Call For Articles: Urdu Studies-(ISSN: 2583-8784)

 

Call for Papers

(Vol. 4 Issue 1, 2024)

Urdu Studies (ISSN: 2583-8784) is an online open-access bilingual (Urdu and English) journal bringing together academics, scholars, and researchers engaged in areas of theoretical, comparative, and cultural research and criticism in Urdu language, literature, film, and theatre studies. We focus on original and innovative research and exploration and encourage interdisciplinary studies. We accept translations and book reviews.

We are now accepting submissions for the 2024 issue.

Our Thrust Areas include:

• Postcolonial debates on Urdu language, literature, and culture
• Contemporary Eastern and Western critical theories, and their reception in Urdu
• South Asian cultural and historical studies
• Urdu and contemporary Western scholarship
• Intercultural & Comparative Studies
• Urdu theatre & cinema
• Translation Studies

Note: Urdu Research papers; book reviews; and translations from any language into Urdu; may be emailed to the Chief Editor (hashmiam68@gmail.com). Research papers in English; book reviews; and Urdu-English translations; may be emailed to the Guest Editor (rizvifatima67@gmail.com). Authors are requested to submit research papers/ translations/ book reviews in Urdu or English by 30^th May 2024. They will be notified about acceptance/ revision/ rejection by 30^th June 2024. Revised papers should be emailed by 30^th July 2024. The journal, included in the UGC-CARE List, will be published online in August 2024.

Please visit the following link for the submission guidelines.

https://urdustudies.in/call-for-papers-submission-guidelines/

Contact Information

Arshad Masood Hashmi, Professor, Department of Urdu, jai Prakash University, Chapra 841302 (India) hashmiam68@gmail.com

Fatima Rizvi, Professor, Department of English and Modern European Languages, University of Lucknow 226007 (India) rizvifatima67@gmail.com

Contact Email

hashmiam68@gmail.com

URL

https://urdustudies.in/

CFP: Panel on Family, Memory and Genealogy: Engaging Vernacular Modernities in South Asia on "Modernity Redefined' Conference Gitam University Feb 22-23, 2024

   

 We are organising a panel at the conference 'Modernity Redefined' at Gitam University Bangalore in February 22-23, 2024. This panel looks at ideas of genealogy, memory and family as they refracted through colonial modernity in South Asia. These ideas have been used by various communities for diverse purposes, from imagining a unified political identity, a glorious cultural past and for signifying status differences. A key aspect that lies at the heart of these imaginations is the views of sexual ordering and the reconfiguration of family relationships inaugurated by colonial modernity. Scholars like Kaviraj (2012), Udayakumar (2016) and Arunima (2003) have looked at novels, autobiographies and poetry which acted as discursive accompaniments and great archives of these transformations. Keeping these themes at the background, this panel probes into the ways in which various social groups in colonial South Asia imagined and sought to reformulate their own sense of selves and identities. The panel aims to move into the historical details as well as ethnographic impressions on changes to family histories, memories and genealogies retold from the colonial to post- colonial times in the Vernaculars of South Asia, including both established as well as spoken languages.

Contact Information

Please send a 150 words abstract to P.C. Saidalavi (saidalavi.pc@snu.edu.in) and Shaheen K. (shaheenkt@protonmail.com) by 19 December 2023.

Contact Email

saidalavi.pc@snu.edu.in

CFP: Contemporary Theatres of the Indian Sub-Continent: Perspectives and Prospects-Thespian Magazine(ISSN 2321-4805)

 In the introduction to her edited anthology, Modern Indian Theatre (2009), Nandi Bhatia pointed to the increasing number of critical works devoted to the history and development of modern Indian theatre. Such works, Bhatia argued, were crucial in reconstructing an Indian theatrical past and in dispelling oriental myths about modern Indian theatre. According to Bhatia, “. . . it indicates a growing interest in Indian theatre history and points towards the need for more work that subjects this highly pluralistic diverse field to critical scrutiny” (xii). The first decade of the twenty-first century saw the publication of crucial critical works on the historiography of Indian theatre which included Nandi Bhatia’s Acts of Authority/ Acts of Resistance(2004), Aparna Dharwadker’s monumental Theatres of Independence (2005), Vasudha Dalmia’s Poetics Plays and Performances: The Politics of Modern Indian Theatre (2006) and Erin B Mee’s Theatre of Roots: Redirecting the Modern Indian Stage (2008). Around the same time appeared Syed Jamil Ahmed’s Achinpakhi Infinity (2000), a major work in studying the indigenous theatre traditions of Bangladesh. These signposts have inspired theatre scholarship in diverse fields in the next decade leading to works that have addressed the plurality of theatre in the Indian sub-continent. The richness of theatrical and performative forms in the Indian sub-continent have expanded considerably in the contemporary times, manifesting a plural and vibrant theatrical culture that awaits further interpretation. 

While contemporary theatres and performances in the Indian sub-continent have been exploring the proscenium space in diverse ways, they have also moved out of the proscenium into alternative spaces, into the experimental realms of installation art and performance. These have resulted in greater engagement with immersive, intimate and interactive theatre practices where the ‘fourth wall’ has come down and the audience have been immersed into the play itself. What have been the ways in which audience reception has transformed in new experimental performance forms? How have contemporary theatres explored the proscenium space? How has alternative theatre spaces emerged? Did the widespread pandemic of Covid-19 foster the search for new spaces of performance? What emergent social and political issues are being addressed by the contemporary theatres? How ‘political’ is today’s theatre? How far do marginalised groups represent themselves and/or are being represented in contemporary theatre? How have the legacies of traditional and classical theatre been carried on in contemporary theatres? How far can the theatre discourse centring around Natyasastra be applied as a critical/theoretical context in today’s theatre? What are our theatrical ‘futures’ and ‘prospects’?                     

Premised on the above thoughts and questions, the proposed title invites scholarly articles on various issues related to contemporary theatre and performance in the Indian sub-continent. While we consider the phenomenon of performance as an inclusive concept ranging from daily life’s performance observations through indigenous tradition and classical to avant-garde initiatives, there are innumerable areas to be explored in the realm of the sub-continental performance tradition with the support of diverse theoretical tools from Natyasastra to recent theories. Once we see theatre and performance as a product of social process and its craft as a product of extensive enquiries to discover new expressive idioms, immense potential for further research and enquiry emerges. The frequent crossover of Indian theatre with various international criticism and streams of writing from the second half of the twentieth century onwards has also considerably impacted the contemporary scenario, which is a subject of intensive study. The call for papers and articles thus aims to address the plurality of Indian Sub-Continental theatre and drama, and its multiple streams that have variously contributed to the rich repository of Indian Sub-Continental performance practices.

 

Papers are invited (but not limited to) the following sub themes/ topics:

• Current trends in research on Indian Sub-Continental theatre, performance and drama
• Historiography and Post-Independence Indian theatre and drama
• Women in the theatre, performance and drama of the Indian sub-continent
• Queer identities in the theatre and drama of the Indian sub-continent
• Gender inclusivity in the theatre and drama of the Indian sub-continent
• Theatres of Protest
• Theatre In Education
• Political theatre
• Theatres of Alternative spaces: Immersive, interactive and intimate theatre experiences
• Relevance of Indigenous performance practices in Contemporary Theatre
• Beliefs and motifs of Tribal theatrical traditions and its relevance in contemporary practices  
• Urban-Folk theatre
• Theatres of Ritual/Ritual Theatre
• Covid-19 and the theatre and drama of the Indian sub-continent
• Theatre of Roots
• Environmental theatre
• Theatre from the Margins
• Contemporary Indian theatre and Drama
• Post-Independence Indian theatre and Pedagogy
• Regional theatre and criticism
• Playwrights and Theatre Directors of the Indian sub-continent.
• Wide practices of Amateur Theatre/Mobile Theatre in the Sub-Continent

 

Full articles within 5000 words (approx.) conforming to the latest MLA style guidelines should be sent along with a short bio-note (within 250 words) to thespian.articles@gmail.com.

Last Date of Submission

20 December 2023

 

For details, please strictly follow the guidelines provided on the website.

http://www.thespianmagazine.com/guidelines

 

Work Cited

Bhatia, Nandi, editor. Modern Indian Theatre: A Reader. Oxford UP, 2009.  

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

Call For Papers: #Virtual #Conference with Publication -International Conference on Indian Arts and Literature-2024

(March 9- 10, 2024)

Organized by

Aesthetix Journal of Indian Studies

In Collaboration With

California Institute of Integral Studies, USA

Government Brajalal College, Bangladesh

Venue: Virtual

Online Platform: ZOOM

Key Features

• Open Access

• Double-Blind Peer Review

• Plagiarism Check

• Systematic Archival and Preservation

• Standard Publication

• Aims and Scope of the Conference

Theme of the Conference

The rich heritage of Indian Arts and Literature from the prehistoric age to the present era is engraved on the geography and cultural landscape in entire South Asia and South-East Asia and it has influenced scholars from around the world as is evident from the scholarly contributions from well-known scholars like Max Muller and Sir William Jones to the contemporary scholars. However, the long duration of colonial rule infused an inferiority complex among the scholars back home, they stayed away from significant research, and Western Classics dominated Indian academic spaces. The First Aesthetix International Conference is aimed at motivating Indian academicians and scholars to take interest in the Indian Arts and Literature and take up research in this henceforth-neglected area. It is also aimed at providing a platform for interaction among the Indian Scholars and the International Scholars working in the field of Indology. The Conference invites original, unpublished research articles and scholarly papers from teachers, professionals, research scholars, independent researchers, and students studying at the postgraduate level on the following areas, but not limited to:

• Indian Classical Literature
• Indian Classical Theory
• Sanskrit Aesthetics
• Tamil Literature
• Shavite Literature
• Vaishnavite Literature
• Indian Architecture
• Indian Fine Arts
• Pali Literature
• Prakrit Literature
• Interdisciplinary Studies of Indian Arts and Literature
• Indigenous Arts and Literature of India
• Indian Theatre and Performances
• Paintings of India
• Literature and other Art forms in contemporary India

Important Dates

Conference Date: March 9-10, 2024

CFP opens: 5th December 2023

Abstract/ Full Paper Submission closes: December 25, 2024

Notification of Acceptance: 5th January, 2024

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 20th February 2024

Registration Period: 20th – 27th February, 2024

Publication of proceedings: The publication will start in June 2024 in Continuous Mode.

Registration Fee + Publication Fee: Rs 1000 (India). Foreign: USD 30

(Entire proceedings to be published in the Aesthetix Journal of Indian Studies)

Author’s Guidelines

Submit the abstract of your paper in about 200-300 words (Times New Roman, 12) with 5-6 Keywords. Use a separate attachment for this and do not include any personal data for double-blind peer review,

Include your personal details (name, affiliation, address, phone number, email id) in the body of the email.

Once your abstract is accepted you must submit the full paper before the last date for submission of full paper.

Finally, after the conference, you will have to submit full-length papers. Use the same email and do not use separate emails.

Articles should be written in an MS Word file following the latest edition of MLA style

Word Limits for the full paper: 3000-4500 words

Authors’ bio-note of around 50-60 words should be added at the end of the draft/full paper.

Send your scholarly articles to editor@indianstudies.net

Contact Information

For any query contact the Managing Editor at editor [AT] indianstudies.net or our WhatsApp no. +91-7047598085

Contact Email

editor@indianstudies.net

URL

http://www.indianstudies.net/aesthetix-conference/

Call For Chapters on - #Indian #Migration During The #British #Empire: A #Literary #Scrutiny- #Springer

 Concept Note:

 

The largest group of Indian overseas immigrants resulted from the export of labour services, with indentured labour emerging as a leading example in this regard. The proliferation of the indentured system was driven mainly by two forces – first and foremost, in the face of strong condemnation on moral grounds from various parties, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 brought about the abolition of the slave trade throughout the vast British Empire, with some exceptions (Blackburn 1988, 420), which resulted in a labour shortage in the plantation economy of the British overseas colonies. For instance, since the beginning of the 16th century, an era of imperialism brought about the successive annexation of many Southeast Asian countries by British colonialists. These early colonies were sparsely populated, leading the British to set their eyes on India – as a populous neighbouring country, where an abundant labour force with high skills and qualifications prevailed. Moreover, considering the British colonial hegemony in India at that time, it was easier to control and manipulate the Indian immigrants than Chinese or Japanese workers from other non-British colonies.

 

Transporting labour from British India to the British settlements in Southeast Asia served two purposes, alleviating the population pressure, as well as the domestic class and ethnic conflict in India, and serving as a source of labour for the colonies in Southeast Asia. An apprenticeship system was adopted with the emancipation of slaves that required all enslaved persons to be transformed into “apprentices”, and to continue labouring for their former masters for a period of four to six years in exchange for provisions. It was essentially slavery by another name (Burn 1937; Green 1976), although this new system came with some inherent flaws that led to its later abandonment. The former slaves had a stronger sense of legal and self-protection, and so refused to do their work, protesting the system of gradual emancipation, and demanding immediate and full liberation. To fill the labour “vacuum”, Hugh Tinker noted, The British Empire recruited nearly 15 million Indians from inland cities in northern India and the coastal cities of Eastern India and shipped them to the overseas British colonies as far away as Natal, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname and Fiji to replace the former slaves on the sugar plantations. Nearby were places like Malaysia and Sri Lanka in Southeast Asia where Indians were forced to grow tea, pepper, coffee, rubber and palm oil, and to work in tin mining and logging for roads (Tinker 1974, 77).

 

In nature, they were indentured labour, known more commonly as Coolies or Piglets, and served as cheap labour, subject to the interests of the British colonialists, and with the typical characteristics of colonial subjects. Concerning the source of indentured labour, the early immigrants were Tamils from the Madras region of India, or Eastern Indians from the present-day Bangladesh. In the later period, the majority of immigrants were farmers from the north, such as from the Gangetic plain in Uttar Pradesh. In other words, the indentured laborers came mainly from the coastal areas of south India from the very beginning but were

 

Exploring Indian Migration during the British Colonial Period to Different Parts of the World

 

Indian migration during the British Raj represents a complex and multifaceted historical phenomenon that deserves in-depth exploration. This migration spanned several centuries and was characterized by the movement of millions of Indians to various corners of the world. While economic reasons often took precedence, the motivations behind this migration were diverse, encompassing a myriad of factors. To gain a comprehensive understanding of this historical event, we invite scholars, researchers and academicians, to submit chapters for this research project that delve into Indian migration during the British colonial era.

 

The project will address the following with reference to literature:

 

• Literary representation of Indian migration to South Africa during the British Raj
• Literary representation of Indian migration to East Africa during the British Raj
• Literary representation of Indian migration to West and North Africa during the British Raj
• Literary representation of Indian migration to Caribbean Islands during the British Raj
• Literary representation of Indian migration to Middle, East, and South Asia during the British Raj
• Literary representation of Indian migration to the Western World during the British Raj

 

This edited book adopts a comparative approach, filling a gap in existing literature. While other works focus on specific regions or offer historical or sociological perspectives, our project provides a comprehensive literary study.

 

Editors:

 

Dr. Shubhanku Kochar

 

Dr. M. Anjum Khan

 

Submission Guidelines:

 

• Email a 200-word chapter proposal and a 100-word author's bio-note to the editors by 15th December 2023.
• Acceptance notifications will be sent by 31st December 2023.
• Full chapters due by 30th April 2024.

 

Contact:

 

Email proposals to shubhankukochar@outlook.com and anjumkhanrs@gmail.com

CFP - International Conference on "Mind Matters: Literature, Cinema and Culture-Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata

Conference Dates: 19-20 January, 2024 (OFFLINE mode)

Venue: Rabindra Bhavan, Centre for Distance and Online Education, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

(Address: EE 9 & 10, Sector II, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal - 700 091)

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Supriya Chaudhuri

Plenary Speakers: Prof. Amrit Sen, Prof. Anup Dhar, Dr. Prasanta Chakravarty and Dr. Nina Krajnik (online)

CALL FOR PAPERS

What precisely constitutes a mind? This inquiry has been a source of contemplation for both philosophers and those outside philosophical circles throughout documented history. Some assert that minds are spiritual entities that temporarily inhabit bodies, entering either at conception or birth and departing at death, framing death as the separation of the body's spirit. Alternatively, there are those who envision a more interconnected relationship between minds and bodies: a mind is present when a body is organised in a specific manner and absent otherwise. Yet, another perspective maintains that minds are indeed tangible entities, specifically physical ones, contending that minds are essentially synonymous with brains. The ongoing discourse with neuroscience, dedicated to scrutinizing hypotheses about human behaviour and neurophysiology through empirical methods, has expanded psychoanalytic conceptualizations to encompass areas such as motion, memory, sleep, dreams, conflict, and trauma. Importantly, both psychoanalysts and neuroscientists share a profound curiosity in investigating the neurological foundations of psychic functioning. Cognitive perspectives delve into the mental processes involved in perception, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making. When applied to cultural texts, this lens allows for an exploration of how individuals within the text perceive and interpret their world, process information, and construct meaning from their experiences. This conference seeks to explore the kaleidoscopic possibility of reading various cultural texts and practices vis-à-vis philosophy of mind, as it evolved through Cartesian dualism, Lockean empiricism, German idealism, and of course, an array of psychoanalytic theories. It aims to consider how these diverse philosophical perspectives have shaped our understanding of the mind within the cultural tapestry, laying the foundation for continued inquiry and dialogue in contemporary philosophical discourse.

Sub-topics for the conference may include (but are not limited to):

Literary Studies and Human Mind Dreams, Repression, and Desire Representation of Mind in Cinema and Popular Culture Psychology, Psychotherapy, Psychoanalysis Memory Studies Mind and the Screen: Cinema, Games, and New Media Ideology, Politics and Human Mind Narrative and the Unconscious Language, Mind, and Meaning Understanding Affect: Visual and Plastic Arts Literature, Sinthome, and the Textual Unconscious German Idealism and the Natural History of Mind Collective Unconscious and Archetypes Mind-Body Dualism Artificial Consciousness, AI and Desiring Machines Phenomenology and the Philosophy of Mind Mysticism, Planes of Consciousness, and Yoga Psychology Psychobiology and Cognitive Science Qualia, Rhizomatic Consciousness, Neuroaesthetics

DEADLINE for ABSTRACT SUBMISSION: 20 DECEMBER, 2023.

Please submit your ABSTRACT (about 250 words) along with your Paper Title, Name, Designation, Affiliating Institution and your Email-ID using the link below:

https://forms.gle/5zCzDEMPzCMEw2XHA  Selected participants will be notified via email by 30 December, 2023.Select papers may be published in a book after the conference.

REGISTRATION FEES (to be collected after Abstract Selection)

Paper Presenters (any discipline/department)

• Faculty Members/Professionals: INR 800/-
• Students/Research Scholars: INR 500/-

Participants (Non-presenters): INR 150/-

The registration fee will cover Conference Kit, Lunch, and Refreshments during the conference.

No travel bursary or accommodation is available. Certificates will be provided.

For any queries, please contact: cdoerbu.eng@gmail.com