With apologies for cross-posting.
Conference announcement, sent on behalf of Prof. Hugh O'Donnell,
Cultural Business Group, Glasgow Caledonian University.
Please reply to [log in to unmask] (NOT ME!), or see website: http://
www.caledonian.ac.uk/nationaldays
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL DAYS:
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND: 29-30 NOVEMBER 2007
NATIONAL DAYS: SUMMONING THE NATION?
Celebrating, commemorating, communicating, contesting…
Le quatorze juillet, Independence Day, Burns Night, la Diada de
Catalunya, Thanksgiving, syttende mai, Super Bowl Sunday, el Día de
la Hispanidad, 国庆节… All these – and many more – are days
which “summon”, or attempt to summon the “nation”: in some
cases to large-scale, occasionally extravagant public festivities and
ceremonies, in others to more privatised, even domestic forms of
national awareness. They may be related to great historical events
(usually battles – most often victories, less commonly defeats), or
they may be an attempt to erase the memory of historical events:
Russia’s recently instituted National Unity Day, now celebrated on 4
November, appears to be an attempt to ‘erase’ the memory of
earlier celebrations of the Russian Revolution. In yet other cases
they may provide a framework for celebrations of nationhood linked to
would-be “epic” sporting events, to the lives of saints, to royal
birthdays or even to literary figures such as Burns in Scotland or
Camões in Portugal.
Some of these “nations” – like the Scots, the Catalans or the
Québécois – may be located within much larger, plurinational
states, while other National Days – such as the Latin American Día
de la Raza – claim to unite different nations in a larger
transnational community transcending the boundaries of individual
nation states. Yet others may include significant diasporic elements
(the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States). But
in any case what is a “nation”: do African Americans and Hispanics
enjoy a sense of ownership of Independence Day? Do Scottish Muslims
identify with Saint Andrew’s Day? Is class a factor? For some, are
such days just an excuse for a day off work? And how are we to
account for those cases (such as the UK) where there is no official
National Day?
In all cases the political dimension of National Days seems clear
enough, though its status may vary from hegemonic through informal to
contestatory. What forms of expression does this political dimension
take? The celebration of such days can also be linked to what are in
some ways seen as “holy places” (for example Montserrat in
Catalonia) and often involve (very) significant movements of
population. How are these sites managed? Do such large migrations
entail opportunities for national, or even international tourism?
How are National Days mediated? How is this mediation managed in
multilingual societies?
This conference, which will be held at Glasgow Caledonian University,
Scotland, on 29 and 30 November 2007, will discuss the following issues:
The politics of National Days
National Days and the construction of the nation
National Days and the invention of tradition
National Days in the stateless nation
The symbols and iconography of National Days
National Days and class
National Days and diasporas
National Days and heritage sites
National Days and religion
The language and rhetoric of National Days
National Days and gender
Public and privatised National Days
National Days in film, television, radio and the press
National days and the internet
National Days and tourism
… and indeed other topics relating to the complex and multifaceted
phenomenon
The invited keynote speakers are:
Salvador Cardús, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Hu Zhengrong, Communication University of China, Beijing
Douglas Kellner, University of Central Los Angeles, USA
David McCrone, Edinburgh University, Scotland
The full conference programme is available at:
http://www.caledonian.ac.uk/nationaldays
The early-bird registration fee of £220 is available until 31 October
2007. Registration is via the conference website.
For more information e-mail [log in to unmask]
or contact
Prof. Hugh O’Donnell
Cultural Business Group
Glasgow Caledonian University
Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow
G4 0BA
Scotland (UK)
Tel: +44 (0)141 331 3262
Fax: +44 (0)141 331 3264
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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