Call for Papers: 13th Conference of
the Association of Caribbean Women
Writers and Scholars
The 13th International Conference of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars (ACWWS), organized under the theme “The Caribbean, the Land and the People: Women’s Efforts, Women’s Lives,” will take place on May 8-12, 2012 in Paramaribo, Suriname. The deadline for proposals is November 31, 2011.
Description: With the title “The Caribbean, the Land and the People,” the local committee in Suriname wants to focus on the Caribbean as a geographic region and the people that populate this region. In this conference the organizers want to outline the possibilities and the restrictions of life on a Caribbean island or in the Caribbean region. What does it mean to be a local Caribbean and what is (was/will be) happening with the people in this part of the world? Which chances and opportunities do writers have? Which literary art products does this region have and do these products deserve international attention? What are the possibilities for the Caribbean to highlight their cultural and intellectual works to a global level?
The subtitle, “Women’s Efforts, Women’s Lives,” links the conference theme and organizing questions to issues of gender, an utmost concern of the ACWWS. It also identifies the role of women as generative in the formation of Caribbean communities. We can even take the theme literally as we think of the many women who made (and still make) their livings out of the Caribbean’s soil, growing food and cultivating agricultural products. Because of the large number of Surinamese literary and cultural producers, this conference aims to look at the new challenges in the writing and studying of Caribbean creative writing in a kaleidoscopic way.
Proposals: Panel proposals must include (in addition to the requirements for Individual Paper Proposals) a detailed abstract for each paper, a designated chair, and a short statement as to why the submissions should be considered as a panel. Individual Paper Proposals must include: a title, a 200-word abstract, and a short bio. Participants must be dues-paying members of ACWWS to present at the conference. All proposals must be received by November 31, 2011.
For more information, you may contact waranasolutions@gmail.com or ismene.krishnadath@gmail.com and see the ACWWS website at http://www.acwws.org