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Call for Papers
"The East-West Discourse: Symbolic Geography and its Consequences"
International Conference
Victoria University
Wellington (New Zealand)
21-22 March 2010
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Invoking the dichotomy between “the West” and “the East” allows
authors to evoke a series of other binary contrasts. A non-exhaustive
list might include modernity vs. tradition, rationality vs.
sensuality, materialism vs. spirituality, Christianity vs. Islam,
Democracy vs. Communism, etc. While some authors from “the West” have
extolled “the East” for its pleasing exoticism, binary dichotomies
tend to be morally loaded in favour of the “The West,” which
supposedly represents civilization, freedom and progress vis-à-vis
barbarism, slavery and stagnation.
Edward Said’s “Orientalism” has provided an influential critique of
such discourse, and eventually inspired Ian Buruma, Avishanti
Margalit, and James Carrier to study the counter-discourse of
“Occidentalism.” The East-West discourse indeed carries such dense
political, cultural and philosophical associations that it may become
entirely removed from any geographic facts. Nevertheless, the
dichotomy retains its popularity as an analytical concept among
scholars and popular authors.
The Antipodean East European Study Group will attempt to re-ground
the East-West dichotomy in particular contexts and problematize its
implicit assumptions. How does the rhetoric of East vs. West play out
in specific places and times? We are seeking papers for a conference
to be held on the weekend of 21-22 March 2010 at Victoria University,
Wellington, New Zealand. Up to five selected papers will be
considered for publication in a themed issue of the Journal of
Australian Slavonic and East European Studies (ranked B by the
Australian Research Council). The keynote speaker is Charles Ingrao
of Purdue University (Indiana). Send abstracts by 15 October 2009.
Contact:
Alexander Maxwell
Victoria University, Wellington
Phone: +64 (4) 463-6753
Fax: +64 (4) 463-5261
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/antipodean/upcoming-events.aspx
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