“Post/Imperial Encounters between Spain and Portugal and East Asia”

41st Anniversary Convention, Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
April 7-11, 2010
Montreal, Quebec - Hilton Bonaventure

With the recent mode of Trans-Atlantic studies in the fields of Hispanic, Lusophone and Latin American studies, much attention has been paid to cultural exchanges between Spain and Portugal and the Americas. This research has greatly enriched understandings of the complexities of this contentious relationship through the cross-disciplinary study of myriad cultural productions, yet it remains largely premised on an image of Spanish and Portuguese identities defined by the conquest and colonization of America. What remains barely discernable in these discussions, are the contours of the “modern” empire and post-imperial discourses that marked the two nations as they entered the 20th century. Considerably less scholarly work has examined texts that reflect on Iberian colonial and imperial endeavors, or that represent the experiences of post-imperial travelers in East Asia during this time. However, fiction and non-fiction narratives of colonial adventures and political resistance, missionary travails, and travel through Japan, China, Korea, Philippines, to mention just a few examples, provide a rich and largely unexplored counterpoint and complement to current understandings of Spain and Portugal post-imperial nations. This seminar will examine Spain and Portugal’s colonial and post/imperial encounters with East Asia as registered in writings in Spanish and Portuguese by peninsular and post/colonial authors from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Please send 250 word abstracts in Spanish, Portuguese or English to David George at dgeorge@bates.edu and Timothy Gaster at gaster@uchicago.edu.

Deadline: September 30, 2009

Please include with your abstract:

Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee)

Please note that the session is in “seminar” format which means that the 5-10 participants will complete and circulate their papers of no more than 20 pages in length prior to the convention. Instead of reading papers, participants give a brief presentation of 5-10 minutes of their work, with the session focused on structured exchange between the participants. Respondents may be invited by the chair.

The 41st Annual Convention will feature approximately 350 sessions, as well as dynamic speakers and cultural events. Details and the complete Call for Papers for the 2010 Convention will be posted in June: www.nemla.org.

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable.

Travel to Canada now requires a passport for U.S. citizens. Please get your passport application in early.