Literature of Contagion: The Representation of Epidemics in the Contemporary World

Special Session: SAMLA Conference (November 9-11, 2023 in Atlanta, GA)

Our experience with the Covid-19 virus over the past three years has taught us painful lessons about the insecurity that contagion manifests in a society. This panel welcomes papers that explore literary representations of contagions from recent history  (Ebola; SARS, HIV/AIDS, Covid, and the Opioid epidemic, etc.) to consider how imaginative works assist us in understanding the complex effects and ramifications of these global crises. How do narrative and human stories speak back to scientific or political readings of these events? How does literature represent the causes of contagions and the means for overcoming them? Papers can address literary representations of a specific epidemic or read across different contagions.

By July 15th, please submit an abstract of 250 words, along with the presenter’s academic affiliation, contact information, and A/V requirements, to Renée Schatteman, Georgia State University, at schatteman@gsu.edu.