Expressions of the Self: Autobiography and Its Avatars

THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE  – CALL FOR PAPERS

The English Department of the Faculty of Letters, “Al. I. Cuza” University of Iasi, invites you to the Expressions of the Self: Autobiography and Its Avatars Conference to be held in Iasi on 24-26 September 2009.

 Recognised since the late 18th century as a literary genre on its own, autobiography has proven to be the testing ground for a plethora of critical issues: authorship, selfhood, identity, cultural representation, the distinction between fact and fiction, memory, subjectivity, morality, intentionality, etc. In its fuzzy definitions and alternative denominations, autobiography has become increasingly prominent as a popular cultural phenomenon that finds its expression in multiplying voices and multiplying media.

 We invite papers and workshops that will explore these new voices, media, and theoretical approaches to the practice of self-expression in “autobiography” and its terminological avatars (autofiction, egodocuments, etc.). Specific topics may include, but are not limited to: 

  • ethnic autobiography
  • gender and autobiography
  • literary autobiography
  • autobiography and film
  • autobiography and photography
  • autobiography: theories/criticism
  • autobiography and cultural memory
  • autobiography and the cultural expression of emotions
  • autobiography and the body
  • linguistic expressions of the self
  • autobiography in translation

Deadline for submissions: 100-word proposals should be submitted to the following e-mail addresses before July 15, 2009:

[email protected][email protected] (Prof. Dr. Odette Blumenfeld), [email protected] (Tereza Nitisor), [email protected] (Sorina Chiper)

Registration fee: The conference registration fee is 50 Euros for foreign participants and 30 Euros (or the equivalent in RON) for Romanian participants.

Further information about the conference programme, accommodation arrangements, fee payment and publication requirements will be made known at a later date to those who have filled out and returned the registration form below to [email protected] :

REGISTRATION FORM

Details of Participant
Full Name: 
Academic Title: 
Institutional Affiliation: 
Address (+ telephone/ fax, e-mail): 
Details of Paper
Title: 
Abstract (100 words max.): 
Auxiliaries needed – OHP, cassette player, VCR, DVD, other (please specify): 

Signature:                                           Date:

Important Notice: The format required for publication is: Word 6 or Word 97, Times New Roman (Font size: 10, Footnotes: 8). Other special fonts (e.g. for phonetic transcriptions) will be provided by author on the same CD or attached to an e-mail and sent to the address of the conference site. Line spacing should be set at single space. The following Page Setup is required:

Page Size: A4; Orientation: Portrait; Margins: Top: 2.54 cm; Bottom: 8.75 cm; Left: 3.17 cm; Right: 5.5 cm

Contacts: 

Prof. Dr. Odette Blumenfeld,

Head of the English Department

[email protected]

0232 201253 (office)

0232 316491 (home)

0744 430748 (mobile)

Tereza Nitisor

[email protected]

0232 201253 (office)

0742 350610 (mobile)

Sorina Chiper

[email protected]

0332 458445 (home)

0232 201583 (office)

0746 437 938 (mobile)