CALL FOR PAPERS

=93LOCAL NATURES, GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITIES=93

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Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of the New =
Literatures of
English (ASNEL) /

Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft f=FCr die Neuen Englischsprachigen =
Literaturen
(GNEL)

Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena,

May 17-20, 2007

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In many New Literatures in English nature has long been an issue of
paramount importance: the environmental devastation brought about by
colonial regimes has often continued or even intensified in postcolonial
times, and global ecological hazards often have particularly disastrous
consequences for the most vulnerable parts of the world=92s population. =
At the
same time, far-reaching social and cultural transformations have also =
led to
changed perceptions and representations of nature in postcolonial =
cultures
and literatures.

Not long ago postmodern and deconstructionist sages announced the end of
nature: they envisioned post-human forms and ways of life =93after =
nature=94; or
they speculated about the end of history as culminating in postmodernism =
as
the =93expur=ADgation of nature=94, that is the surpassing of nature by =
art and
technology (Fredric Jameson). More recently, nature seems to have =
returned
with a vengeance, however. Disasters such as the devastating tsunami =
that
struck South Asia and East Africa and hurricane Katrina wreaking havoc =
in
the Caribbean and the southern USA have not only led to tens of =
thousands
deaths and destroyed whole areas of coastline. In addition, they have
profoundly affected our outlook on nature, making us painfully aware of
nature=92s global forces and simultaneously challenging us to face the
res=ADponsibilities arising in an increasingly globalized world.

It thus seems timely to place the topic of the environment at the centre =
of
literary and cultural studies. The 2007 ASNEL conference aims at
contributing to the global debate on nature and the environment by
highlighting how local natures are cultu=ADrally constructed and how =
insights
into different forms or concepts of nature in literary texts and other
(=93old=94 or =93new=94) media can contribute to a greater sense of =
global
responsibility. We therefore invite contributions examining the =
multifarious
implications of the connection of =93local natures and global
responsibilities=94 in post=ADcolonial cultures and the New Literatures =
in
English. The following list of issues is meant as a first hint at the
comprehensiveness of the conference=92s overall theme:

=B7 The new role of eco-criticism in the New Literatures in =
English; in
its most abstract form approaching literature as a =93living organism=94 =
or in
its more concrete manifestations establishing =93nature=94 as a new
interpreta=ADtive category

=B7 Various forms of eco-literature in the postcolonial world; =
ranging
from texts that present nature as their main topic and/or protagonist to
texts with a =93nature agenda=94 (eco-poetry, eco-films, etc); dystopias =
and
post-human environments

=B7 Nature as a cultural construct

=B7 Gendered natures, gendered responsibilities

=B7 The city vs. the country; urban vs. =93natural=94 =
environments as
culture-specific dichotomies

=B7 Representations of global catastrophes, of human agency and
responsibil=ADity, and of nature as an =93Other=94

=B7 Global media, global tourism and local natures

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You are most welcome to make additional suggestions for issues, =
approaches,
gen=ADres and thematic sections for the conference.

We invite contributions to a teacher=92s workshop that will consider =
classroom
implications of the topic.

If you are currently working on a project that focuses on any aspect of =
the
New literature in English, you will have the opportunity of presenting =
your
ideas either as a paper in the =93Under Construction=94-section or in a =
poster
forum. For details of these please refer to the conference website.

We will provide slots of 20 minutes for papers and 10 minutes for
discussions. The deadline for abstracts is 15 February 2007.

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Keynotes:

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Greg Garrard (Bath University): =93Reading as an Animal=94

Vernon Grass (Washington State University): =93Postmodernism Meets
Ecocriticism=94

Ursula Heise (Stanford University): =93The Environmental Imagination of =
the
Global=94

Hubert Zapf (Augsburg University): =93Ecocritical Perspectives on the =
New
English Literatures=94

 Writers:

Joan Clark (Newfoundland)

Drew Hayden Taylor (Canada)

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Contact address:

Prof. Dr. Laurenz Volkmann

Friedrich-Schiller-Universit=E4t Jena

Institut f=FCr Anglistik/Amerikanistik

Ernst-Abbe-Platz 8

D-07743 Jena

EMAIL: l.volk_at_uni-jena.de

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Conference website:

 <http://www.uni-jena.de/fsu/anglistik/gnel>
http://www.uni-jena.de/fsu/anglistik/gnel

__________________________________________________________________

Prof. Dr. Frank Schulze-Engler

Abteilung Neue Englischsprachige Literaturen und Kulturen (NELK)

Institut fuer England- und Amerikastudien

Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt am Main

Grueneburgplatz 1 * D-60629 Frankfurt a.M.

(Paketpost/Parcels: D-60323 Frankfurt a.M.)

Tel. (069) 798-32354, -32352 (Sekretariat), -32353 (Fax)

E-Mail: <mailto:schulze-engler_at_nelk.uni-frankfurt.de>
schulze-engler_at_nelk.uni-frankfurt.de

Website: www.uni-frankfurt.de/fb10/ieas/abt/nelk/nelk-infosite

__________________________________________________________

Gesellschaft fuer die Neuen Englischsprachigen Literaturen e.V. (GNEL) /

Association for the Study of the New Literatures in English (ASNEL):
www.gnel.de

GNEL Jahrestagung 2007 / ASNEL Annual Conference 2006: "Local Natures -
Global Responsibilities",
May 17-20, Jena, www.uni-jena.de/fsu/anglistik/gnel
Summer School on the New Literatures in English 2007 in Frankfurt:
www.arrivals-departures.de <http://www.arrivals-departures.de/> =20

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Received on Sat Jan 06 2007 - 17:59:47 EST