MLA 2019 (Chicago) Special Session CFP: Southeast Asian Textual Translations and Transactions
The Modern Language Association's newly established Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies permanent forum on Southeast Asian and Southeast Asian Diasporic literature and culture has posted the following CFP for a special session we are organizing for the January 2019 Convention in Chicago (under the presidential theme of "Textual Transactions"):
Southeast Asian Textual Translations and Transactions
How does one teach, research, and/or compare Southeast Asian texts (literature, cinema, etc.) from different linguistic, national, and/or cultural contexts in translation? 300-word abstracts and short bios due to Brian Bernards (bernards@usc.edu) March 15.
CFP now live on MLA website: https://apps.mla.org/cfp_review&id=11190&exit_page=cfp_main
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Post ReplyThis is a detailed follow-up to a previously-circulated CFP for a Special Session of the MLA 2019 Convention (Jan 3-6, 2019 in Chicago) sponsored by the CLCS Southeast Asian and Southeast Asian Diasporic Forum:
Southeast Asian Textual Translations and Transactions
Each year, the Southeast Asian Writers Award (S.E.A. Write) is awarded to an author from each of the member states of ASEAN. The awardees are typically authors whose works are written in their respective national languages (Thai in Thailand, Malay in Malaysia, etc.), though Singapore and the Philippines have recognized authors from different linguistic traditions. While “Southeast Asian literature” is already—by such official modes of consecration—a multilingual formation, the multilingual reality of this body of literature is indeed much greater—and more complex—than the sum of its national languages. This reality stems from histories of (post)coloniality, diaspora, migration, the incorporation and subjugation of indigenous communities, and global cultural exchanges, intersections, and transactions (such as the spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity). Based on various literary formations (Anglophone, Sinophone, and others), scholars have begun conceptualizing approaches to Southeast Asian literature from more transnational, translational, and transactional perspectives.
Perhaps to an even greater extent than literature, cinema has provided a transnational and translational medium from which to engage and conceptualize Southeast Asia as an indispensable region for analysis and comparison in the humanities. The twenty-first century has witnessed increased attention to cinematic production in the region, with the establishment of the Association for Southeast Asian Cinemas and intensified regional branding through film festivals and digital/online platforms. The global acclaim of art-house filmmakers like Lav Diaz (the Philippines), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand), Rithy Panh (Cambodia), and Trần Anh Hùng (Vietnam) have put the region on the map of film enthusiasts, even while many important and canonical works of Southeast Asian cinema—particularly national and popular cinema—remain without subtitles (in English or other languages) and well beyond the purview of most film scholars.
Bearing such developments in mind, and recognizing that specialists of one Southeast Asian cultural, linguistic, or national context often feel compelled to research, teach, and dialogue with other contexts in the region, this special session reflects upon the current conditions for textual translations and transactions in Southeast Asian studies, aiming to provide resources for scholars and educators hoping to venture beyond their areas of expertise in a conscientious way. We welcome papers addressing any aspect of this issue, including:
Please send your 300-word (maximum) abstracts and short bios to Brian Bernards (bernards@usc.edu) by March 15.