[Discussion] CFP: Post-colonial Literature (Malta) (9/15/04; 3/21/05-3/26/05)

[sule tarakcioglu]

Sharing Places
Searching for common ground in a world of continuing exclusion

EACLALS Triennial Conference, Malta, 21-26 March, 2005

CALL FOR PAPERS

Malta, the venue of the next EACLALS Triennial Conference, is not only a
very attractive destination but also one that is, by virtue of its
location halfway between Europe and Africa, highly suggestive of the
unending dynamics of colonialism, =91post=92-colonialism, and
neo-colonialism. The Malta Conference should therefore prove an ideal
opportunity for revisiting such familiar issues as: the clash of
civilisations brought about by colonialism, which forcibly linked
disparate geographies under the aegis of imperial regimes; the
affirmations of territoriality which often go by the name of
post-colonialism, no matter how much these rely on implicit protocols of
exclusion; and the contemporary emergence of an explicit neo-colonial
(=91new world=92) order, in which the uneven distribution of resources 
across the globe is justified in the name of self-righteous cultural
affiliations of diverse denominations.

On the other hand, in a more hopeful mood, =91Malta=92 and its complex
history may also serve as an objective correlative for the utopian ideal
of acknowledging a shared zone of mutual responsibility where all human
subjects may be considered as partial insiders to the project of
conceiving a common future.<

The Conference theme, =91Sharing Places=92, thus strikes at the heart of
contemporary experience while also allowing for the development of
long-standing debates within =91post=92-colonial studies. Such a theme 
has numerous potential ramifications, which will be explored in a number 
of thematic sections dedicated to the following topics:

- Frantz Fanon and the pitfalls of national consciousness
- The sea and the erosion of cultural identity
- Immigration as a challenge to the law of privilege (ie, etymologically,
=91private law=92)
- Writing Europe (from an African or otherwise =91external=92
perspective)
- From translation to bilingualism, or towards the sharing of mental
space
- Multidisciplinarity and the future of post-colonial theory
- Feminism, patriarchy, and the limitations of gendered space
- History as a collective site, historiography as a corrective=20
swipe

The organizers also welcome contributions relevant to the main Conference
theme that may not seem to fit into the subsections outlined above.
Abstracts of no more than 200 words for 20-minute papers should be
submitted no later than 15 September, 2004. All correspondence should be
addressed to the Conference chair, Dr. Stella Borg Barthet,
stella.borg-barthet@um.edu.mt . For further information as well as for
all matters concerning registration or accommodation, please consult the
Conference webpage which will soon be accessible at this address:
http://www.um.edu.mt/noticeboard/eaclalsmain.html