Two-Day

International Seminar

on

Literature as Discourse

 

5th & 6th October 2023

 

Organized by

 

 

Research and Cultural Forum (RCF)

Department of English

Pondicherry University

Puducherry-605014

 

Host Department:

The Department of English at Pondicherry University has always been an important educational destination for scholars and students, ever since it commenced functioning in 1986. Over the years, the Department has produced innumerable PhD and M. Phil scholars, in addition to a large number of post graduate students. The faculty of the Department with their different specializations and academic interests are at the forefront of innovative teaching and advanced research varying from contemporary literary, cultural and language studies to theoretical explorations. The Department also runs the Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Communication in English, an add-on program in much demand among students and employees.

Furthermore, the Department has also sought to enhance the language and communication skills of students from across the University through the Functional

English and other communication-oriented courses. Another hallmark of the Department is the Research and Cultural Forum (RCF) which acts as an avenue for scholars and students to showcase their research work as well as creative abilities. The Department has also been at the forefront of organizing seminars, workshops and faculty development programs.

 

 

 

About Research and Cultural Forum (RCF):

 

Conceived thirty-five years ago as Research and Journal Alert Forum (RJAF) at the Department of English, Pondicherry University, RCF is a platform for scholars and students of the department to discuss their research findings in various areas related to literature and culture and also present their creative talents. Run exclusively by the Research Scholars of the department, under the guidance of the faculty members and the support of MA students; the forum hosts invited talks, workshops and interactive sessions by experts of national and international repute in the emerging areas of English Studies. The forum was recently renamed Research and Cultural Forum to integrate the department's Research and Cultural outputs. Now, it proudly undertakes the mission of bringing together and highlighting emerging discourses in literary studies through this two-day International Seminar.

 

About the Seminar:

 

A Two-Day International Seminar has been planned by the Department of English on the 5th & 6th of October 2023, with the focus area “Literature as Discourse”.

 

Theme:

 

“To treat literature as discourse is to see the text as mediating relationships between language-users: not only relationships of speech, but also of consciousness, ideology, role, and class. The text ceases to be an object and becomes an action or process”

(K.M Newton)

 

Literature has long acted as a vehicle of human endeavour attempting to comprehend and express a wide gamut of experiences. These efforts have, in turn, enriched the social, cultural, political, and environmental fabric and acted as catalysts, giving birth to innovative ideas and affecting positive change. As human experience traverses new and oftentimes challenging terrain, literature becomes a companion in all the struggles. The aim of the seminar is to help encourage discussions around the intersections of multi-disciplinary understandings of literature and other areas of inquiry. Building on the existing body of work, the seminar aims at understanding the continuous interface between literature and multifarious fields of human experience. This engagement would, in turn, bring about a comprehensive understanding of how literature can cross silos of disciplines and act as a discourse, thus not limiting itself to mere conventional frameworks of ideas and practices.

 

Thrust Areas:

▪        Children's Literature

▪        Dalit Studies

▪        Disability Studies

▪        Environmental Studies

▪        Indigenous Studies

▪        LGBTQIA+ Studies

▪        Language and Linguistics

▪        Migration Studies

▪        Postcolonial Studies

▪        Translation Studies

▪        Young Adult Literature

▪        Any other relevant areas

 

 

Registration Fee (For Paper Presenters)

 

Faculty Members:      Rs. 2000

Research Scholars:     Rs. 1000

Students:                     Rs. 500

Co-authors should pay individually.

UG students are not allowed.

 

Registration Fee (For Participants)

Faculty Members:      Rs. 1000

Research Scholars & Students: Rs. 500

 

Mode of Payment and account details will be shared after the acceptance of abstracts

 

Abstracts:

 

Abstracts can be uploaded through the Google form link

below on or before 1st September 2023.

 

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/dhQEYYKLHxVNxGCw7

 

Your queries can be addressed to rcfseminar23@gmail.com

 

 

Important Dates:

 

Last date for sending abstracts: 1st September 2023

Confirmation of acceptance will be communicated by:  4th September 2023

Complete papers are to be sent by 30th September, 2023 

 

 

Travel and Accommodation:

 

We hope that you will be able to take care of your travel and accommodation. However, accommodation will be arranged for outstation paper presenters if intimated in advance.

 

Working lunch and local hospitality will be provided.

 

 

Chief Patron:

 

Prof. Gurmeet Singh, Hon. Vice-Chancellor, Pondicherry University

 

Patrons:

 

Prof. K.Tharanikkarasu, Director (i/c), SEI & RR

Prof. Rajeev Jain, OSD, Culture & Cultural Relations

Prof. Rajneesh Bhutani, Registrar (i/c)

Prof. D.Lazar, Finance Officer (i/c)

 

 

 

Chairperson: Prof. Clement S Lourdes, Dean, School of Humanities

 

Convener: Prof T Marx, Prof & Head, Department of English.

 

Faculty Coordinators: Dr. Aiswarya S. Babu and Dr. Harpreet Kaur Vohra

 

Coordinators: Haritha V, Geethu T. Mohan, Benedict Paul. A

 

 

Members:     

                        Prof. H. Kalpana

                        Prof. Binu Zachariah

                        Prof. K. Reshmi

                        Prof. Lakhimai Mili

                        Dr. Vidya Sarveswaran

                        Dr. S. Visaka Devi

 

 

Address for Communication:

 

Haritha V

Geethu T. Mohan

Benedict Paul. A                  

Research Scholars                                                     

Department of English                                              

Pondicherry University                                             

Puducherry-605014                                                   

9495204911, 9400299067, 9677502953                                                                   

harithavijay95@gmail.com, geethutymohan@gmail.com, benedictbenny@pondiuni.ac.in