Acceptance of Abstracts

Acceptance / regret emails have been sent to all delegates.
In case of doubt please contact mjaidka@gmail.com   
(only in case of doubt!)
Also, please check your security settings and spam bin, too, just in case....

ISM Long List

Abstracts of the following ISM competitors have been selected in the first round:

Anjum Tahir

Bhanupriya Rohilla

Khem Raj Sharma

Neepa Sarkar

Nisha Vishwanathan

Panchali Mukherjee

Renuka Dhyani

Rima Chakraborty

Rudrani Gangopadhya

Saidul Haque

Sugandha Malhotra..

You need to submit full papers (approx 3500 - 4000 words, following the latest MLA Handbook) by the 15th of November.

Congratulations on getting through the first round.

Send your papers to me at melusmelow@gmail.com

Other ISM delegates whose abstracts have not been shortlisted may appear in the General Category with the other participants. They need not submit advance papers but should bring them along for the conference.

List of ISM Competitors, Feb 2016 Conference

ISM PARTICIPANTS, PLEASE NOTE:
This is a list of names who are competing for the Isaac Sequeira Memorial Award, 2016. In case of discrepancy please email mjaidka@gmail.com rightaway!

List of ISM competitors:

1. Anjum Tahir
2. Arpita Ghosh
3. Aruna Bhat
4. Avinanda Nath
5. Baljeet Kaur
6. Bashabi Gogoi
7. Bhanupriya Rohila
8. Bipasha Som
9. Gurleen Babra
10. Ishita Jain
11. Khem Raj Sharma
12. Krishanu Adhikari
13. Lois Jose
14. Lisha Sinha
15. Mansi Mehra
16. Mongneilam Kipgen
17. Narendra Kumar
18. Neepa Sarkar
19. Nisha Vishwanathan
20. Oindrilla Ghosh
21. Panchali Mukerjee
22. Parminder Singh
23. Preeti Singh
24. Rakesh Kumar
25. Reema Chakrabarti
26. Renuka Dhyani
27. Rima Chakraborty
28. Ritika Singh
29. Rudrani Gangopadhya
30. Shah Al Mamun Sarkar
31. Saidul Haque
32. Shweta Tewari
33. Somjit Haldar
34. Sreenath V.S.
35. Sugandha Malhotra
36. Sukanya Mondal
37. Suman Sharma
38. Sumati
39. Sunaina Jain
40. Surya Kiran
41. Ujhala Devi

Regarding abstracts for 2016 MELOW

DELEGATES OF MELOW 2016 PLEASE NOTE:

We received about 200 abstracts for the Feb 2016 conference. They are being screened at present by the committee in charge.

Approximately 40 of these submissions are for the ISM Competition.

The names of all ISM competitors will be posted on the Facebook and Blog.

IN CASE OF DISCREPANCY please email mjaidka@gmail.com

From the ISM participants a 'longlist' will be selected and then a 'shortlist'.

The shortlisted participants will be asked to send in complete papers by a given deadline.

Those who are not shortlisted/longlisted will be allowed to present papers in the General Category, ie, as non-competitors.

General Category, (non-ISM presenter), please note:

Your Acceptance letters will be sent as soon as possible.

You do not need to send in full papers. Just bring them along for the conference.

Thank you for your patience.

Deadline extended

Kindly note that the deadline for the Feb 2016 conference has been extended to 31st August 2015.

MELOW

(The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the World)

CONFERENCE CALL

15^th INTERNATIONAL MELOW CONFERENCE

Title: Towards Praxis: Literature, Society and Politics

To be hosted by Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India

Tentative dates: 12-14 Feb 2016

We live in a fast-paced age with our attention distracted by high-tech gadgets, computers, smart phones, and other devices that are meant to provide a short cut to ‘success.’ At the same time, we have become suspicious of all ideas, all concepts, that attempt to map this fast-paced life. Being unable to live with the notion of ‘essences’, we live now in a world of cognitive incertitude. From Prufrock’s “It is impossible to say just what I mean,” we, in our postmodernist technology-savvy world, have graduated to rejoice not only at our growing command over technology, but surprisingly also at our inability to ‘mean’.

Where, in this hurly burly of life, this ‘chaosmos’, does literature stand today? Is it totally irrelevant or does it still serve a serious purpose, refining our finer sensibilities, adding an ‘aesthetic’ touch to human life, keeping it connected with the ‘higher’ aspects of life? To modify the question Auden asked, does literature make anything happen? Does it make us better human beings? Does it have a civilizing effect on society? Or is it absolutely irrelevant in today’s world, in spite of the gender, race, class, caste, and ecological issues that it often raises?

For centuries, we have been debating whether literature just reflects life or really transforms us by reflecting on life. Does a literary text change the way we think, or live, or act? Does it address the issue of our ‘constructedness’? Does it only show us the possibilities for future, or does it give us a direction, too? Does it help us adapt to changes that have already taken place, or does it help us change the world through ‘the ethics of resilience.’ The issue of ‘human transformation’ becomes more significant in the supposedly post-humanist universe that we are supposed to be already in, or perhaps entering.

The MELOW 2016 conference would focus on the relevance of literature and on how effective a literary text is in changing the social fabric of the world. It will explore the innate power of literature to transform the world and debate on related issues. Abstracts not exceeding 250 words are invited on the issues listed below. They should be sent to the respective panel heads (email ids given) by the 31^st of August 2015.

1.    Theoretical considerations: Is literature relevant in today’s world? Is it possible for literary texts to change the world/society? What is the relationship between literature and active politics? Send abstracts to Prof Anil Raina aneelraina@gmail.com

2.    Books that changed the world: Literary landmarks written with a specific social agenda.  Send abstracts to Dr Roshan Sharma. roshanlal.sharma@gmail.com  

3.    Children’s Literature: fairy tales, adventure stories, moral tales and nonsense literature. What purpose do they serve? Send abstracts to Prof Manju Jaidka. mjaidka@gmail.com

4.    The uses of escapist literature:  Fantasy, science fiction, gothic and horror stories.  Utopias and Dystopias. Send abstracts to Dr. Manpreet Kang. roohipannu@yahoo.co.uk

5.    Science and speculative fiction: the futuristic and the posthuman. Send abstracts to Prof. Ashis Sengupta. ashmit_2003@yahoo.com    

Instructions to all prospective delegates:

Your abstract (of about 250 words) should be sent in the TEXT BOX of the email (not as attachment). The following information, in the given format, should be sent along with the abstract:

Name of Delegate Official designation Address and email id

MELUS/MELOW conferences attended earlier (in which year and where)

Are you currently a member of MELUS or MELOW? Or do you need a fresh / renewed membership? Please specify.

Title of Abstract

ABSTRACT [Text] 250 words max.

·       The subject line of your message should read thus:

•        ABSTRACT 2016: [YOUR NAME] and [If applicable, state if you are an Indian citizen below 40, competing for the ISM award]*

•        Deadline for receipt of abstracts is  31 Aug 2015 

All abstracts will be peer-reviewed before they are accepted. Do not send full papers. Once acceptance letters are sent full papers (approx 3,000 words) will be invited only from participants (under 40 years of age) competing for the Isaac Sequeira Memorial Award. The rest need to bring their complete papers along at the time of the conference.

*   ISAAC SEQUEIRA MEMORIAL AWARD:

In the memory of our patron, Prof Isaac Sequeira, MELUS-India / MELOW annually awards a prize for the best paper presented at its conference. The award will comprise a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 5,000.

The competition is open to Indian citizens who are members of MELUS-India or MELOW. The competing participant / delegate should be less than forty years of age at the time of the conference. The abstract and complete paper should be submitted by the stipulated deadlines before it is presented at the conference.

15th INTERNATIONAL MELOW CONFERENCE. FEB 2016

MELOW

(The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the World)

CONFERENCE CALL

15^th INTERNATIONAL MELOW CONFERENCE

Title: Towards Praxis: Literature, Society and Politics

To be hosted by Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India

Tentative dates: 19-21 Feb 2016

We live in a fast-paced age with our attention distracted by high-tech gadgets, computers, smart phones, and other devices that are meant to provide a short cut to ‘success.’ At the same time, we have become suspicious of all ideas, all concepts, that attempt to map this fast-paced life. Being unable to live with the notion of ‘essences’, we live now in a world of cognitive incertitude. From Prufrock’s “It is impossible to say just what I mean,” we, in our postmodernist technology-savvy world, have graduated to rejoice not only at our growing command over technology, but surprisingly also at our inability to ‘mean’.

Where, in this hurly burly of life, this ‘chaosmos’, does literature stand today? Is it totally irrelevant or does it still serve a serious purpose, refining our finer sensibilities, adding an ‘aesthetic’ touch to human life, keeping it connected with the ‘higher’ aspects of life? To modify the question Auden asked, does literature make anything happen? Does it make us better human beings? Does it have a civilizing effect on society? Or is it absolutely irrelevant in today’s world, in spite of the gender, race, class, caste, and ecological issues that it often raises?

For centuries, we have been debating whether literature just reflects life or really transforms us by reflecting on life. Does a literary text change the way we think, or live, or act? Does it address the issue of our ‘constructedness’? Does it only show us the possibilities for future, or does it give us a direction, too? Does it help us adapt to changes that have already taken place, or does it help us change the world through ‘the ethics of resilience.’ The issue of ‘human transformation’ becomes more significant in the supposedly post-humanist universe that we are supposed to be already in, or perhaps entering.

The MELOW 2016 conference would focus on the relevance of literature and on how effective a literary text is in changing the social fabric of the world. It will explore the innate power of literature to transform the world and debate on related issues. Abstracts not exceeding 250 words are invited on the issues listed below. They should be sent to the respective panel heads (email ids given) by the 31^st of August 2015.

1.    Theoretical considerations: Is literature relevant in today’s world? Is it possible for literary texts to change the world/society? What is the relationship between literature and active politics? Send abstracts to Prof Anil Raina aneelraina@gmail.com

2.    Books that changed the world: Literary landmarks written with a specific social agenda.  Send abstracts to Dr Roshan Sharma. roshanlal.sharma@gmail.com  

3.    Children’s Literature: fairy tales, adventure stories, moral tales and nonsense literature. What purpose do they serve? Send abstracts to Prof Manju Jaidka. mjaidka@gmail.com

4.    The uses of escapist literature:  Fantasy, science fiction, gothic and horror stories.  Utopias and Dystopias. Send abstracts to Dr. Manpreet Kang. roohipannu@yahoo.co.uk

5.    Science and speculative fiction: the futuristic and the posthuman. Send abstracts to Prof. Ashis Sengupta. ashmit_2003@yahoo.com    

Instructions to all prospective delegates:

Your abstract (of about 250 words) should be sent in the TEXT BOX of the email (not as attachment). The following information, in the given format, should be sent along with the abstract:

Name of Delegate Official designation Email id

MELUS/MELOW conferences attended earlier (in which year and where)

Are you currently a member of MELUS or MELOW? Or do you need a fresh / renewed membership? Please specify.

Title of Abstract

ABSTRACT [Text] 250 words max.

·       The subject line of your message should read thus:

•        ABSTRACT 2016: [YOUR NAME] and [If applicable, state if you are an Indian citizen below 40, competing for the ISM award]*

•        Deadline for receipt of abstracts is 31 Aug 2015 

All abstracts will be peer-reviewed before they are accepted. Do not send full papers. Once acceptance letters are sent full papers (approx 3,000 words) will be invited only from participants (under 40 years of age) competing for the Isaac Sequeira Memorial Award. The rest need to bring their complete papers along at the time of the conference.

*   ISAAC SEQUEIRA MEMORIAL AWARD:

In the memory of our patron, Prof Isaac Sequeira, MELUS-India / MELOW annually awards a prize for the best paper presented at its conference. The award will comprise a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 5,000.

The competition is open to Indian citizens who are members of MELUS-India or MELOW. The competing participant / delegate should be less than forty years of age at the time of the conference. The abstract and complete paper should be submitted by the stipulated deadlines before it is presented at the conference.

Revised papers of 2015 conference

Any MELOW member  interested in publishing his/herpaper presented at the 14th International Conference held at Chandigarh in February 2015 is advised to send a revised copy of the presented paper by 31st March 2015 to Prof. Anil Raina (aneelraina@gmail.com) with a copy to Dr. Manpreet Kang (roohipannu@yahoo.co.uk). There is no need to send a hard copy.

The paper should be documented as per latest MLA Guidelines, and not exceed 5000 words.

Manju Jaidka

Secy, MELOW