The American Comparative Literature Association's 2014 Annual Meeting will take place at New York University in New York City March 20-23, 2014.

A Mystery To Be Inspected: Center or Periphery in the Noir Novels of Northern Europe?
Seminar Organizer:
• Edward Aiken (Syracuse University)
The noir novels of Northern Europe are populated by such characters as Martin Beck, Harry Hole, Irene Huss, Carl Mørck, John Rebus, Lisbeth Salander, Erlendur Sveinsson, Van Veeteren, and Kurt Wallander. Their stories, whether on the page or the screen, have created rich fields for exploring the conference theme of the relationship between the center and the periphery. This seminar will explore the obvious and subtle ways in which these stories describe, challenge, explore, curse, contemplate, bemoan, celebrate, mourn, morph, accept or reject ideas of center and periphery. Papers are welcome that consider these issues from a variety of perspectives including, but not limited to such binaries as national – international, urban – rural, citizen – stranger, older – younger, high – sober, honest – corrupt, female – male, divorced – married, and private self – public self.
SEMINAR KEYWORDS: Noir, Northern Europe, Novel, Beck, Hole, Huss, Mørck, Rebus, Salander, Sveinsson, Veeteren, Wallander

If you are interested in submitting a paper proposal for the seminar, please visit http://acla.org/acla2014/propose-a-paper/ and click on the "Submit a Paper Proposal" link.

The ACLA asks that ALL submissions be directed through the ACLA's paper portal site. Do not send proposals directly to me. Presentations should be delivered in English. Deadline for Paper Proposals: Extended to November 15, 2013.