MCLC: Reconsidering Sinophone Literature--cfp

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Reconsidering Sinophone Literature–cfp
Call for Papers (ACLA Proposal, March 2016, Harvard University)
Reconsidering Sinophone Literature and its “Politics of Recognition”
Organizer: Ling Kang, Washington University in St. Louis
Co-Organizer: Melody Yunzi Li, Washington University in St. Louis
When Shu-mei Shih coined the term “Sinophone” in her 2004 article “Global Literature and the Technologies of Recognition,” she made it explicit that the concept of Sinophone is not a descriptive one delineating literature “which is assumed to be known.” Rather, it aims at shifting the “politics of recognition” to that “which[s] need to be learned by effort.” The past decade has witnessed scholars’ efforts to deterritorialize modern and contemporary Chinese literature as a mainland-centric and monolithic field which eulogizes a homogenous “Chinese culture” and “Chineseness” while disparaging writings produced by ethnic minorities inside the People’s Republic of China and by various Chinese-speaking communities outside. Still, the concept of “Sinophone literature” itself has more often than not been taken for granted as a neutral “reality,” a literary phenomenon that always-already exists.
This seminar aims at a critical reconsideration of the Sinophone’s theoretical framework. How does it enhance our understanding of Chinese-language cultural production? What can it do, what can’t it do? How to carry further the Sinophpone’s politics of recognition? We welcome papers that tackle various representational forms (literature, music, film, drama, etc.) produced in Sinophone communities all over the world (Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Europe, United States, etc.) which will facilitate discussion on the Sinophone’s conceptual components and cultural and political ramifications. Possible topics include but are not limited to:
What do “home” and “origin” mean in Sinophone texts? Does “diaspora” have an “expiration date”? How do Sinophone writers (filmmakers, etc) rethink, reimagine or problematize these notions?
How does “localization” take place? How do Sinophone subjects negotiate or contest their relationship with their adopted lands? In particular, how do Sinophone works address and grapple with their respective colonial and post-colonial conditions?
While the focal point of the Sinophone theory is to challenge the cultural hegemony of mainland China, what are other power relations that partake of the construction of Sinophone works? In particular, how do Sinophone texts involve the transnational power dynamics, such as imperialism, communism, globalization, etc.?
What characterize the “technology of writing/filming/performing” of Sinophone works? What are their distinctive linguistic or semiotic choices? How do they deal with Chinese characters, scripts, and pronunciation?
How can we further the “politics of recognition” underlying Sinophone literature in meaningful ways? For example, how can we think of Sinophone writings in the context of world literature? What new problematics can be brought in?
We welcome proposals addressing these questions as well as other related issues. Please send them to Ling Kang (lingkang at wustl.edu) and Melody Li (melodyli at wustl.edu).
The proposal website: http://www.acla.org/seminar/reconsidering-sinophone-literature-and-its-%E2%80%9Cpolitics-recognition%E2%80%9D
by denton.2 at osu.edu on September 21, 2015
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