religion

Illusion is commonly defined as a false idea or belief, often the product of misperception or deception, intentional or otherwise. Its etymological basis in the Latin verb illudere reveals an element of mockery that is evidently lost in the modern connotation of illusion and yet remains, arguably, in that intriguing phase of disillusion that often follows it. How does one distinguish illusion from reality? How do our evolving perceptions of the world around us affect our understanding of self and the human condition? Is disillusion a necessary evil, or an essential part of this understanding as it leads to new possibilities for development and discovery?

Thomas Pynchon has codified himself in the Postmodern cannon as one of the most prolific and inspirational authors alive. His published literature includes works such as Gravity's Rainbow, The Crying of Lot 49, and Against the Day, among other novels and short stories. The extent of Pynchon's literature reflects cultures contextualized in the uniquely prophetic and veiled prose; a prose which, while in the postmodern genre, analogize the development of technology and society. Thomas Pynchon is an experimental author, at times using science as metaphors in his novels and short stories, worthy of analysis. As Pynchon continues to write, it is important for scholars to discuss his literature as it develops.

CALL FOR PAPERS DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 10, 2013.

The College English Association—Caribbean Chapter, a gathering of scholar-teachers in English, welcomes proposals for presentations (20-minute papers) for our 2013 annual conference which will be held at the University of Puerto Rico, in Arecibo on Friday, March 15 and Saturday March 16, 2013.

Although modern technologies largely benefit the individual and have changed the nature of social and political interactions, they have also served to make for a more dangerous world inasmuch as our lives are revealed for public consumption, and privacy becomes a disputed right. Many writers and artists have exposed the benefits and perils of technology.

The Kate Chopin International Society is seeking individual proposals for two sponsored panels at the 2013 American Literature Association conference in Boston, May 23-26, 2013.

The first panel, a roundtable on "Teaching Kate Chopin in Different Contexts," seeks short (seven-to eight-minute) papers/remarks that address either teaching Chopin juxtaposed with works/genres or in courses she isn't always associated with or in educational settings such as continuing education programs, prisons, women's shelters, literacy programs, etc. Proposals should include a title, your name and affiliation, and a paragraph about your proposed remarks.

Southern Spaces invites essays, photo essays, video productions, and digital projects which explore the relationships between social justice and real and imagined spaces and places of the U.S. South and their global connections.

(http://southernspaces.org/call-submissions-spatial-justice)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison's ninth annual Graduate Conference on Language and Literature (MadLit) will be held February 28–March 1, 2013. This year's conference, "Between Surface and Depth," investigates how humanistic disciplines articulate notions of superficiality and depth in their scholarly practices. Building from the debates surrounding Stephen Best and Sharon Marcus's "Surface Reading: An Introduction" (Representations 108.1 (Fall 2009): 1–21), this conference will explore the implications of using spatial models to conceptualize the location of meaning in language, literature, and discourse.

The Boston College English Graduate Conference seeks abstracts for papers that consider the intersection between health, mental health, and literature.

Considering recent interdisciplinary developments in the field of Medical Humanities, we are interested in exploring the ways in which literature and other creative arts have attempted to represent or otherwise understand health, which is so often analyzed from a clinical or scientific perspective. We seek papers that work to synthesize medical and/or clinical approaches and literary approaches to the mind and body. What can be gained by merging multiple perspectives?

We seek essays for an edited collection on the topics of family, tolerance, and trauma management in Kurt Vonnegut's oeuvre. Vonnegut has exhibited an anomalous and ambiguous attitude towards family and familial relationships throughout his life, which is apparent in his public addresses just as much as in his writing. The different aspects and appearances of the notion of tolerance are likewise core topics in his works, as is the exploration of diverse theories of handling trauma experienced previously. This collection aims to assemble essays that explore the possible readings of, approaches to, and practices of trauma management in Vonnegut's works, as well as how such trauma management is related to family and tolerance.

CFP: HUMANITIES IN THE 21st CENTURY
Saturday 24th-Sunday 25th March 2013
Harris Manchester College, Oxford

CALL FOR PROPOSALS AND PARTICIPANTS

CALL FOR PAPERS:

LSU Graduate Student Philosophy Conference 2013
March 8 & 9, Louisiana State University

Submission deadline: January 20.
Notification of decisions will be sent by February 1.

We welcome submissions from students of all disciplines, and are accepting papers in all fields of Philosophy.

A prize of $200 will go to the best graduate submission.

Presenters will have 30 minutes, followed by brief commentary from an LSU graduate student, who will also moderate Q&A.

The society for the study of Existential and Phenomenological Theory and Culture / Théorie et culture existentialistes et phénoménologiques (EPTC/TCEP) invites papers discussing any aspects of existential or phenomenological theory or culture. For example, papers dealing with theoretical or cultural issues in relation to authors such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Beckett, Husserl, Heidegger, Jaspers, Levinas, Malraux, Marcel, Buber, Frankl, Sartre, Camus, Merleau-Ponty, Beauvoir, Irigaray, or Laing are all welcome. Submissions from all disciplines are welcome.

We are announcing today our fully-functioning website with convenient online registration and online payment. Please join us in Huntsville, Texas, on the beautiful Sam Houston State University campus as we celebrate "all things medieval and renaissance." Our keynote speaker is Professor Richard North, Old English specialist from University of London. Other speakers represent eight different disciplines and are coming not only from all over the United States but also from Europe.

The conference will be held April 4-6, 2013. To view the website, click here:
http://www.shsu.edu/~hss001/medieval-conference/

Sacred Sites, Secular Spaces: Scenes, Sounds, and Signs in Humanistic, Artistic, and Technological Culture

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, ALFA UNIVERSITY, BELGRADE
SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND RELIGION
MAY 24 and 25, 2013