INSTITUTE OF MODERN LANGUAGES RESEARCH

School of Advanced Study • University of London

Friday 12 & Saturday 13 July 2019, 09:00-20:00

Transnational Families, Transnational Novels

Room 243, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

https://modernlanguages.sas.ac.uk/events/event/19431

This two-day conference will examine novels that depict transnational families. From Ian Watt to Joseph Slaughter, scholars of literature have understood the novel as a genre that emphasizes the formation of the individual in relation to a nation-state. However, in recent decades, the interconnectedness of the global market has provoked increased interest in literature that crosses national borders. The literary celebrity of Jhumpa Lahiri, Yaa Gyasi, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie denotes a widespread need for narratives that reflect our transnational reality, examining how, when, and why we cross borders.

This examination of transnational family novels will raise questions about the novel form: What can the novel genre tell us about how families are transformed by border crossings? How does a focus on transnational families affect novel structure? How do novels that focus on transnational families challenge the conventional wisdom that the novel genre privileges individual subjectivity?

As part of The Borders of Identity cycle of events

Kindly supported by the Coffin Fund, Frauen in der Literaturwissenschaft, The Universität Stuttgart, Higher Education, Research and Innovation Department of the French Embassy and The Institut Francais de Londres.

Advanced registration required by Thursday 4 July 2019 at: https://modernlanguages.sas.ac.uk/events/event/19431

Standard Ticket one day £15.00 | Standard Ticket both days £25.00
Student/Unwaged one day £10.00 | Student/Unwaged both days £15.00

Institute of Modern Languages Research

Tel: +44 (0)20 7862 8832

http://modernlanguages.sas.ac.uk | [log in to unmask]

The School of Advanced Study at the University of London is the UK's national centre for the facilitation and promotion of research in the humanities and social sciences.