Living Together on this Earth: Eco-sustainable Narratives conference 19-21 April 2017, Udine, Italy

The conference aims at exploring and discussing the place of eco-sustainable narratives in English literature/s and the way they may contribute to our understanding of environmental issues, stimulate positive thinking, create a caring economy and foster alternative perspectives for the future of our mother earth.

If the eco-degradation of the planet is a plague which dramatically and increasingly afflicts the world today and, as such, it is at the very centre of the contemporary political and intellectual debate and of creative writing, environmental concerns, inextricably intertwined with questions of rights and identity, can be seen as a fil rouge running across many anglophone literary texts throughout the centuries.

Believing in the power of the creative word to promote social change by encouraging mutual understanding and respect for the Other and for the environment, we welcome papers on eco- sustainaible narratives from all Anglophone areas and historical periods.

Possible topics of discussion are:
– space, place and the identity question;
– the imagination of place (and the reinvention of an ecosustainable world); – environmental (in)justice;
– gender difference and environmental representations;
– nature and culture;
– ethics of relation between humans and animals;
– environment (in)balance of power in the globalized world;
– ecological concerns in local and glocal contexts;
– literature and environmental studies;
– bio-imperialism;
– ecology and critical language awareness.

Abstracts of not more than 500 words should be submitted for review by 15 January 2017 to: Prof. Antonella Riem, antonella.riem@uniud.it / Prof. Maria Renata Dolce, mariarenata.dolce@unisalento.it

Papers selected for inclusion will be notified by 2 February 2017.

Conference Venue: University of Udine
Contact: Giovanna Sgro, DILL – Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature, Comunicazione Formazione e Società, Università di Udine: giovanna.sgro@uniud.it

No registration fee required.

For any further information please contact the conference organisers:
Prof. Antonella Riem, antonella.riem@uniud.it
Prof. Maria Renata Dolce, mariarenata.dolce@unisalento.it Dr. Loredana Salis, lsalis@uniss.it