What do we want? A better world? A cleaner world? At this point, many of us might merely settle for a world that isn’t barrelling towards inevitable environmental destruction.  So, what do we want? Climate Action! What does climate action look like in the academy? It looks like the expansion of digital resources and the cultivation of better disposal and recycling habits on university campuses. It also looks like the cultivation of eco-critical theory and research. Earth is our home. It is the only habitable planet for us. Unfortunately, while it shows evidence of the brilliance of humanity, the state of the Earth also represents our greed and short-sightedness. We invite presenters to reflect upon the value and importance of the natural environment to discuss how it figures in their fields of study, and to think about representations of climate crises in various cultural and historical moments.  

This year’s Incognitus theme is ecocriticism and environmental studies. We welcome papers from various fields and disciplines that will prompt reflection on topics including, but not limited to: 

·      environmental anxieties

·      modern social and environmental justice movements

·      social media and the role it plays in shaping our cultural consciousness 

·      dystopian narratives (particularly those related to environmental crises) 

·      environmental justice and the academy

·      the role the humanities play in the scientific study of climate change

·      discussions of landmark environmental non-fiction (Silent Spring etc.)

·      nature and its depiction in fantasy, sci-fi, and other fiction  

Please submit proposals of 150-250 words to gessmun25@gmail.com by Dec. 20, 2019.

We invite abstracts from graduate students in all fields. The conference is scheduled for Feb. 8-9, 2020.

Accepted participants will be notified in early January by members of Memorial University of Newfoundland's Graduate English Student Society (GESS).