CFP: South Asian Literature in English: Partition and Its Discontents (7/15/03; CNYCLL, 10/26/03-10/28/03)

CALL FOR PAPERS:

The 13th Annual Central New York Conference on Language and Literature (CNYCLL),
Oct. 26 - 28, 2003. SUNY College at Cortland, Cortland, New York.
SESSION: South Asian Literature in English: Partition and Its Discontents

Request abstracts for twenty-minute presentations on South Asian literature in
English dealing expressly with partition—that is, English language fiction, films,
poetry, or plays by South Asians (resident or non-resident) focused on the
historical moments during which the subcontinent has been partitioned. “Partition”
is meant to be broadly interpreted, including not only the 1947 defining moment, but
also the 1971 conflict in Bengal and subsequent establishment of Bangladesh, and
other partition “skirmishes,” such as the dispute over Kashmir since 1947.

Request papers on any issue or theme relevant to a work of English literature (see
genre list above) written by a South Asian author or filmmaker dealing in an obvious
way with partition.

Topics might include, but are not limited to:

° Through literature, examine the tangled web of women’s issues involved in
partition (how is the cultivation of consciousness around women’s issues forestalled
under conditions of partition and de-colonization; women’s agency vs. female
victimization in the context of de-colonization and partition; women’s literature as
a site of resistance to both colonialism and patriarchy).
° Postcolonial inquiries into the question of who partitioned India through literary
analysis (the colonial legacy of “divide and rule” and its relationships to the
outcome of the independence movement—“divided and self-ruled”; the effects of
colonialism on Hindu-Muslim relations, the “division” [or “partition”] of
communities specifically considered as an effect of colonialism).
° Imaginative interpretations of the notion of partition, as observed through
literature, within specific ideologies and their modalities—like religion, the body,
the home, self-identity (how is partition inscribed on/in the body? how has
partition re-cast notions of religious devotion in the context of South Asia? how
does partition re-define identity differently for South Asians depending upon
religious affiliation—eg., for Sikhs, Parsees, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, etc?
what does home mean in a partitioned place, or in one like Kashmir where the threat
of (re)partition—reunification vs. independence—looms incessantly?)
° Literary analysis of dalit and other caste/class concerns inherent in partition
and its after effects (eg., how are untouchables also invisible in the context of
partition? what are the general effects of partition on caste relations and
realities?)

3 to 4 page (750 – 1000 word) abstracts by 7/15/03 to:

E-mail: Maureen Fadem, saintjoan720_at_yahoo.com (please feel free to make inquiries at
this address)

--or—

Snail mail your abstract to:
Attention Maureen Fadem
Hunter College, English Dept.,
695 Park Avenue,
New York, NY 10021.

The CNYCLL conference attracts scholars the world over—for further info visit (after
3/31): http://www.cortland.edu/english/

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Received on Tue Mar 11 2003 - 17:13:46 EST