postcolonial

Deadline extension: Our first round netted some excellent submissions, but we are extending the deadline for proposals to January 18, 2016.

Keynote: The Weird & the Southern Imaginary will introduce the aesthetics and generic conventions of the Weird to cultural studies of the U.S. South and the region's local, hemispheric, and (inter)national connections. Contributions from literary critics, film and popular culture scholars, philosophers, and critical theorists will consider forms of the Weird in a range of texts (literature, art, film & television, comics, music) from, about, or resonant with conceptions of different South(s).

Identity is a complex, multi-faceted, often fragmented negotiation of social subjects and actors, yet it remains a central motif of human existence. While conscious creation of identity is more prevalent than ever, the emergence of mass social media also encourages the individual to create not only a self-identity, but an external presentation of that self, and alternate selves. On their Facebook timeline, blogs, Twitter, Instagram and more, individuals identify themselves, but also identify with relevant groups or trends by likes, hashtags, and pin it buttons. The "selfie" is the perfect materialization of this duality, as it produces an ephemeral identity struggling for greater recognition.

Call for papers – Variations 24 (2015)

Variations is the journal for comparative literary studies at the University of Zurich. It publishes contributions in three languages (German, French and English) and represents a forum for research that helps advance academic exchange in literary studies. Each issue gathers articles on a particular topic, followed by literary and artistic contributions, as well as reviews of recently published research in comparative literary studies.

Ursprünge/Origines/Origins

In the beginning was the Word …
John 1.1

Central to the Latin word translatio is the notion of 'carrying across' or crossing boundaries. Translation is fundamental to effective human communication, but translation requires more than just moving between two languages. When we translate, we cross many kinds of boundaries – political, linguistic, geographic, and gendered. Thus, whether literary, linguistic, media-based, or artistic, communicative acts require reliable interpreters in order to "carry across" their intended meanings. Yet, this "carrying across" can result in unintended loss and gain, even with the most skillful of interpreters. When a literary work, a piece of art, an idea, or a system moves across boundaries, what is left behind? What resists translation? What is added?

Call For Papers
CSU graduate students who present their papers at Significations share their research and engage in professional academic discussion of their work during the conference. All submissions will receive feedback from reviewers.