[Bilimsel Haber] CFP: "Tales of Transit: Narrative Migrant Spaces in Transatlantic Perspective, 1830-1954, " Antwerp, Belgium, June 10-13, 2010.

[Gonul Pultar]

From: Michael Boyden [mailto:boydenmichael at gmail.com]



Tales of Transit
Narrative Migrant Spaces in Transatlantic Perspective
1830-1954
International conference
Felix Archive
Antwerp, Belgium
10-13 June, 2010

Conference Theme
Tales of Transit will bring together insights and methodologies from
migration and maritime history, translation studies and literary 
studies, and confront these with the rich but largely underexplored
archive of transatlantic migrant narratives. In view of the opening of
the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Tales of Transit takes the city
as its starting point to rethink transatlantic migration.

We encourage contributions offering comparative perspectives on migrants 
traveling through well-known as well as lesser known ports in Europe, 
Africa and the Americas. The focus may be broadened to include mainland 
cities functioning as nodal points for migration flows or border 
crossing points on the frontier between states or regions. Overall, the 
stress lies on how such liminal spaces are narrated or visualized in 
testimonies or fiction: How vital are these sites for the migrant’s 
tale? Do such loci affirm or rather subvert the migrants’ aspirations 
and hopes? Does the perspective shift in accordance with the linguistic 
medium or audience expectations and, if so, in what ways?

Contributions may address any of the above questions in relation to the 
Atlantic migration flows that came into force roughly from the 1830s 
onwards, as a consequence of unsettled conditions in Europe and 
elsewhere. The year 1954, when the Ellis Island Immigration Station 
closed, was selected as an appropriate terminus ad quem, indicating the 
transition from steamers to planes as the dominant mode of transatlantic 
transportation.

Suggested Thematic Areas
▪ Language and translation
▪ Migration as business
▪ Iconography of migration
▪ Archiving testimonies

A more detailed description of the theme can be found on the
conference website: http://www.talesoftransit.eu.

Keynote Speakers
▪ Matthew Frye Jacobson (Yale University)
▪ Nancy K. Miller (City University of New York)
▪ Adam Walaszek (Jagiellonian University Krakow)
▪ Werner Sollors (Harvard University) TBC

Organizing Institutions
▪ Ghent University Association Research Group on Literature in Translation
▪ Faculty of Translation Studies, Ghent University College
▪ Institute of Jewish Studies, University of Antwerp
▪ Leuven Research Group on Literary Relations and Postnational Identities
▪ Lessius University College Department of Applied Language Studies
▪ Roosevelt Study Center, Middelburg
▪ Red Star Line Museum, Antwerp

Guidelines for Submission and Presentation

Paper proposals in English of no more than 300 words can be submitted
to michael.boyden at hogent or liselotte.vandenbussche at hogent.be by
November 15, 2009. The academic committee will evaluate the abstracts
and send out notifications of acceptance by the end of the calendar
year.

Each participant will be given 20 minutes to present, followed by 10
minutes of discussion. A selection of papers will be published in the
conference proceedings.

Congress Fees
Participants are expected to pay a conference fee of 60 EUR (88 USD),
which covers the academic program, congress documentation, coffee
breaks, a reception in the Antwerp city hall and an exclusive guided
tour of the Red Star Line Museum (http://www.redstarline.be). The
student rate is 30 EUR or 44 USD.

Accommodation and City
The conference site (http://www.felixarchief.be) is located in a
former warehouse in the heart of the historical harbor, on walking
distance from the city’s main attractions.
Special hotel rates for conference participants are being negotiated.
Details will be posted on the conference website.








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