International Conference at Le Mans University, France

in association with The Philip Roth Society

and The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

April 7-8, 2027

Roth Unbound: Transcultural signposts from Goodbye Columbus to Nemesis 

Roots and Routes in Philip Roth’s Works

Although Philip Roth’s recurrent fictional setting is Newark, New Jersey, and his work is deeply rooted in the particularities of Jewish American life, his writing resonates powerfully across cultures, languages, and national borders. His exploration of universal themes, modern identity crises, formal innovation, and historical insight—along with his global readership and influence—have secured his place within world literature. While some comparative and diaspora-oriented studies have moved in this direction, a sustained application of transcultural theory to Roth’s work remains relatively limited.

Viewing Roth through a transcultural lens, as developed by transcultural theorists, such as Wolfgang Welsch, Mikhail Epstein, Arianna Dagnino, Ellen Berry, Afef Benessaieh, since the 1990s, can complement Jewish American and national readings by highlighting cultural interpenetration rather than fixed cultural boundaries. Moreover, reading Roth at the intersection of transculturalism and other critical approaches—such as film studies, disability studies, gender and sexuality studies, trauma and memory studies, postsecularism, aging studies, translation, and international reception—can help bring together international scholarship on the global circulation of Roth’s literary oeuvre.

We invite contributions that examine how Roth’s narratives move from ethnicity to transculture, from ethnic essentialism to cultural fluidity, thereby revealing and encouraging the interpenetration of cultures. Intersectional perspectives are particularly welcome, especially those that combine transcultural studies with other critical frameworks while emphasizing processes of cultural negotiation, transformation, and fluidity. The conference aims to reassess Roth’s transcultural dimension by exploring his legacy as a writer whose work continues to circulate, resonate, and transform across cultural contexts.

We accept proposals in English or in French for panels (3-4 speakers) or individual 20-min papers.

300-word abstracts, accompanied by a 100-word biographical note, should be sent as email attachments to philiprothconf@gmail.com

All articles receiving positive reviews will be encouraged to submit for consideration in Philip Roth Studies or/and in Ex-centric Narratives: Journal of Anglophone Literature, Culture and Media. The editors also hope to prepare a proposal for an edited volume for submission to Bloomsbury Academic.

Abstract submissions deadline: no later than 4 November, 2026

Conference venue: Le Mans University, France

Conference date: April 7-8, 2027

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS

Redouane Aboueddahab, Le Mans University

Aimee Pozorski, Connecticut Central State University

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Le Mans Université (Aristi Trendel/ François Thirion)

The Philip Roth Society (Andrew Connolly, Hostos Community College/ Aimee Pozorski Connecticut Central State University)

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Theodora Tsimpouki)

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Redouane Aboueddahab, Le Mans University, France

Claudia F. Brühwiler, University of St Gallen, Switzerland

Andrew Connolly, Hostos Community College, US

Elena Maragou, Deree-The American College of Greece

Pia Masiero, University of Venice, Italy

Aimee Pozorski, Connecticut Central State University, US

Tatiani Rapatzikou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Francois Thirion, Le Mans University, France

Aristi Trendel, Le Mans University, France

Theodora Tsimpouki, The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece