Conference “James Joyce, Irish Studies and North American Imaginaries”

The main topic of these academic encounters, hosted by the Franklin Institute of North American Studies at the Universidad de Alcalá, tackles all kinds of literary, artistic and cultural passages extant between James Joyce’s milestone work –in relation and broadening the scope to Irish Studies in general— having Atlantic (inter)connections with the US and North American countries as main target. Although free-topic papers are also accepted, this event favours analyses that cover all sorts of cultural contaminations between the two continents, coming from contemporary theoretical approaches. Therefore, possible areas of research can include, but are not limited to:

• James Joyce & Irish Literature and Culture in the ‘New World’ Imaginary: the American Dream, ‘Manifest Destiny’, ideological liberation
• James Joyce & Irish Literature and Culture in War and Trauma Imaginaries: Class Fights, Gangs, Sects, Religious & Ideological Violence
• James Joyce & Irish Literature and Culture in Gender Imaginaries: Corporealities, Feminisms, Materialities, (new) Masculinities
• James Joyce & Irish Literature and Culture in the American Natural Landscape Imaginary: Environmental Justice, Toxic Discourse, Preservation of Parks, Gardens and Places
• James Joyce & Irish Literature and Culture in Imaginaries on Individuation and the Construction of the Self: New Epiphanies, Extraordinary Personalities, Awakenings and Urges of the Mind, Freaks
• James Joyce and Irish diaspora imaginaries in the American continent
• The James Joyce “industry” in North American literary and cultural imaginaries

We welcome papers, both in English or Spanish, tackling the aforementioned or other similar Joycean topics, as well as general issues on contemporary Irish Studies in connection with North American studies. Potential contributors should send a title, followed by full name and affiliation, accompanied by a brief abstract and bioblurb, of approximately 100 words each, to jioliva@ull.edu.es before April 10 2023. Acceptance will be notified approximately a week after the proposal is sent to the organizers. Further information will be sent by personal e-mail notification.

Date: May, 11th and 12th, 2023

Location: Instituto Franklin-UAH