12 Aprile 2019

Call for Papers RE-ORIENTATING E. M. FORSTER Texts, Contexts, Receptions An international anniversary conference Cambridge, Thursday 2 to Saturday 4 April 2020 Confirmed speakers: Paul Armstrong (Brown), Stefan Collini (Cambridge), Santanu Das (Oxford), Leela Gandhi (Brown), Jane Goldman (Glasgow), Laura Marcus (Oxford), Stefania Michelucci (Genoa), Rachel Potter (East Anglia), and David Trotter (Cambridge). E. M. Forster, one of the major British writers of the twentieth century, died on 7 June 1970. The fiftieth anniversary of his death affords a special opportunity for a comprehensive re- evaluation of his place and significance in the literary and wider culture of Britain and beyond. This conference, to be held at the Cambridge University Faculty of English and King’s College – where Forster was an undergraduate and where he later resided for many years as an Honorary Fellow – invites a wide-ranging exploration of his life and work, while focusing attention on two broad areas: (a) Forster in his historical and cultural context; (b) receptions of Forster since 1970. A central aim is to facilitate a productive dialogue between these two perspectives, with a view to defamiliarizing dominant perceptions of Forster and his work, exposing what has been occluded, and identifying new directions of travel in Forster studies. Forster’s novels are widely read and have frequently been adapted for radio, television, and the cinema; he continues to be a major influence on other writers. A Passage to India remains a foundational text for postcolonial studies and Anglophone writing about India, while Maurice, first published in 1971, is a cornerstone of queer fiction. But how does the Forster that emerges in the artistic and scholarly production of the years since his death relate to the Forster of the years of literary creation? How far have contemporary receptions of Forster been shaped by our own cultural perspectives, agendas, and anxieties? To what extent and in what regards has E. M. Forster the man become E. M. Forster the myth? How might he be seen as a different writer from the one we think we know – perhaps one even more radical and unsettling? In evaluating proposals, the organizers will pay careful regard to fulfilling the general aims and conception of the conference. Submissions are welcome on any topic. The following broad themes are intended as suggestions:  Family, friendships, social networks  Education  England and Englishness  The Mediterranean, Egypt, and India  Literary influences and affiliations  Modernisms  Politics: imperialism and colonialism, liberalism and totalitarianism, war  Class  Gender and sexuality  Music, art, and mass culture  Fantasy  Adaptations in other media  Receptions in contemporary fiction  International receptions, including translations  Writing Forster: biographies  History of Forster criticism The conference also invites reflection on the relevance of Forster’s Weltanschauung (itself inviting exploration and definition) to our own historical moment, with consideration of this question: What, fifty years after his death, has Forster’s concern for ‘connection’ and for civil liberties to say to us at a time when narrow nationalisms and authoritarian ideologies have once again become prominent across the world? A volume of essays arising from the conference is planned with a leading publisher. Proposals of 250-300 words for 20-minute papers, together with a brief CV of no more than 100 words, should be submitted by email attachment to E.M.Forster2020@gmail.com by no later than Friday 10 May 2019. We also invite proposals of 100-150 words for ‘lightning talks’ of 5- 7 minutes, to be submitted by the same date; this may be of particular interest to graduate students. Anyone who wishes to have a longer proposal considered either for a 20-minute paper or for a lightning talk should please indicate this in the submission. Notification of acceptance or otherwise may be expected before the end of June. The ethos of the conference is to be inclusive and collaborative, and the organizers will seek to ensure a positive atmosphere throughout. We are glad to acknowledge the warm support of the International E. M. Forster Society (http://society.emforster.de) and the Association for Forsterian Research (http://forster- afar.com). Steering Committee: Edward Allen (Cambridge); Howard Booth (Manchester); Santanu Das (Oxford); Laura Davies (Cambridge); Gemma Moss (Birmingham City); Amber Regis (Sheffield); David Scourfield (Maynooth); David Trotter (Cambridge). Further information is available at: https://emforster2020.home.blog/. Follow us on Twitter: @forster2020

Precarious Lives, Uncertain Futures University of Rome “Tor Vergata” – January 29-31, 2020 School of Engineering, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133, Rome Organized in partnership with Auro University (Surat, India), and with “Challenging Precarity: A Global Network”, this three-day international event sets out to continue the fruitful exchange of debates, ideas and best practices, that began in Lucknow, during “The Cultures of New India” conference hosted at Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University (2017), and continued in Cordoba (“Precarity, Populism and Post-Truth Politics” Conference) in 2018, and in Surat (“Challenging Precarity” Conference) in 2019. While the previous conferences were focused on manifestations of precarity in the Global South, where certain populations are dispossessed and deprived due to systemic and sustained neglect, ‘Precarious Lives, Uncertain Futures’ is mainly concerned with changes in politics and society, which are reflected in the global mobilization of labour force and the new blurred frontiers of class and belonging. Indeed, in the post-Fordist era, characterized by the adoption of neoliberal models of development, and marked by extreme flexibility, aggressive competition, and high levels of job insecurity, a new class has emerged: the precariat, a term merging precarity with proletariat. Guy Standing views it as a “class-in-the-making’ in the globalization era, which has eventually created a fragmented ‘global class structure’ (2011, 7). As Judith Butler has recently pointed out, in modern societies “precarity is not a passing and episodic condition, but a new form of regulation that distinguishes this historical time” (2015, vii). Paradoxically, the only certainty we seem to possess is the uncertainty and the vulnerability of our individual and collective condition. The rise of neoliberalism has brought substantial changes in labour-market policies and in immigration laws; nonetheless, all strata of society have been affected as working conditions have been revised, to a greater degree institutionalized and normalized, and, in the words of Isabell Lorey, “thus become a fundamental governmental instrument of governing” (2015, 63). Instead of being regarded as a social liability, inequalities caused by neoliberal forces are, thus, often enhanced and glamorized: but behind the appealing labels of flexibility, freedom, and autonomy in the work place and in life style choice, lurk the specters of isolation, insecurity, and subservience to hegemonic forces. In such a scenario, long-acquired rights are at stake and the future, in its multiple possibilities, looks increasingly uncertain. The present state of research in precarity demands metaquestions and hence we need to probe both philosophy and practice in light of precarity’s different manifestations. The plural perspectives by which this phenomenon can be addressed also suggest potential for further theorization alongside that of Butler and her critics. By inviting scholars and experts from different fields and disciplines, and by applying multiple frameworks, methodological approaches, and critical lenses, ‘Precarious Lives, Uncertain Futures’ seeks to explore the different facets of our precarious world, while providing insights into the challenges of our possible futures. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: – Precarity and forms of political secessionism – The casualization of workforces and the new informal labour market – Migration, refugees and xenophobia – The glamorization of precarity – Precarity and social classes – The cultural aspects of precarity – The precaritization of academia – The challenge to precarity of literature and the visual arts – Populism and the rise of right wing movements – New modes and formats in representing precarity – Migrant /refugee narratives of citizenship – The language and discourses of precarity – Precarity and the (mass and social) media – Precarity and education – The precarity of women’s reproductive rights (surrogate motherhood, abortion debates) – Precarity and ageing – Precarity and dispossession – Self-precaritization and life style choices – Planetary precarity: climate change and environmental degradation – Alternative futures, beyond precarity Please, send abstracts of individual papers (250-300 words) and a short bionote by October 1, 2019 to: marino@lettere.uniroma2.it om_dwivedi2003@yahoo.com janet.wilson@northampton.ac.uk Acceptance will be notified by October 21, 2019. Network and conference website: http://icp2019.aurouniversity.ac.in   Link to the University website: https://web.uniroma2.it/home/newlang/italiano Conference Venue: School of Engineering, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133, Rome Home Registration fee (including coffee breaks, lunches, and conference folder): early bird (by December 1, 2019), €100; later registration (by January 15, 2020) €150. No registration on site will be possible. Mode of payment details will be soon shared on the Conference website. Further information regarding the accommodation will be posted on the conference website and sent to participants once abstracts have been accepted. Limited accommodation will be available in nearby hotels at a conference discount rate. Accommodation on campus (50 rooms available): https://campusx.it/camere-roma/ (single room, 43 euros per night; double room, 58 euros per night) Coordinators: Prof. Elisabetta Marino (University of Rome “Tor Vergata”) Prof. Janet Wilson (Chair, Challenging Precarity: A Global Network) Dr Om Prakash Dwivedi (AURO University, Surat)