxQSEWUtJU2VrdUh5ZFJfdE4wb2MtRGJpTWkzN0tz/view?usp=sharing

Organizing Committee 

Prof. D.G. Rao Director, CIIL 

Prof. Umarani Pappuswamy Head, Centre for Language Documentation, CIIL Sujoy Sarkar Officer-in-charge, SPPEL 

Venue: 

Central Institute of Indian Languages Government of India, Manascigangotri Mysuru - 570 006 

Contact Information: sppelincharge.ciil@gmail.com