Characterized by a
multiplicity of approaches and an intrinsic interdisciplinary nature, English
and American Studies have long stood as crucial and prolific academic fields,
not only for their ability to intersect different areas of knowledge and
transgress intellectual boundaries, but also for their concern about the
political and cultural challenges posed by a globalized society. In a time of
crisis such as our own, marked by anxieties over war, terrorism, and the
economy, we are however forced to ask: how do English and American Studies
matter in our particular context? As critical discourses, what power do they
own? In what ways can our scholarly discourses cope with the present culture,
marked as it is by financial deprivation, professional uncertainty, and
political instability? In other words, as young scholars, how do we understand
and position our study and research? Can this crisis be, in any sense,
productive of meaning and what tools do English and American Studies have to
make sense of it?
Aware of the need to explore how the Humanities in general, and English
and American Studies in particular, relate to the current state of affairs, we
welcome interdisciplinary contributions and critical reflections capable of
sparking an open debate. Proposals
from graduate students and early career scholars for 20-minute presentations are
invited; papers can address, but are not limited to, the following areas:
-
English and American Literature
-
Comparative Literature and Culture
-
Ethnicity and National Identities
-
Postcolonial Studies
-
Visual Studies
-
Media and Communication Studies
-
Cultural Studies
-
Women’s Studies
-
Gender and Queer Studies
-
Language and Linguistics
Students who are
beginning to pursue their MA or PhD degrees are also welcome to participate in
our roundtables, where research projects can be briefly introduced and
discussed (max. 10 minutes). Our aim is to provide an informal setting based on
cross institutional collaboration, so as to enable dialogues about current
research projects and future working life.
The conference will be held in English.
Abstracts for
presentations should be limited to 300 words, and be accompanied by the
author’s name, e-mail address, and institutional affiliation.
Students wishing to
participate in roundtables should send a summary (100 words) of the topic they
wish to discuss, along with the author’s name, e-mail address, and institutional
affiliation.
Paper proposals and roundtable summaries should be sent to our e-mail address at gradconf2012@gmail.com.
July 1st, 2012: Deadline
for submission (a confirmation e-mail will be sent).
July 8th, 2012:
Notifications regarding proposals and summaries.
September 30th, 2012:
Deadline for Regular Registration.
Conference Fees
BEFORE July 31st 2012
|
AFTER July 31st 2012
|
|
Non-students
|
50€
|
60€
|
Students (presenting a
paper / participating in a roundtable)
|
30€
|
40€
|
Students (NOT
presenting a paper / NOT participating in a roundtable)
|
10€
|
15€
|
Organizing Committee
Cláudia Pinto (Ph.D.
candidate in American Studies – University of Coimbra)
Marta Mancelos (Ph.D.
candidate in American Studies – University of Coimbra)
Marta Soares (Ph.D.
candidate in American Studies – University of Coimbra)
Maria José Canelo (Assistant
Professor at the Anglo-American Studies Section – University of Coimbra)
Santi Poliandri (Ph.D.
candidate in Languages and Heterodoxies – CES/University of Coimbra)
