Archives have become a site of contestation because of their status as “an imperial project of domination and affirmation” (Ištok 2016). It is specifically the case in the English-speaking world. The revelation in 2011 of the hiding and culling by British colonial authorities of “incriminating documents from former colonies in the months before each one became politically independent” (Diptée 2024) is a case in point. In this deliberate and pernicious meddling with archives, now known as “Operation Legacy”, the “mother country” aimed to tone down — if not silence — colonial violence and display a more humanist facet that was supposed to undergird the liberation of British territories from colonial shackles (Cobain 2016).

Being good makes one a target. History rattles off instances of virtuous individuals cracked by circumstance and at the mercy of a world that seeks its own ends apart from a universal pattern anchored in the Divine. Should one register shock, then, at the violence directed at those whose faces reflect the goodness of God, for the world “hated me first” Christ reminds his disciples. No, we cannot feign surprise. Nor can we fail to act. When Mordecai implored Esther to approach the king on pain of death, he did so with the assurance that God would provide regardless of her choice, and yet, he asked her, “... who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such as time as this?” Yes, God will provide, and perhaps we are that provision.

The Belvedere Research Journal (BRJ), a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal, invites new submissions. We are interested in articles that shed light on the visual culture of the former Habsburg Empire and Central Europe broadly defined from the medieval period to the present. Contributions that position Austrian art practices within a wider international framework are particularly welcome. We value innovative art historical approaches, such as challenging established narratives or exploring transnational exchanges that highlight the interconnected and cross-cultural nature of the art world.

The origin myths of nations, regions, and cities provided an obvious appeal in the Middle Ages and Renaissance to those interested in the deep histories of the places where they lived and were born. While such stories were used to bolster local or national prestige, many origin myths also stretch across borders, inscribing deep connections between places: Britain claimed Trojan origins through Brutus’ foundation, but so too did the French, the Norse, and even the Dutch; and Noah’s offspring were believed to have been the originators of different peoples across Europe.

                        Call for Papers: "Womanism, Afrofuturism in the Paradigm Era"

Hosted by the Department of English, Howard University

The Department of English at Howard University invites scholars, researchers, and educators to submit abstracts for our forthcoming virtual conference on "Womanism, Afrofuturism in the Paradigm Shift Era." This second annual conference will explore contemporary approaches to the study of Womanism and Afrofuturism during this transformative period in American history.

Conference Themes:

We encourage submissions on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

1. Literary Works and Authors:

This call for papers seeks chapters on Medusa for a volume intended for the series, Villains and Creatures.

Each chapter of the volume is intended to be an overview of depictions of Medusa in specific kinds of media; nevertheless, the arguments/theses of each individual chapter should still be original, using past works and research to develop a current (new) perspective on Medusa.

The proposed sections and chapters follow.

Section I: Mythology and Literature

Mythology and Folklore: This section will review the main mythology and folklore associated with Medusa.

This collection seeks essays on dinosaurs in film, literature, and the arts. The Jurassic Park franchise solidified the presence of dinosaurs in the pop cultural imagination, but there have been other media and dinosaur portrayals that have captured the public's imagination. Topics can include, but are not limited to:

-Studies of specific films

-Studies of specific novels

-Studies of special effects renderings of dinosaurs

-Artwork with dinosaurs

Chapters will be due in April 2025. Chapters should be approximately 5,000 to 7,000 words, with Chicago-style endnotes and a bibliography page.

Resurgens Theatre Company, along with the Georgia State University Department of English, is pleased to announce our third biennial conference on early modern verse drama by Shakespeare’s contemporaries, “A Marlowe for All Seasons.” We’re calling for papers that examine some aspect of Christopher Marlowe’s plays in performance, from the Elizabethan era through the current day, but also welcome topics involving Marlovian influence on the development of Renaissance drama and/or early modern print culture. The conference will be held on its NEW DATE, September 13 and 14, 2024, at the historic Pythagoras Masonic Temple (108 E.

The intersection of literature and heritage provides a rich tapestry for a nuanced interdisciplinary exploration  of cultural narratives, historical contexts, and societal evolution. This symbiotic bond intertwines the text with the material and immaterial facets of the cultural identity. Literature engages in re/negotiating identity and re/imagining heritage in complying with the transformations of community over the ages owing to various factors. These narratives, having fictional or realistic bases, are the spaces that mirror the intricate collective memory of a community, regulating a dynamic reciprocity with the past and the present.

Abstract: 

What role do the genres autoethnography and/or memoir play in the revolution and evolution of Black women in the academy? How can they help instigate radical change and encourage sustainable practices for Black women who seek to thrive in higher education?

In a roundtable format, "Write Smack In the Middle: Black Women, Autoethnography, Memoir, and the Academy" will shift the conversation from studying others to reflecting on oneself. This interactive session aims to create an intentional space for Black women who serve in academia to reflect and center on their daily experiences in their own words. 

From the Indian boarding schools of North America to the English curriculum mandate of the British empire, formal education, and the various guises it assumed, was an important instrument for colonial powers to exert dominance over its colonized subjects. The afterlives of such an education continue today through dominant knowledge systems that benefit the few at the expense of the many. This panel seeks papers that aim to disentangle and liberate education from colonial control, so that education can be a vehicle for vital knowledge production and empowerment.

Please note that all papers are accepted on a first come/first served basis so to guarantee the slot you want (subject to the paper being accepted), we recommend applying as early as possible.

I’m opening up the call for the 2025 Romancing the Gothic talk series! Each month has a theme but please interpret it liberally. We want a range of papers from different countries and traditions.

We welcome people from all stages of their academic career and from outside academia.

You can find a list of topics by month. If you don’t know where you’d fit, reach out anyway!

SPECULATIVE DETECTIVES

The biannual journal Studies in the Fantastic invites proposals for an upcoming special issue investigating the popular yet puzzling pairing of detective and speculative genres, guest edited by Christiana Salah and Steven Mollmann.

The Southern Humanities Conference, 2025

Call for Papers

Conference Theme: Real, Artificial, and Superficial

Greenville, SC, January 30- February 2, 2025

The Southern Humanities Conference offers an opportunity for scholars, artists, writers, musicians, performers, and humanists of all kinds to share their knowledge, research, work, and experiences in an interdisciplinary, welcoming, and engaging intellectual space.