Call for Papers

2025 Multi-ConTEXT International Graduate Conference:

“Comparison and Convergence in English Studies”

•   Dates & Venue: October 17–18, 2025 (Friday–Saturday). This is an in-person conference to be held at Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea

•   Organizer: Department of English Language and Literature, College of Humanities

•   Registration: No registration fee is required. All participants will be provided with two lunches (one on each day) and light refreshments during the conference.

•   Keynote Speakers: Eckart Voigts (TU Braunschweig, Germany)
                                   Mark Thornton Burnett (Queen’s University, Belfast, UK)

In an age marked by disciplinary crossovers and rapid technological change, the study of English is no longer confined to isolated texts or fixed methodologies. The 2025 Multi-ConTEXT International Graduate Conference at Chungbuk National University (CBNU), hosted by the English Language and Literature Department’s BK21 Multi-ConTEXT Team, invites participants to examine how comparison and convergence function across diverse modes of inquiry within English studies. By foregrounding multi-contextual thinking—that is, approaches that view language, literature, media, and culture as interdependent and mutually shaping—we seek to create a space for reimagining the boundaries of our field. How do different spatial, linguistic, or technological frames alter the meaning and reception of a text? What happens when literary analysis, linguistic inquiry, and cultural critique converge? Through this thematic lens, the conference aims to cultivate generative dialogues among graduate researchers who are working across diverse forms, genres, theories, and media. We encourage critical reflections that explore the productive tensions and possibilities that arise from contextual complexity.

Conference Sessions and Suggested Topics:

The conference is organized into three thematic sessions (affiliated with our BK21 research labs). Suggested topics include but are not limited to the following subthemes under each session:

1) ‘Culture and Communication’ (CC) sessions

- Language structure analysis – studies on sentence structure and formation across various languages

- Patterns of language use and communication – discourse analysis and sociolinguistic patterns

- Cross-linguistic comparison – comparative studies of languages or dialects

- Translation – theory and practice of translation, intercultural communication

2) ‘Nature and Civilization’ (NC) sessions

- Literature and science – intersections of literary works with scientific thought or discovery

- Environmental humanities – ecological criticism, literature of nature and environment

- Medical humanities – representations of medicine, illness, and the body in literature

- Posthumanism – explorations of the posthuman, cyborgs, and beyond human-centric narratives

3) ‘Media and Text’ (MT) sessions

- Adaptation and appropriation in visual/performance media – film, theatre, or TV adaptations of texts; intermedial transformations

- Digital humanities – computational approaches to literature, digital literary archives, and analysis

- Multimedia humanities – studies of text in multimedia, transmedia storytelling, video games, etc.

- Artificial intelligence – AI in literature and art, or the use of AI in literary analysis

[Note] This is not an exhaustive list. We encourage any proposal that engages with the conference theme of multi-contextual comparison and convergence in English studies.

Submission Guidelines and Deadlines:

Abstract Submission Deadline: July 15, 2025. We invite a 250-word abstract (in English), along with a bio (100 words) including your affiliation and contact information. Please indicate which thematic session (CC, NR, or MT) your paper belongs to. Submission via this link: https://forms.gle/gbztHnDVXcix2oMs9

Notification of Acceptance: Decisions will be communicated by July 31, 2025. Authors of accepted proposals will receive an official invitation and further instructions for preparing their presentations.

We look forward to your contributions to the 2025 Multi-ConTEXT International Graduate Conference. This international conference offers graduate students and early-career researchers from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds a chance to exchange ideas and build global research networks through the comparative and convergent study of English Language and Literature. This year, five outstanding presentations will be recognized with awards of approximately USD 100. Join us in Cheongju this October to explore how multiple contexts can open new horizons in English studies!

Travel and Accommodation Information:

•   Travel: Cheongju is approximately 1 hour from Seoul by train (via KTX high-speed rail) and about 2 hours from Incheon International Airport (via KTX through Osong Station). From Osong Station, Chungbuk National University is about a 20 to 30-minute taxi or bus ride (roughly 13 km). Detailed directions to the campus and local transit options will be provided for accepted participants.
  Cheongju: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/whereToGo/locIntrdn/locIntrdnList.do?menuSn=216
  CBNU website: https://www.cbnu.ac.kr/english/index.do
• Accommodation: We will supply a list of recommended hotels/guesthouses near the university in Cheongju, as well as information on transportation within the city. A discounted price will be offered to conference attendees at the Gloucester Hotel Cheongju. More details will follow.