Call for Papers Family Sagas in World Literatures and Audio-Visual Cultures Reimagining Nations Across the Globe Centre for World Literatures – Centre for World Cinemas and Digital Cultures University of Leeds, 28-29 June 2017, 9am-5pm The family saga is a constitutively transnational and multi-media genre, bridging highbrow and popular cultures. The genre counts some of the bestsellers of world literature, including not just novels, but also serial narratives (trilogies, cycles), and comics, ranging from the late nineteenth century up to the present day. Being serial narratives that appeal to audiences, family sagas have also been adapted to or produced for cinema, radio and TV series. Examples of family sagas include:  Zola’s Les Rougon-Macquart, Eça de Queirós’s Os Maias, Mann’s Buddenbrooks, Woolf’s The Years, Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Haley’s Roots, Cunningham’s Flesh and Blood, Spiegelman’s Maus, Mo Yan’s Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Ferrante’s Neapolitan Cycle, Reitz’s Heimat, Giordana’s […]

Call for Papers: Insiders and Outsiders: Historical Perspectives on Power Relations in Modern America. The QMUL Biennial Symposium in American History At a rally in North Carolina on 5 November 2016, Donald Trump described his political journey: “I went from being the ultimate insider to being an outsider like they’ve never seen before.” Three days later he was elected the 45th President of the United States. Trump’s victory is redrawing the boundaries between insiders and outsiders in modern America. Yet the construction of these categories has always been contested, and that process of contestation is key to understanding power relations in the United States. We welcome proposals for papers that explore any aspect of this dynamic, including themes such as: populism, immigration, identity, and the public sphere(s). Date: June 16th 2017. Venue: Queen Mary University of London. Keynote Speaker: Professor Mae Ngai, Columbia University. Comment: Professor Eric Foner, Columbia University. The QMUL Biennial Symposium in American History seeks […]

Event: 03/10/2017 – 03/11/2017 Abstract: 01/15/2017 Categories: American, 1865-1914, 20th & 21st Century, African-American, Colonial, Revolution & Early National, Transcendentalists Location: Boston University Organization: New England American Studies Association NEASA New England American Studies Association (NEASA)– Call for Papers Hoaxes, Humbugs, Pranks and Play: Functions and Expressions of Foolery in American Society and Culture March 10-11, 2017 Boston University The New England American Studies Association’s (NEASA) annual spring conference offers an opportune moment to pursue connotations of playfulness and trickery, and of enjoyment and leisure. The emergence of myriad manifestations and sites of playfulness across social sectors has profoundly impacted American society and culture. Childhood has become a playful time to be treasured; diversionary activities have come to dominate cultural products; even nostalgia has acquired a pronounced lucidity. Play is also big business: gaming, sports, and other recreation activities are their own sectors of the economy. We therefore invite contributions […]

European Beat Studies Network Annual Conference  Paris Interzone: The Transcultural Beat Generation (Collaboration, Edition, Translation) The European Beat Studies Network invite proposals for the 6th Annual Conference of the European Beat Studies Network that will take place at the Chicago University Center in Paris on 20, 21 and 22 September 2017. In the late fifties and early sixties, several writers and artists associated with the Beat movement made their home in Paris at the so-called Beat Hotel, 9 rue Gît-le-coeur. Burroughs, Corso, Ginsberg and Gysin’s sojourn at the Beat Hotel has, of course, been a key moment in the development of Beat culture as a transcultural movement. Paris was an important port of entry: from the French capital the Beats travelled to Europe and Asia. Paris has also been a crucial springboard to publish writing that was controversial or banned in America, such as Naked Lunch (Olympia Press, 1959). This […]

4th March 2017, University of Edinburgh The Scottish Association for the Study of America (SASA) was formed in 1999 to encourage study of North America in Scotland. This year, SASA’s annual one-day conference will take place in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh on Saturday March 4, 2017. Our keynote speaker will be Professor Daniel Kryder (Brandeis University), the 2016-17 Fulbright-British Library Eccles Centre Scholar. The conference has no specific theme, but is intended to reflect the range and vitality of American Studies in Scotland and beyond. Participation is open to all scholars. We particularly encourage proposals from masters and doctoral students, who will be able to submit papers to our postgraduate essay prize competition sponsored by Adam Matthew Digital. Abstracts are welcome from all disciplines, including history, literature, politics, international relations, culture, religious studies, music, film studies and cognate fields. As always, the […]