Conference Call
2026 MELOW International Conference to be held
at
MCMDAV COLLEGE FOR WOMEN, Sector 36, Chandigarh
20-22 November 2026
THEME - LITERATURE FOR PEACE: NARRATIVES OF
CO-EXISTENCE
In 1827, Goethe famously proclaimed that World
literature can promote better international understanding, serve as a link
between national literatures, and facilitate the exchange of ideal values. It can be an
“intellectual barter system”. Around
the same time, Shelley believed that poets are the unacknowledged legislators
of the world. And about a century later, on Sept 1, 1939, WH Auden spoke of the
poet’s voice that can undo the folded lie of the man in the street and the
powers that be. The question that arises is – does literature have the power to
make a difference? Can it provide peace and happiness for a world in pain? In
an age marked by violence and fragmentation, we are compelled to ask what
writers – poets, philosophers, thinkers – can do to counter the tides of hatred
and suspicion, and restore a measure of balance to human civilization. At the same time, we in India wonder what happened to
the ahimsa that the father of our nation wished to promote in the world?
At a moment when the world urgently needs to pause and
reflect on its unceasing fractures, the 28th MELOW International Conference proposes to examine the role of literature in fostering peace and
coexistence.
Bringing together like-minded scholars and thinkers from different backgrounds, the annual MELOW 2026 conference aims to explore the various dimensions of peace as imagined in literature. Peace is not a simplistic or ideal state; it emerges through tensions, compassion, contradictions, and dedicated human endeavour.
The suggested
thematic strands include:
1.
From
conflict to peace: How literature translates violence into empathy
2. Interreligious
harmony and pluralism in literature: Gandhi, Tagore, Aurobindo, Nanak, Kabir, Amir Khusro,
and beyond
3.
Women’s
writing for peace: Maternal voices, domestic spaces, caregiving
4.
Ecologies
of Peace: The bond between nature and human life
5.
Building
peace through humour: Satire, comic inversions, clowning as a means of
dissolving aggression
6.
Building
peace through children’s literature: Teaching compassion and tolerance through storytelling
Abstracts (200-250 words)
are invited on any of these sub-themes.
Keep in mind: (i) our
mandate is World Literature. (ii) Abstracts will be checked for
plagiarism and AI-Generated content.
Important Dates
Deadline for
abstracts: 6 July 2026
Acceptance letters
to be sent by 1 August 2026
Delegate fee to be
submitted by 15 August 2026
Full papers (those
competing for the ISM Award): 1 October 2026
Full papers (those
who wish to publish in MEJO): 1 November 2026
Final program to
be ready by 10 November 2026
Conference
Dates: 20-22 November 2026
MODE OF ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Please fill out this Google
form as directed:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DGOwRppEcz7CedQeMVUC-yFwVEM1cVkcTF1sjR25eEk/edit?ts=69e20a0b
NOTE
Presenters need to be at least
postgraduate research scholars, teachers, or independent scholars.
All abstracts will be peer-reviewed
before they are accepted.
This is an in-person conference.
Online sessions may be considered for delegates from outside India.
All paper presenters need to be
members of MELOW. If you are not a member, you may send your abstract now and
apply for membership once it is accepted.
Details of membership/registration
fees will be sent along with the acceptance letter.
ISAAC SEQUEIRA
MEMORIAL AWARD
In memory of the late Prof Isaac Sequeira, MELOW annually awards a prize for the best paper presented by a young scholar (below forty at the time of the conference). The award comprises a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 5,000. The competition is open to Indian citizens who are members of MELOW. The abstract and paper should be submitted by the stipulated deadline in the required format. Joint entries are not eligible for the ISM Award.
For further inquiries, please email: melusmelow@gmail.com
Our website: www.melow.in
ABOUT
MELOW
MELOW
(The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the World) was
first set up in 1997 as MELUS-India. It is an academic organization, among the
foremost of its kind in India. The members are college and university teachers,
scholars and critics interested in literature, particularly in world
literatures, and literary connections across borders of time and space. The
organization meets every year over an international conference. It seeks to
maintain academic standards, encourages younger scholars, and provides a forum
for a fruitful exchange between upcoming and senior scholars in literature.
MEJO, The MELOW journal has
existed in hard print for more than a decade. It is now published annually
online.
Current
Office Bearers of MELOW
The
Governing Body
Vice-President: Debarati Bandyopadhyay, Prof, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, WB
Secretary: Manpreet Kaur Kang, Prof, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi
Jt. Secretary: Roshan Lal Sharma, Prof, C.U. of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala
Treasurer: Hem Raj Bansal, Assoc, Prof., CUHP, Dharamshala
Regional Representatives
- Professor Sanjay Mukherjee (Gujarat)
- Professor JapPreet Bhangu (Punjab)
- Professor Kalpana Purohit (Rajasthan)
- Professor Neela Sarkar (WB)
- Professor Meenu Gupta (Chandigarh)
- Professor Jyoti Mishra (Chhattisgarh)
Advisory Board
- Professor Anil Raina (Panjab University, Chandigarh)
- Professor Bilge Cetintas (Turkey)
- Professor Daniel Kalinowski (Poland)
- Professor Dipankar Purkayastha (Silchar, India)
- Professor Eric Chinje (USA)
- Professor Giorgio Mariani (University of Rome,
Italy)
- Professor Khagendra Acharya (Kathmandu, Nepal)
- Professor Nayan Deep S. Kanwal (Malaysia/USA)
- Professor Pawel Jędrzejko (University of Silesia,
Katowice, Poland)
- Professor Rajeshwari Pandharipande (University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
- Professor Rui Kohiyama (Japan)
- Professor Ui Teramoto (Japan)
Reach us on: www.melow.in, www.melusmelow.blogspot.in
and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003036474708&fref=ts
Email: melusmelow@gmail.com
