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From: "Ms L Polezzi" <[log in to unmask]>
BORDERLINES:
MIGRANT WRITING AND ITALIAN IDENTITIES (1870-2000)
University of Warwick,
Friday 8th and Saturday 9th March, 2002
The history of the Italian nation is marked by the experience of
migration. Various forms and representations of Italian identity have
emerged from the experiences of emigration from Italy (both
economic and colonial), of internal migration, and of immigration
into Italy. The conference aims to explore the ways in which these
histories have been expressed in writings in Italian.
The conference focuses on borderlines in the sense of exploring
how Italian identities have permeated outwards and also have been
permeated inwards through both geo-political, external borders and
socio-cultural, internal borders, and how these border excursions
and incursions have been represented in textual =91lines=92. Shifting
concepts of Italy and of Italian-ness will be traced, as figured in the
migrant individual=92s self- perception, in the consciousness of
migrant communities, in the languages used by migrants, in the
genres of texts written by migrants. The presentations and
discussions at the conference will aim to identify new ways of
looking at and of appreciating the diversity afforded by the inherent
instability of any nationhood, but perhaps particularly of Italy=92s in
the 1870-2000 period.
Papers are invited on all aspects of this expansive area of literary
activity. The conference focuses on literary texts, in the most
inclusive sense of the term, and contributions will be welcomed
from researchers both in literature and in related disciplines, such
as cultural studies, ethnography, sociology, history, film studies.
Central themes include:
- minor and minority writing
- nationhood and nationality
- regional and local cultures
- the colonial experience
- postcolonial issues
- memory and nostalgia
- projection and utopianism
- genres
- gendered identities
Papers should last twenty minutes. Abstracts of not more than 500
words should be sent by e-mail to both Dr Jennifer Burns and Dr
Loredana Polezzi (addresses below) no later than
14th September 2001.
Conference organizers:
Dr Jennifer Burns ([log in to unmask])
Dr Loredana Polezzi ([log in to unmask])
Department of Italian,
University of Warwick,
Coventry,
CV4 7AL,
U.K.
Tel. 024 76 524126
Fax 024 76 528174
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