Transcultural Encounters: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Language, History, and Culture in a Global Society (PGR Student-led Conference), 6 June 2024, Cardiff University

Transcultural Encounters: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Language, History, and Culture in a Global Society

PGR Student-led Conference – Call for Papers

Thursday 6^th of June 2024, Cardiff University

Language, history, and culture are the markers that both bring together and divide people, societies, and the world. Following the success of last year’s event, we will be running another in-person, free-to-attend conference, hosted by Cardiff University’s School of Modern Languages and supported by the ESRC/Wales Doctoral Training Partnership. This conference aims to highlight and celebrate interdisciplinary research that explores how language, history, and culture define us, and how we define them, in an interconnected global society. Drawing from three research streams—history and heritage; translation and interpreting; and global language-based area studies—we are asking how postgraduate students from across the humanities and social sciences navigate these themes in their research. 

The conference aims to further establish a communication platform between PGR students from different fields. Like last year, it covers a wide range of areas in the humanities and social sciences and provides participants with opportunities for sharing results, collaborating on research, and gaining new knowledge. Participants will receive feedback on their papers from their peers and from experts in a variety of disciplines. They will attend talks by keynote speakers, engage in networking, and benefit from the highly popular methods workshops and surgeries on research-related topics. For early-stage PGR students, the conference will offer valuable insights and guidance on starting a career in research. 

We are looking for papers that cover (but are not limited to) the following subthemes:  

History and Heritage: 

Understanding how the past is represented and portrayed can reveal insights into our present. A multicultural, multilingual, and transnational approach to history, heritage, and culture—here in Wales, in the wider UK, and abroad—illustrates human connections made not just across space, but across time. Methodologies encompassing media sources—including photography, film, radio, and both literary and graphic novels—and investigating processes of musealisation and memorialisation, are testament to how everything from earth-shattering events to the mundane everyday all contribute to shaping contemporary understandings of the past. We welcome abstracts that examine the role of history and heritage in today’s increasingly globalised and interconnected world. Possible topics include: 

• How representations of the past reflect the present
• Multicultural, multilingual, and transnational approaches to history and heritage
• Antislavery, post-conflict, disaster, and memory
• Critical methodologies for documenting the past

Translation and Interpreting: 

The power of translation in connecting human beings can never be overstated, from political negotiations to daily conversations, from literary works to films and videogames, from preserving historical memories to pushing forward societal changes. Translation empowers and enables us to express ourselves, while demanding that we reflect in more depth on our relationship with “others”—be they other people, other cultures, or other ideologies. As professions and as subjects of research, however, translation and interpreting are in the midst of a paradigmatic shift, owing to evolving factors such as the prevalence of non-professional practices and the rise of generative AI technologies. Research exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by these contemporary changes is more valuable than ever. We welcome abstracts that examine the role of translation and interpreting in today’s increasingly globalised and interconnected world. Possible topics include: 

• Translation and interpreting theories, methods, and practice in various industries
• The impact of new technologies on translation and interpreting
• Specialised and non-professional translation and interpreting
• Interdisciplinary translation and interpreting, including language acquisition and evolution
• Research methodology in translation and interpreting

Global language-based area studies: 

We are interested in the politics, society, languages, and cultures of the connected world, placing an emphasis on transnational phenomena, creative and critical thinking, and social science- and humanities-led methodologies in addressing the crises of our times. We place particular emphasis on rethinking area studies, breaking disciplinary boundaries, and using innovative research methods and theoretical perspectives. We welcome abstracts that examine the role of global language-based studies in today’s increasingly globalised and interconnected world. Possible topics include:

• The politics, society, languages, and cultures of the connected world;
• Transnational phenomena, such as crisis and culture;
• How to rethink area studies and break disciplinary boundaries;
• Languages: multilingualism, language learning, and linguistics;
• Movements: socio-political, intellectual, ideological, industrial, and non-governmental

Individual and panel paper submissions are due by 5pm on the 9th of May 2024 and should include an abstract (maximum 250 words), three-five keywords, and a biographical note (maximum 150 words). Please submit a Word document to mlangconference@cardiff.ac.uk. We will let you know the outcome of your submission by the 16th of May 2024. We can also advise on accommodation arrangements, if required.

Venue:

Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University

King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WT

Local Organising Committee:

Dr Andrew Dowling                         Zoey Morgan                     Emily Bush                          Jacob Lloyd         Elise Unwin                                                Shanshan Xie                     Chen Yang

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at mlangconference@cardiff.ac.uk.