[URBANTH-L]Caribbean Migrations: Negotiating Borders CFP

[Rae Bridgman]

International Literary Conference
“CARIBBEAN MIGRATIONS: NEGOTIATING BORDERS”
July 18-22, 2005, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
www.ryerson.ca/CaribbeanMigrations

First Announcement and Call for Papers

Migrations, forced and voluntary, have been shaping Caribbean lives
for centuries. These migrations have taken many forms-from the
voyages of the Middle Passage to journeys across the Kali Pani; from
inter-Caribbean labour migrations to the “reverse
colonisation” of
Britain; and from Haitian boat people to ongoing emigration out of the
multi-lingual Caribbean into metropolitan centres in Canada, the
United States, Britain and other parts of the world. Wherever their
point of departure and whatever their destination, at various historical
junctures, Caribbean peoples have had to negotiate borders of all
sorts. Such negotiations have had significant impact on Caribbean
identities and (self) representation, on Caribbean peoples’ sense
of
home and belonging, and on the terms by which they imagine
themselves in community.
Papers at the conference will explore the changing face of the
Caribbean in the wake of migrations and the formation of diasporas.
Special attention will be given to the construction of hybrid identities
in
host centres; the impact of race, class, language and sexuality on the
formation of new identities; the consequences of negotiating between
“here” (new home spaces) and “there” (places of
origin); the various
understandings of borders-geographic, linguistic, cultural, racial; and
the implications of living between borders.
“Caribbean Migrations: Negotiating Borders” is planned as a
significant event that will bring together scholars and creative writers
to promote discussion of literary imaginations of Caribbean migrations,
migrant communities and diasporas. The organizers envision that
presentations and papers published in the conference proceedings will
provide not only a comprehensive assessment of Caribbean migratory
poetics and fresh
readings of Caribbean border crossings, displacement, and exile, but will
also allow for comparative readings across different Caribbean diasporic
literary traditions and reorient literary theorizing around diasporas to
the specifics of Caribbean experience.
Papers that address any aspect of the conference theme are invited. Both
individual paper submissions and proposals for panels are welcome. While
the conference is oriented towards an exploration of Caribbean
literature, papers that seek to shed light on the socio- cultural terms
of the negotiation of Caribbean identities across borders and within
cultural contact zones are also welcome. Participants are encouraged to
address the conference theme from all relevant perspectives. Suggested
topics include but are not limited to:
·  Foreign Bodies, Foreign Minds: Race, Sexuality, Language and Caribbean
Representations
·  Hybridity, Syncretism and Caribbean Identities and Cultures
·  Indo-Caribbean/Chinese-Caribbean Migrations and Diasporas
·  Pre-Twentieth Century Migrations, Relocations and Contacts
·  Nations, Imagi-nations, and the Caribbean Presence
·  Second Generation Caribbean Identities in the Diaspora
·  Intra-Caribbean Migrations
·  Caribbean-Canadian Literature
·  Caribbean Writing in the US
·  The Caribbean Presence in Britain and Europe
·  Migratory Poetics: prose fiction, poetry, drama and film
Proposals are also invited for two Special Roundtable Sessions on the
following topics:
·  Travelling Cultures: Caribbean Festivals and Art Forms Abroad
·  Teaching Caribbean Literature: Visions and Challenges
Submissions: Prospective participants are invited to submit abstracts of
between 300 and 400 words for individual paper or panel proposals and/or
the Roundtable Sessions. The deadline for abstracts is December 15, 2004.
Please send abstracts to caribcon at ryerson.ca. Abstracts should include:
title of the paper or panel; name(s) of presenter(s); institutional
affiliation(s); email addresses, telephone and fax numbers.
Special Features: *Plenary and Keynote Speakers *Readings by Creative
Writers *Musical Performances
Time and Location: The conference will be held from July 18-22, 2005 at
Ryerson University. Ryerson is located in the heart of Toronto, a major
centre for Caribbean immigration. Toronto is also the host city for the
renowned Caribbean festival “Caribana,” and the conference is
scheduled in the days leading up to this spectacular celebration of
Caribbean cultures and peoples in Canada.
Contact:

Dr. Hyacinth M. Simpson
Department of English, Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada
Tel.: (416) 979-5000 ext. 6148 · Fax: (416) 979-5110 · E-mail:
caribcon at ryerson.ca or simpson at ryerson.ca
Ann Braithwaite, Ph.D.