Centre for Comparative Literature
School of Humanities
University of Hyderabad
RAW.CON 2013
National Conference on “Vernacular Modernities”
24 – 27 September 2013
Last date for submission of abstracts : 20 July 2013
RAW.CON or Researchers at Work Conference, in its third year, is a research initiative, broadly focusing on Literary and Cultural Studies, from the Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Hyderabad.
RAW.CON 2013 seeks to re-engage with the questions posed by/to modernity, in all its plural-singularity, from our academic and everyday locations. While “modernity” has been on our table—in terms of its incompleteness, in terms of its ab-original in(di)genuity and also in its various other unrealized trajectories—at least over the past two decades, an uneasy relation, if not dissatisfaction, seems to be the overall term of reference.
RAW.CON 2013, hence, is an attempt to take stock of current research in terms of modern-ities and its various regional/vernacular alter-ities. Using “vernacular modernities” as a shorthand notation, the proposed four-day conference intends to explore this problematic in its broadest possible sense in order to engage with issues regarding “our” present which is being heterogeneously and discontinuously re-constituted with respect to given, if not pre-given, understandings of the “national” and the “vernacular.” Indeed one could start by asking: Is regional/vernacular modernities even a viable concept for our times, particularly in an increasingly contested public sphere where new forms of cultural elaboration and differentiation seem to emerge every other day, and whereby the local is invariably being interrupted by global traffic?
RAW.CON 2013 intends to interrogate the ambivalence in the way we seem to be living with modernity, in all its singular-pluralities, especially since most research work does not seem to be very concerned about foregrounding such an engagement. While interesting work seems to be happening all around us, it seems imperative that we do not cry off from engaging with the larger framework that belies such work also. More than papers on textual explorations and analyses, what is envisaged is a critical engagement with the very ground on which most recent research is based upon. Apart from questions regarding vernacular modernities and whether they were/are imitative, derivative, indigenous/nativist or on their relationship with the national and the sub-national/regional, a central question to be addressed would be the political stakes of various caste/community formations in this debate.
RAW.CON 2013 welcomes papers that explore/explode the above notions. Some of the broad rubrics for the conference would be:
- Academia
- Cinema
- Region
- Community
- Cyberspace
- History
- Literature
- Media
- Performance
- Pop Culture
- Religion
- Sexuality
Abstracts (500-800 words) along with full contact details and current semester/year/programme of research may be emailed to: raw.con2013@gmail.com; or couriered to: The Coordinators, RAW.CON 2013, Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad – 500046.
Please visit: http://www.rawcon2013.wordpress.com or www.ccluoh.in for more details.
Last date for submission of abstracts : 20 July 2013
Intimation of selection : 05 August 2013
Submission of full papers : 15 September 2013
The above information is being sent by Sanjeeta Aheibam