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