__________________________________________________
Call for Papers Theme: Intercultural Exchanges in the Age of Globalization Type: Annual International Conference Institution: Center for Philological and Intercultural Research (CPIR), Lucian Blaga University Location: Sibiu (Romania) Date: 15.–16.5.2014 Deadline: 14.4.2014 __________________________________________________ Context Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu will celebrate 45 years of uninterrupted tradition of higher education in Sibiu, between 12-18 May 2014. The Center for Philological and Intercultural Research (CPIR), set up in 2005 at the Faculty of Letters and Arts, takes this ceremonial occasion to launch the first edition of its annual international conference, entitled Intercultural Exchanges in the Age of Globalization. The Conference is addressed to all academics, researchers, doctoral students, from Romania and abroad, interested in the topic. Rationale Culture can be perceived as a network of characteristics, beliefs, values and practices, shaping the identity of a particular social group, therefore we may notice that accelerating process of globalization for the recent decades has made the distinction of cultures, as well as the identification and definition of various forms of interculturality, an increasingly difficult process. Further to intensified cultural exchanges at the dawn of the third millennium, individuals become aware that their “natural” existence in the social context is not intraculturality, but rather interculturality, broadly defined as a form of interaction among two or more cultures. The ensuing process, however, has triggered heated controversy in contemporary academia, further divided into “apocalytic” and “integrated”, according to Umberto Eco. On the one hand, the “apocalyptic” opponents to globalization caution that globalization might represent merely a means of dominating or annihilating “minor/peripheral” cultures by “major/imperial” cultures. On the other hand, the integrated intellectuals firmly believe that globalization will not only lead to enriched identities and established cultural differences, but also to the emergence of new cultures that will most likely disregard traditional compartmentalizing/distinctions (nation, religion, race, sex, etc.). Therefore, what is the real meaning of globalization from an intercultural perspective? Furthermore, is there any means of overcoming the „either/or” logic, enabled by an intercultural approach? The main goal of the conference is to explore the aforementioned alternatives as well as the legitimacy of such a dilemma, thus highlighting the complexity and diversity of intercultural exchanges in the age of globalization. Topics The main objectives of the conference are to provide answers to the following questions: - Is globalization a catalyst of cultural diversity or, on the other hand, it represents a mere alibi for identitary homogenization within a particular dominant culture? - What kind of effects are cultural minorities subject to in the age of globalization? - What is the role played by language, literature, arts, religion, ideologies and technologies in the process of intercultural exchanges? - How can we assess the expansion of certain phenomena, such as: bilingualism, plurilingualism, migration and acculturation from the vantage point of globalization? - What are the effects of the new information and communication technologies upon interculturality? - To what an extent can recent globalizing trends contribute to a re-interpretation of intercultural exchanges of former eras? Disciplines The Conference will address topics from the following disciplines: - Literature - Linguistics - Cultural studies - Folk culture - Anthropology and folklore - Spirituality - History and philosophy of culture - Gender studies - Postcolonial studies - Social sciences (sociology, political sciences, psychology, economics, law, educational sciences), natural and applied sciences; as long as the presentations highlight cultural connotations Abstracts Abstracts (c. 1000-1500 signs, including spaces) should be sent to c...@ulbsibiu.ro before 14 April 2014. Conference languages Papers may be prepared and delivered in Romanian, French and/or English. Papers accepted for publication in the Conference Proceedings shall be written in English. Conference fee 35 EUR/ 150 RON – participation and presentation during the conference 50 EUR/ 220 RON – videoconference participation (via Skype) No payment of conference fee is required for members of the CPIR. Publication Papers presented during the conference shall be published in a Thomson Reuters (ISI-indexed) proceedings volume. Deadlines Abstracts should be sent before: 14 April 2014 Conference: 15-16 May 2014 Final version of full paper: 1 June 2014 Contact: Conference Committee "Intercultural Exchanges" Center for Philological and Intercultural Research The Faculty of Letters and Arts Lucian Blaga University 5-7, Victoriei Bd. RO-550024 Sibiu Romania Email: c...@ulbsibiu.ro Web: http://litere.ulbsibiu.ro/exchanges __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
