CFP: MELUS in Pittsburgh, March 14-17, 2013

 The 26th MELUS Conference

Call for Papers
March 14-17, 2013
Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Theme: The Changing Landscapes of American Multiethnic Literature through Historical Crisis 

When we look back, what kinds of historical, global, national, institutional, political, cultural, racial, socio-economic, and sexual crises has American multiethnic literature engaged in, critiqued, reflected, challenged, reacted to artistically, and moved beyond? How have the various landscapes of American multiethnic literature changed? How has the American multiethnic literature challenged and enriched the American national literature and culture as well as contributed to the Anglophone global literature? How has the multiethnic genre changed and evolved? How have the multiple critical categories of language, race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, culture, power, history, nation and geography complicated and enriched our scholarship and pedagogy in American multiethnic literature?

As we look forward, what are the new directions in American multiethnic literature in the 21st century? How do globalization, transnationalism, postcoloniality, and diaspora impact the studies and teaching of American multiethnic literature? What are the new studies in American multiethnic women’s literature? What are some of the cross-ethnic comparative literary analyses that can be exciting?

We invite paper abstracts and complete panels, workshops, and roundtable proposals on all aspects of the American multiethnic literatures of the United States. We are particularly interested in proposals that explore the changing landscapes of American multiethnic literature either in the past centuries and decades through multiple global, national, institutional, or cultural crises, or the various new directions in American ethnic literature in the 21st century. Any proposal for a complete panel, roundtable, or workshop should include a short description of the central topic, supplemented by brief individual abstracts. Please also indicate clearly if you need audiovisual equipment.

Deadline for abstracts and proposals (250 words in Microsoft Word): Oct. 31, 2012
Please email abstracts to both Professors Lingyan Yang (lingyan@iup.edu) and Kim Long (Kim.Long@delval.edu), MELUS 2013 Conference Committee co-chairs.