Border – Borderlands – Borderline: Spaces of Encounters in Canadian Studies
For its lack of a geographical and ethical centre and the close
proximity of most of its population to the border with the United
States, and thus to US media and culture, Marshall McLuhan has described Canada as a “borderline case” (Canada: The Borderline Case, 1977). As William H. New contended in his reflections on “borderline metaphors” (Borderlands, 1998), Canadian society and discourses have been marked by a multitude of border-related themes – among them separatism, multiculturalism, colonial attitudes, language policy, etc. Thus, Canada can be viewed as a prime example of a space of encounters, in which an abundance of cultural, ethnical, social and political borders reside and shape the lives, views and identities of its inhabitants. For more information on the conference and the final program, please have a look at the epxanded article below. If you would like to participate, please let us know by email, at nachwuchsforum@gmail.com.
Our conference aims at exploring the issue of borders in Canadian culture in general and in particular. We look forward to contributions from all academic disciplines that address concepts, realities and perceptions of borders in relation to Canadian culture and life. Research papers
should draw on specifically Canadian perspectives in the examination of border spaces in the fields of Anglo- and Francophone Canadian
literature, culture, art, film, theater, gender studies, cultural
studies, geography, history, politics, economics, linguistics, or
translation.
The conference is designed as a three-day event, with accompanying cultural program, taking place at different venues across Berlin. It is meant to provide young scholars in the field of Canadian Studies with an opportunity to present their current research to peers, to engage in discussion and exchange – and to further expand their academic networks. We thus look forward to more than 20 presentations by young Canadianist scholars from across the humanities and social sciences. We would also like to encourage you to join us at the conference. All graduate students and doctoral students are invited to join us for our 2012 annual conference in Berlin!
If you would like to attend, please just send a short email to nachwuchsforum@gmail.com. The current version of the conference programme is available here: Berlin_Program.pdf