Conference date: 29th January, 2024

Department of English
Sri Venkateswara College
Delhi University

The discursive nature of history has been exposed through multiple theoretical lenses,
subjectivities, and socio-political positions that have expressed its polylogic dimensions. The
post-structuralist turn of humanities with the advent of fields such as trauma and memory studies
also brought to the fore the role and politics of remembering as a mode of narrating and
understanding claims to history. Understood both as an individual and collective-social practice,
history is dynamic and open to contestations. Understanding history is therefore an attempt to
understand ongoing negotiations with a past that continues to linger beyond its assumed temporal
limits. Often, this continues across generations especially when ideas of power and politics,
justice and healing get inexplicably intertwined with remembering. This inheritance of a past
calls forth a need to analyse the multigenerational character of individual and collective memory.
Drawing on Jan Assmann’s notion of cultural memory, and Marianne Hirsch’s concept of
postmemory, this conference seeks to stir discussions on the dynamic space and relationship
between history and remembering with a special focus on transmission of history, via memory,
through time and generations.

The conference will explore questions such as:
How is history a mode of remembering? How are collective identities meshed out of
experiencing the unfolding of history? How is memory mediated at individual and collective
levels? How is remembering a clinical and ethical enterprise? In what ways do testimonies and
literary texts navigate the politics of memory?

Themes:

● Transgenerational memory and history

● History and ‘counter’ history

● Modes and politics of remembering

● Literature and History

● Testimonial literature

● Trauma and memory

● Individual and collective trauma

● Remembering and forgetting

● Mass media

● Representation, language, and memory

● Material Memory

● Oral history

● History of emotions

Submission Guidelines:

We invite abstracts of maximum 250 words related to the theme along with a short bio note. All
papers must be original to the best of their knowledge and adhere to the MLA 9th edition. The
time limit for each presentation is 10 minutes. Any kind of plagiarism is not allowed.

Note: Due to monetary constraints, the organizers won’t be responsible for any expenses borne
by the participants. Participants would have to look after their own transportation and
accommodation.

Important Dates:

Submission of Abstracts: 30th November, 2023
Intimation of Accepted Abstracts: 5th December, 2023
Submission of Full Length Papers: 10th January, 2023
Intimation of Accepted Full Length Papers: 20th January, 2023
Paper presentation and Panel Discussion: 29th January, 2024

Submission form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOLQpyLrFvHyVYLTHPRpjYQ3PfvR_e...

Staff Advisors:

Prof. Rina Ramdev
Dr. Ritika Singh
Mr. Aman Nawaaz
Ms. N. Tejaswini
Mr. Nishant Prakash

Patron:

Prof. (Dr.) K. Chandramani Singh
Principal
Sri Venkateswara College

For further queries, contact:

englitassociation.svc@gmail.com

Aswathi Alappat (President)- aswathisalappat@gmail.com

Harsha (President)- harshasin641@gmail.com

Himangi Patnaik (General Secretary)- himangipatnaik04@gmail.com

Narjis Bint Islam (Joint Secretary)- narjis22bintislam@gmail.com