CFP: Dialog Across Cultures: Bridging Differences in American Literature (India) (8/1/05; 1/5/06-1/7/06)

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
(HYDERABAD, India, JANUARY 5-7, 2006)

MELUS-INDIA (The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of =
the United States - India Chapter) invites you to its Seventh =
International Conference.=20
Dates: January 5-6, 2006=20
Venue: Inter University Center for International Studies (formerly =
ASRC), Hyderabad.=20
THEME: "DIALOG ACROSS CULTURES: BRIDGING DIFFERENCES IN AMERICAN =
LITERATURE"=20

MELOW (The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the =
World) Invites you to its First International Conference which will =
dove-tail into the MELUS-India 2006 Conference.=20
Date: January 6-7, 2006 Venue: Inter University Center for International =
Studies (formerly ASRC), Hyderabad.=20
THEME: "DIALOG ACROSS CULTURES: INDIA AND THE WORLD"=20

Description:
The context for a dialog is any situation where one is exposed to a new =
experience or a fresh idea. The context, therefore, may be as varied as =
lectures, seminars, laboratories, theaters, museums, concert halls, =
pizza parlors, internet chat rooms, mailing lists and coffee houses, =
debates and discussions, or, more simply, times of quiet reflection in =
the library or even while taking a stroll. In short, there is a vast =
array of circumstances where we can encounter a new idea, whether =
between groups, or through one-to-one interactions between individuals, =
or the more solitary confrontation of the individual alone with himself. =
These encounters can result in the emergence of new worlds of =
understanding.=20

Dialog may be in the form of reading a book, discovering the beauty of a =
work of art, listening carefully to a musical masterpiece, developing a =
new idea, or designing a new experiment. In all these cases, dialog may =
take you to places unexplored hitherto. Boundaries and prevalent notions =
may be challenged or approached with a newer perspective, inaugurating =
and invigorating the existing canon. Sometimes silent communication also =
takes place, formless and voiceless, where articulation takes place =
through gestures and delicately nuanced body language. Or through =
alternate languages and mediums of expression.=20

The MELUS 2006 Conference (Jan 5-6, 2006) will explore these and related =
issues, taking up diverse genres - not literature alone but also cinema, =
theatre, media, and popular culture. 250-word abstracts of papers =
related to the theme in these areas are invited from members of =
MELUS-India. The focus will be American Literature but interdisciplinary =
perspectives are encouraged.=20

The MELOW 2006 Conference (Jan 6-7, 2006) will explore the same issues, =
focusing on India and her relationship to the world. How does the world =
see us, our writers and our literary traditions? How does our popular =
culture, our films, our folk traditions compare with those of other =
cultures? Where do we stand vis-=E0-vis our foreign counterparts? =
250-word abstracts of papers related to these areas are invited. The =
focus will be Indian Writing in English (including translations into =
English) taking a comparatist perspective, elaborating on the theme of =
the Conference, i.e., "Dialog Across Cultures". (However, please note, =
this conference will not include topics related to Diasporic Writing =
from India as we have already exhausted the topic at an earlier =
conference.)=20

For both the conferences, we are looking for papers that fall under the =
following heads:=20
-- Theories that deal with Dialog between Disparate Groups=20
-- Dialog Across Barriers: Race and / or Ethnicity=20
-- The Gendered Voice=20
-- Trans-cultural Dialog in Films, media or popular culture=20
-- Relationships between texts or genres=20
-- Power games in the creation, reception and dissemination of texts=20
-- Literary concerns and strategies that cut across boundaries=20
-- Texts that straddle multi-cultural spaces=20

Delegates should state clearly whether their abstracts are for =
MELUS-India (related to American Literature) or to MELOW (related to =
Indian literatures from a comparative perspective).=20

Deadline for all abstracts is Monday, August 1, 2005. However, send in =
your abstracts early. Email them to mjaidka_at_sify.com not as attachment =
but as part of the text message. Abstracts received after the deadline =
may not be considered.=20

Acceptance letters to selected participants, along with further details =
of the conference, will be mailed latest by the 30th of September, 2005. =
Selected participants will be asked to send in their papers and Delegate =
fee.=20

The deadline for full papers and Delegate Fee will be 30th November, =
2005.=20

For any queries contact:=20
Manju Jaidka (Secretary, MELUS-India, MELOW)=20
Professor and Chairperson=20
Dept of English=20
Panjab University=20
Chandigarh - 160014=20
Tel (H) - 0172-2736899=20
mjaidka_at_sify.com=20

Or

Prof. Anil Raina=20
Dept of English=20
Panjab University=20
Chandigarh - 160014=20
Tel (H) - 0172-2584484=20
anilraina_at_glide.net.in=20

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Received on Sun Jul 03 2005 - 13:14:43 EDT