The early twenty-first century is a complicated time for regional literatures, particularly the literature of a relatively small region like Atlantic Canada. Globalization, interest in diasporic studies, and an increasingly post-national sensibility are pushing the reconceptualization of national literatures, with considerable implications for regional literatures. Furthermore, it is a time when Atlantic Canada is undergoing considerable cultural change and its future is very much in flux, with the prospect of economic crisis on the one hand and the possibility of a resource-based economic resurgence on the other. Additionally, the very concept of Atlantic Canada continues to be contested, particularly because of differences between the Maritime Provinces and Newfoundland.

Within this overarching milieu, Acadia University will be hosting a conference on Atlantic-Canadian literature as part of its Thomas Raddall Symposium series. Conference events will include readings by Newfoundland fiction writer Lisa Moore and New Brunswick poet Herménégilde Chiasson. The organizers are particularly interested in papers (in French or English) that situate the literature of the four Atlantic Provinces in social, economic, and political context. Areas of inquiry might include the following (but we welcome proposals for papers and panels from all critical and theoretical perspectives and on any topics related to Atlantic-Canadian literature, including Acadian literature):
--Is a catchment like "Atlantic-Canadian literature" still a useful frame?
--What is the relationship between the socio-economic realities of Atlantic Canada and their representation in literature?
--How can the literatures of the region be mobilized for greater political effect?
--Does thinking of literature in a regional context (i.e., "Atlantic") limit creative expression, or do changes in Canadian federalism make it an opportune time to retrench regional identities?
--How does the current literary production in the region compare with that of past eras?

500-word proposals should be accompanied by a separate cover page containing a 50-word abstract, full contact information, and a short biographical note. Proposals for panels should contain a title for the panel, the name of the contact person for the panel, and the individual proposals complete with cover pages. Proposals should be submitted electronically by Nov. 1, 2012. Please direct proposals and any questions to:

Dr. Herb Wyile, Department of English and Theatre, Acadia University,
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 2R6
E-mail: herb.wyile@acadiau.ca Tel: 902-585-1255 Fax: 902-585-1070