5th International Convention
Forum on Contemporary Theory
Shillong (India) 15-18 December, 2002
Call for Papers
Theme: Constructing Identities: Local and Global
15-18 December, 2002
(15th December is for sightseeing)
sponsored by
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Shillong Regional Centre of the Central Institute of English and Foreign
Languages of Hyderabad
Louisiana State University in Shreveport, USA
North-Eastern Hill University at Shillong.
Submission Deadline: 500-word abstracts or proposals are due by August 1.
Complete papers should be limited to 12 pages (20 minute reading time). A
longer version of the paper may be submitted for publication in the Journal
of Contemporary Thought
Registration Deadline: $175.00 due by September 5. All international
delegates must be pre-registered. The registration fee includes the cost of
room (double occupancy) and board for 5days/4nights (14-18). Checks should
be made payable to "Forum on Contemporary Theory: Rath" and mailed to the
address below. There shall be no refund after registration is confirmed.
Contact Address: For information please contact
Sura P. Rath
Department of English, LSUS
One University Place
Shreveport, LA 71115
Ph: 318-797-5296 fax: 318-797-5290
In India:
Professor P. C. Kar, Head
Department of English
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Baroda (INDIA
Ph: 011-91-265-338067 fax: 011-91-265-335505
Local host:
Professor K. C. Baral, , Director
CIEFL, Northeast Campus
Shillong
INDIA 793 014
Phone: 011-91-364-231648/ 230755 (0)
011-91-364-520850/ 521147 (R)
Fax: 011-91-364231648 e-mail: k.c.Baral@neline.com
<mailto:k.c.Baral@neline.com>
The conference theme, a continuation of the 2001 convention in Konark,
addresses the tricky question of identity. In the context of globalization
and changing demographic scenario of cultures as a result of constant
movement of population from location to location, the question has acquired
a new urgency and force. The process of globalization has not only unsettled
people and cultures but has created new identities and affiliations in
terms of both conflicts and collaborations. In the dialectic clash of
interests between the local and the global a new kind of consciousness seems
to have developed about the relative merits and weaknesses of both the
identities. Sometimes what appears to be specific and local acquires the
object of global desire, and what appears to be global circulates freely in
the local market. In this kind of situation where the local and the global
seem to overlap, the discursive articulation of the difference of identities
becomes more intense. In multicultural societies the problem of identities
occupies the center stage of the academic debate. The Convention will take
into consideration the question of how identities are constructed, deployed,
erased; how they merge with one another and form clusters; and how they are
always already in a state of constant formation, deformation, and
reformation. The location of the Convention in North East India where local
identities are prominently invoked in any kind of debate about Indian
culture will provide an appropriate site for addressing philosophically and
conceptually such a problematic. The specific thrust of the Convention will
be on identities, while the broad context in which the topic will be
discussed involves globalization and multiculturalism.
There will be two plenary sessions on:
1. Verrier Elwin, the distinguished anthropologist who wrote
extensively on the tribes of the North East. His book A Philosophy for NEFA
is cited as an excellent example of indigenous discourse coming out of an
obscure tribal setting
2. Yaruingam (People's Rule) by the Assamese writer Birendra
Bhattacharyya, available in English translation. The novel, set in
Nagaland, deals with the question of identity in a fresh way
Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, is a pleasant hill station at a
height of 3,500 ft. from the sea level, about 100 kilometers from Guwahati.
With its pine covered hills, green lakes, and colorful tribals, Shillong is
one of India's largest hill stations. It can be reached from Guwahti, the
capital of the state of Assam, which is connected by air with Delhi,
Calcutta, and Bangkok, and by train. Travel time between Guwahati and
Shillong is roughly 3 hours by road. .Taxis are available at Guwahati
airport. In December the temperature in Shillong varies from 18 degress
celsius to 20 degree celsius. The participants are advised to bring warm
clothes with them. Guwahati is famous for Kamakshya temple. One can also
visit Cherrapunjee, the wettest place on Earth (97 kms), and Kaziranga
National Park (150 kms). Kaziranga is famous for the one-horned rhino.
There will be a one-day sightseeing tour for the conference participants on
December 15.
Local organizers will meet international participants at Guwahati airport on
December 14, and assist with local transportation. Those arriving by train
will also be received at the station. Complete itinerary should be sent to
the local organizer.
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CFP@english.upenn.edu
Full Information at
http://www.english.upenn.edu/CFP/
or write Erika Lin: elin@english.upenn.edu
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