Comhfhios Boston College

February 17, 2024

Connolly House, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA

The Irish Studies Graduate Students of Boston College, in conjunction with the Irish Studies Program, are pleased to host the seventh annual Comhfhios Boston College conference. Comhfhios (pronounced “co-is”) meaning “knowledge together,” or “open to all knowledge,” invites emerging scholars in all Irish Studies fields to gather in Boston. 

This year’s theme is “Eire’s Ireland: Shifting Visions of Performance and Positionality in Ireland.” Inspired by the global success of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Comhfhios 2024 welcomes presentations that investigate historical or literary constructions of performance and positionality in Ireland and the diasporas. We particularly encourage papers that approach these topics through specific temporal frames. How do we think critically about the evolution of performance and positionality in Ireland in its various contexts? How do we deconstruct existing and “stable” categories of identity and identification? 

Papers need not be limited by era nor location, and can pertain to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the global Irish diaspora from the medieval period to the present. Papers that expand the chronological, geographical, and disciplinary boundaries of Irish Studies beyond its current traditional core strengths in literature and history will be gladly received.

Presentations within the theme of “Eires Ireland” can include, but are by no means limited to, the intersections of performance and positionality with topics such as:

• Intersectional feminism

• Gender and sexuality

• Race and racism

• Temporality

• Embodiment and/or materiality

• Performance of gender beyond the binary

• Global migrations and diasporas 

• Politics and activism

• Class and labor

• Health and disability

• Religious institutions and practices

All proposals should be between 200 and 300 words, and paper presentations will be 15-20 minutes long. Roundtable proposals are also welcome, and a single abstract for the group should be submitted via the registration form. Please submit proposals via the Abstract Submission Form by December 15, 2023. Contact ComhfhiosBC@gmail.com with any questions you may have. We look forward to reading your proposals.