Call for Papers "Orality and New Dimensions of Orality: Intersections in Theories and Materials in African Studies" Interdisciplinary Conference University of Leiden Leiden (Netherlands) 26-27 November 2004
Keynote speaker: Professor Karin Barber (University of Birmingham) Orality is an essential means for mental and emotive exchange as well as for artistic expression. However, oral communication in African languages has taken on new dimensions given by the increasing presence of literacy and technical media. Therefore, in this conference we intend to address the actual forms that African Orality takes in present contexts of communication and literary creation marked by the diffusion of print, radio, television and more recently the Internet. We ask attention for oral communication in rural, urban and new international spaces (created by electronic media) as well as for interactions between languages and styles. Linguistic, literary and anthropological researches have contributed to explore African orality from different methodological and theoretical perspectives as we can see in the studies concerning the shift from orality to literacy, the construction of identity (and gender), and the creation of new genres and styles. We suggest that an interdisciplinary approach can shed light on the complexity of oral communication in the present technological environment. E-mail the below address for the full text of the call for papers and send your abstract before 30 September 2004. Conference convenors: Mena Lafkioui and Daniela Merolla, University of Leiden Daniela Merolla African Literatures, Languages and Cultures of Africa (TCA) University of Leiden Postbox 9515 NL-2300 RA Leiden Mena Lafkioui Languages and Cultures of the Middle East (TCMO) University of Leiden Postbox 9515 NL-2300 RA Leiden Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.leidenuniv.nl/let/nieuws/index.html _________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org/ Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://agd.polylog.org/cal/
