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(Abstract due September 30th 2013) Postcolonialism and Eco-Criticism (NeMLA Apr. 2014)
full name / name of organization:
Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
This panel seeks to examine the multiple aspects that link Postcolonial Studies with environmental concerns. The basic purpose is to investigate how larger environmental trends like climate change, the thawing cryosphere, toxic drift, deforestation, the radioactive aftermath of wars have informed the discourses of Postcolonial studies and how such factors have influenced the understanding of issues of identity, ethnicity, gender, politics and history. This past year, the first two anthologies to bring postcolonial and environmental studies into the conversation have appeared: Elizabeth DeLoughrey and George B. Handley’s Postcolonial Ecologies and Alex Hunt and Bonnie Roos’ Postcolonial Green. Upamanya Pablo’s superb study of Indian fiction, Postcolonial Environment: Nature, Culture and the Contemporary Indian Novel in English, also appeared in 2010. These works have been not only been foundational in uncovering new ways of thinking about Postcolonial Studies, but they have also shown how the meanings of concepts like ‘violence’ and ‘hegemony’ within larger discourses of social sciences get significantly altered when seen in the light of environmental and eco-critical concerns.
This panel addresses the relationships between nature, environment and postcoloniality and invites submissions that examine these contexts in the light of humanities and social sciences. The subtopics of this panel are, but are not limited to:
Ecocriticism (U K. Heise, R Nixon, A Roy);
Global and Nativist Studies;
Nature and Cognition;
Latin American Studies;
South Asia Studies.
Please send 300 - 500 hundred word abstracts and brief biographical statements to Arnab Roy (firstname.lastname@example.org) and
Carlos Gardeazábal (email@example.com)
Deadline: September 30, 2013
Please include with your abstract:
Name and Affiliation
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee with registration)
The 2014 NeMLA convention continues the Association's tradition of sharing innovative scholarship in an engaging and generative location. This capitol city set on the Susquehanna River is known for its vibrant restaurant scene, historical sites, the National Civil War museum, and nearby Amish Country, antique shops and Hershey Park. NeMLA has arranged low hotel rates of $104-$124.
The 2014 event will include guest speakers, literary readings, professional events, and workshops. A reading by George Saunders will open the Convention. His 2013 collection of short fiction, The Tenth of December, has been acclaimed by the New York Times as: “the best book you’ll read this year.” NeMLA’s Keynote Speaker will be David Staller, Producer and Director of Project Shaw. Mr. Staller presents monthly script-in-hand performances of Bernard Shaw’s plays at the Players Club in New York City.
Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however, panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable. http://www.nemla.org/convention/2014/cfp.html