The English Department at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in  Sousse (TUNISIA)

The Research Laboratory Ecole et Littératures “The School and Literatures Laboratory”

Laboratory of Approaches to Discourse (LAD)

organise an international conference on

Pain and PleasureDate: April 25- 26, 2024Conference Venue: Conference Room 

“I want to know whether any one of us would consent to live, having wisdom and mind and knowledge and memory of all things, but having no sense of pleasure or pain, either more or less, and wholly unaffected by these and the like feelings?” Plato, Philebus

Traditionally, pain and pleasure have been studied separately and divided into physical and mental types, thus widening the gulf and obscuring the intersection zone between the two precepts. Modern studies and research, however, have stressed the intricate and close relationship between the pleasurable and the painful. Paradoxically, the experience of pain can generate pleasure, and suffering can bring about liberation and ecstasy, thus paving the path for the birth of copious contemporary studies that overcome this chasm in human sensations.

From classicism to postmodernism, the universal human experiences of pain and pleasure are investigated in literature, science, history, linguistic and cultural studies as two separate or indistinguishable concepts. In this context, the steering committee welcomes individual and panel proposals to investigate alternative reflections on the themes of pain and pleasure.

The conference explores the multifaceted nature of pain and pleasure across various literary, cultural, and linguistic contexts. It provides a platform for examining how pain and pleasure are represented, experienced, and communicated and for exploring their social, psychological, and linguistic implications. We encourage submissions that critically engage with the following themes:  

Pain and Pleasure in Literature

• Representations of pleasure and pain in literary texts: how pleasure and pain are depicted in literary works, from ancient epics to contemporary novels.
• The role of emotions in literary texts: how pleasure and pain can evoke a range of emotional responses in readers.
• The relationship between trauma, suffering, and catharsis in literary narratives: how literature can explore and process difficult experiences.
• The relationship between pleasure, pain, and literary genres: how different genres (e.g., tragedy, comedy, romance) represent and explore these concepts differently.

Pain and Pleasure in Cultural Studies

• Cultural constructions of pleasure and pain: how pleasure and pain are understood and experienced in different cultures.
• The role of pleasure and pain in popular culture, media, and entertainment: how these concepts shape and reflect cultural values.
• The embodiment and sensory experiences of pleasure and pain: how our bodies and senses shape these experiences.
• Power dynamics and the politics of pleasure and pain: How these concepts are used to reinforce or challenge social hierarchies

Pain and Pleasure in Linguistics

• Language, discourse, and the expression of pleasure and pain: how pleasure and pain are expressed in language, both verbally and nonverbally.
• Metaphorical and metonymic representations of pleasure and pain: how these concepts are used to make meaning in language.
• Linguistic analysis of pleasure and pain in specific contexts (e.g., medical, legal, or educational): how these concepts are used to communicate in different contexts.
• Cross-cultural perspectives on the linguistic encoding of pleasure and pain: how these concepts are expressed differently in different languages.

Abstract Submission

The Conference Steering Committee is delighted to invite contributors to submit abstracts of no more than 250 words and a short bio-note to the following email address:

painandpleasureconference@gmail.com

The deadline for submission of proposals is 25 February 2024.

Notification of acceptance/rejection will be communicated by 15 March 2024.

Contributors will have the possibility to have their articles published in Conference proceedings.

The organising committee: The English Department at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Sousse in partnership with the Laboratory of Approaches to Discourse (LAD) and the research laboratory Ecole et Littératures “The School and Literatures Laboratory”.

The scientific committee

Prof. Mohamed Salah Harzallah (Sousse University)
Prof. Nizar Ben Saad (Sousse University)
Prof. Ibtissem Bouslama (Sousse University)
Prof. Mustapha Trabelsi (Sfax University)
Prof. Salwa Béji (Sousse University)
Prof. Mohamed Chagraoui (Tunis El Manar University)
Prof. Rached Khelifa (La Manouba University)
Prof. Lobna Ben Salem (La Manouba University)
Prof. Hajer Ben Driss (Tunis El Manar University)
Prof. Mounir Triki (Sfax University)
Prof. Mounir Guirat (Sfax University)
Prof. Aakila Sellami (Sfax University)
Prof. Faiza Derbel (La Manouba University)
Prof. Henda Ammar Guirat (Sfax University)
Prof. Salwa Karoui (Tunis El Manar University)
Prof. Wajih Ayed (Sousse University)
Prof. Wassim Daghrir (Sousse University)
Dr. Abdelatif Ben Halima (Sousse University)
Dr. Radhia Flah Gaïech (Sousse University)
Dr. Khaled Rjiba (Sousse University)
Dr. Ines Laatiri (Sousse University)
Dr. Wiem Krifa (Sousse University)
Dr. Mourad Romdhani (Sousse University)
Dr. Zied Ben Amor (Sousse University)
Dr. Thouraya Ben salah (University of Sousse)
Dr. Wissem Knaz (Université of Sousse)