Call for Papers

Fifteenth International Conference on the Literature of Region and Nation.

The John Carver Inn in Plymouth, Massachusetts (USA),

June 26, 2014 to July 1, 2014.

The Region, Nation, and Literature Association (RNLA)

The RNLA was founded in 1986.   In August of that year the first of a series of biannual international conferences exploring all aspects of nation and region in literatures written in English was held in Aberdeen, Scotland. Since then, as the international network has grown, cities around the world have hosted the conferences: Nottingham, England (1988), Luxembourg (1990), Swansea, Wales (1992), Bratislava, Slovakia (1994), Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada (1996), Germersheim, Germany (1998), Östersund, Sweden (2000), Durban, South Africa (2002), Manchester, England (2004), Manhattan, Kansas, USA (2006), and Aberdeen, Scotland (2008).  The 2010 and 2012 conferences were held at Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan, and respectively, at Pécs University in Hungary.

The central theme of the Fifteenth Conference in the series will be Oceans Uniting Regions, Nations, and Literatures

Oceans, lakes, and rivers have often served as natural divides between regions and nations.  However, these vitally important water ways have often functioned to unite the people as well, particularly through the literature by the people inhabiting the different land masses.  It has been said that if you want to get to know the distinctiveness a people, study their literature. Literature has also played cross-fertilizing and transformative roles across cultures as, for example, the transcultural phenomenon that is Romanticism.

The RNLA invites papers on how oceans – or lakes and rivers — divide and/or unite regions and nations in a literal as well as a metaphorical sense. One approach might explore the symbolism of water—both life-giving and chaotic, creative and/or destructive.  One may also discuss how literature affirms the distinctiveness of a single people or distinctiveness of others. Another aspect might be the manner in which literature or literary genres cross boundaries and become instruments of trans-cultural creative transformation.  In other words, how does literature (or literary genres) express and/or create socio-politico-economic aspirations across oceans, lakes, and rivers; or, how do literatures in their cultural variety deal with dividing and uniting, domination and liberation across oceans in pre- or post- colonialist eras?  Additional reflections might include how literature deals with the theme of hybridity.

THERE IS STILL ROOM ON THE PROGRAMME FOR FURTHER SUBMISSIONS, and traditional individual papers, collaborative efforts, and panel discussions are all invited.  And should the above theme be too restrictive, papers on any aspect of regional and national literatures, from any part of the world, will be welcome.  As RNLA’s current President has said, “our cosmopolitan credentials are well established, and will assuredly be upheld by the upcoming gathering.”

Send submissions to Karoline (Karrie) Szatek-Tudor at kszatek@curry.edu

The venue of the Conference is the John Carver Inn in Plymouth.  Delegates will be accommodated here, and the session meetings, reception dinner, luncheon, and plenary will all take place in the Inn.  It is located close to the Plymouth Harbor, restaurants, shopping areas, and sites of historic interest.  The social programme will include an excursion to Plimouth Plantation, Wampanoag Village, the Ole Grist Mill and the Mayflower, and a trip to Boston with free time to explore the city.