The research team of ‘Literary Dislocation(s)’ warmly invites contributions to our online seminar series, “Literary Dislocation(s)”. This is the inaugural event series of the ‘Literary Dislocation(s)’ research project. This project aims to bring researchers and members of the wider community together to discuss the theme of “dislocation(s)” in literary production, exploring its various and wide-reaching forms and literary representations. Although working across diverse geographical, linguistic, temporal, socio-political, and cultural literary contexts, what connects the individuals involved in this project is their desire to better understand the unexpected complexities of literary dislocations.

Argument

Most commonly understood to signal bodily injury or separation, this project considers the notion of ‘dislocation’ in its broadest sense. Assessing the term from a myriad of perspectives enables this project to be one that is both comparative and interdisciplinary, affording those involved the opportunity to more deeply appreciate how we, as scholars, readers, and individuals navigating the ever-changing world around us, engage both academically and practically with multiple processes of dislocations. 

Indeed, in this moment of global political upheaval, mass migratory movements, climate crises, rapid advances in technology, and anthropocentric activity, now more than ever the world appears to be in a perpetual state of dislocation; from the geographical dislocation that refugees across the globe are forced to face, to the social and human dislocation brought about by the digitalisation of communication and the ever-growing presence of artificial intelligence. In exploring how the various forms of dislocation materialise through literary production, this project thus seeks to grapple with some of the most pressing concerns of our contemporary time.  

We welcome paper proposals exploring any and all aspects of literary dislocations, including, but not limited to: 

• Linguistic dislocations
• The process of writing as a form of dislocation (for example, the separation between orality and written word)
• Geographical / territorial dislocations 
• Cultural dislocations 
• Temporal dislocations through, for instance, non-linear narratives
• Communitarian dislocations
• Identarian dislocations 
• Familial dislocations
• Bodily / physical dislocations
• Queerness as a form of dislocation 
• Technological dislocations 
• Dislocation memoires 
• Multilingual Aesthetics 
• (Self-)Translation as a form of dislocation 

• Literary/narrative/stylistic techniques that serve to dislocate the reader from the text they are engaging with (opacity, presence of multiple languages in heterolingual texts)
• Dislocation as a form of self-preservation, emancipation 
• The subversive potentiality of dislocations 

Submission guidelines

Presentations of 15-20 minutes are welcomed from researchers (rolling basis November 2023- June 2024). Please submit an abstract of up to 250 words and a short bio of up to 100 words to literarydislocations@gmail.com 

before 31 January 2024.

Papers may be presented on any form of literature from any cultural and linguistic context, but the working language of the seminar series will be English. We very much look forward to hearing from you and hearing about your research.

Selection committee

• Christopher Mole, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
• Laura Kennedy, Queen’s University Belfast