APEAA Conference 2024

1st Doctoral Symposium and 44th Conference APEAA

Transitions: Freedom & Conflicts

University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies, Faculdade de Letras Universidade de Lisboa

24 June 2024: 1st Doctoral Symposium (http://apeaa.pt/apeaa-doctoral-symposium/)

25-27 June: 44th Conference APEAA

(NEW) Final Programme and Book of Abstracts of the 44th Conference APEAA

(NEW) Information on the Venue, Transportation and Accommodation

The Portuguese Association for Anglo-American Studies (APEAA) is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for its 2024 conference themed “Transitions: Freedom & Conflicts”. This conference aims to explore the multifaceted nature of change as an inherent element of human history, culture, and contemporary life. While some changes are long-awaited and bring positive outcomes, others occur unexpectedly and can cause devastation and, consequently, grief.

The year 2024 holds great historical importance, as it marks a series of memorable events both in Portugal and worldwide. One of these is the 50th commemoration of the 1974 Carnation Revolution. This insurgence movement constituted a crucial moment in history, bringing an end to Europe’s longest pro-Fascist regime, the Estado Novo, and a conclusion to the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa. The revolution also triggered fundamental political, social, and cultural changes, ushering in reforms in education and academia, notably in the field of English Studies in Portugal. The year 1994 was likewise a pivotal one in South African history, as it saw its first all-race election and the historic inauguration of Nelson Mandela as the nation’s first black president.

Nevertheless, we must also remember other tragic anniversaries such as the outbreak of the WWI in 1914, the deadliest combat in human history that led to a collapse of the European empires. All these events not only altered the course of history, but also influenced the narratives and themes in Anglophone literature and arts, reflecting the profound impact of warfare and colonialism on creative expressions and the freedom of peoples. Today, conflict once more assails Europe with the Ukrainian War, and the world watches in horror the thousands of instantaneous deaths occurring in the Hamas-Israel conflict. Contemporary antagonisms unfold also in manners made possible by new transitions: the digital age, or the social media proliferation that gradually replaced traditional news channels.

Other transitions in our contemporary world tread the thin line between escalating geopolitical friction and the freedom of individuals and certain groups to express themselves or even to survive: the forced and strained mobility of war and climate refugees is a testimony to this, bearing also on contemporary fictions and on how we tell the stories of our entanglements among ourselves and with other species and elements. Gender and other identity markers are also transitioning swiftly, causing both adaptation and resistance, namely in the spheres of academic education and research. Even human intelligence is transitioning to machines, which some place alongside “more-than-human” beings.

In the spirit of reflection and analysis, the APEAA 2024 Conference invites a diverse range of scholarly investigation that looks back at the above-mentioned circumstances, examining their lasting impact, as well as their relevance for current transitions, or otherwise how the latter constitute paradigmatic changes and how modern-day culture, literature and arts reflect or cope with them. We encourage interdisciplinary approaches that intersect history with literature, linguistics, cultural studies, and more, providing insights on the interlinked topics of freedom, conflict, and transformation.

We welcome both established and emerging scholars to contribute to this dynamic and important conversation. The conference aims to foster a space for intellectual exchange, critical analysis, and reflective dialogue.

Potential themes may include, but are not confined to the following:

Transformations in political systems: Transition from dictatorship to democracy and vice versa
War(s) and transition
Cultural and ideological shifts
1974 Carnation Revolution and its impact on the society and cultural life in Portugal and in other post-colonial countries
South Africa’s political transformation after 1994
Apologies and social reconciliation: The role of public apologies in societal healing and transition
The re-storying of existing narratives
Portrayals of transition in Anglophone literature and arts
Artistic and literary representations of war(s)
Socio-political movements and social change: Discussing the influence of movements and awareness campaigns such as Black Lives Matter (BLM), #Me Too, and others
Postcolonial studies and global transitions: Analysing the influence of postcolonialism on current global changes and transitions
Border Studies: Borders in transition
Feminist perspectives on social and political transitions
Norm change and gender transformation in contemporary society
LGBTQA+ affirmation, activism, and challenges
Censorship and regulations in changing societies
Ageing Studies
Transitions and the stories that heal us
Change, awareness and self-transformation
Vulnerability and change
Translation and transition
Environmental Humanities: Exploring ecological transitions and human interactions
Climate change: Adapting to a world in transition
Children’s and young adult’s literature: Change and transition
Artificial Intelligence and social and cultural changes
Artificial Intelligence and academia
Mobility, borders, and “third spaces”
The impact of globalisation and digital technological progress on student and academic mobility
Language in transition: Exploring linguistic shifts and evolution in the English Language
Science-fiction, transformation and transition in literature, visual arts and cinema
Progress of English Language Education and English as a Foreign Language in a rapidly changing global landscape
History of English Studies in Portugal before and/or after 1974: Transformation in cultural and educational contexts

Registration Link

Important Dates

Notification of Acceptance: 3 May 2024
Registration Period: 3 May – 15 June 2024

Fees

Doctoral Symposium 2024, June 24

– It is for PhD students and it is free of charge.
– Participants of the Doctoral Symposium can present an additional paper at the APEAA conference. If the paper is accepted, they can attend both events, Conference and Symposium, for free.

APEAA Conference 2024, June 25-27

Early bird (until 15th May)
– APEAA members: 80 euro
– Other participants: 120 euro
– Students: 30 euro

Registration (after 15th May – until 15th June)
– APEAA members: 120 euro
– Other participants: 180 euro
– Students: 50 euro

Conference Organisation
The conference will be held at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, hosted by the University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies.

Keynote Speakers
Alexandra Assis Rosa (University of Lisbon)
K. Allison Hammer (Southern Illinois University)
Simon Swift (University of Geneva)

Doctoral Symposium’s Organising Committee
Ana Brígida Paiva (NOVA FCSH, CETAPS)
Ariadna Coelho (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Catarina Xavier (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Jaqueline Pierazzo (Universidade do Porto, CETAPS)
Manuel Sousa Oliveira (Universidade do Porto, CETAPS)

Doctoral Symposium’s Scientific Committee
Catarina Xavier (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Jaqueline Pierazzo (Universidade do Porto, CETAPS)
Luísa Flora (independent scholar, CEAUL/ULICES)
Manuel Sousa Oliveira (Universidade do Porto, CETAPS)
Manuel Portela (Universidade de Coimbra, MATLIT Lab)
Margarida Vale de Gato (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Teresa Botelho (NOVA FCSH, CETAPS)

Conference’s Organising Committee
Ana Paula Barroso (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Ana Sofia Louro (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Ariadna Coelho (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES) – leading organiser
Camila Oliveira Querino (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Catarina Xavier (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Cláudia Martins (Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, CEAUL/ULICES)
Margarida Vale de Gato (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Maria João Ferro (Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Mariana Bicudo Cunha (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Rita Menezes (independent scholar, CEAUL/ULICES)
Sofia Teixeira (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)

Conference’s Scientific Committee
Adelaide Meira Serras (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Adriana Martins (Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CECC)
Alcina Sousa (Universidade da Madeira, CEAUL/ULICES)
Aline Ferreira (Universidade de Aveiro, CLLC)
Ana Isabel Soares (Universidade do Algarve, CIAC)
Ana Raquel Fernandes (Universidade Europeia, CEAUL/ULICES)
Camila Oliveira Querino (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Catarina Xavier (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Cláudia Martins (Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, CEAUL/ULICES)
Diana Gonçalves (Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CECC)
Edgardo Medeiros da Silva (ISCSP – Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Isabel Alves (Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, CEAUL/ULICES)
Isabel Oliveira Martins (NOVA FCSH, CETAPS)
Leonor Sampaio da Silva (Universidade dos Açores, CHAM))
Lesley Saunders (IoEUCL – Institute of Education University College London)
Margarida Isabel Esteves Pereira (Universidade do Minho, CEHUM)
Maria João Ferro (Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Marinela Freitas (Universidade do Porto, ILCML)
Neil Larsen (University of California, Davis)
Rosario Arias (Universidad de Málaga, AEDEAN)
Rui Carvalho Homem (Universidade do Porto, CETAPS)
Zsófia Gombár (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)
Zuzanna Zarebska (Universidade de Lisboa, CEAUL/ULICES)

This conference has been funded by national funds through the Portuguese funding agency FCT Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. within the framework of the projects UIDB/00114/2020 and UIDP/00114/2020.