The manifestations of power in history, society, culture, science, international relations and politics are multi-faceted. Power has always been an integral dynamic of human relations, forms of government and domination, social class and cultural hegemony. Human achievements throughout history and the major events that have shaped international politics in the past and presenthave been deeply influenced by old and new conceptions of powers. The human experience over time and themetamorphosed shape of the world are simple reflections of the impact of power on the course of history and human development.
Critical readings of power have recently engaged in questioning long-standing narratives on social, political, gender, and even linguistics norms. The recent tradition of critical analysis in the humanities in general, and in political, legal, and media discourses in particular, paved the way for new understandings of the inherent dynamics of hegemony and domination in human relations and interactions. Academic disciplines such as sociology, history, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural studies have devoted more and more space for questioning established interpretations of different types of discourses, giving prominence to voices and attitudes that have long been forgotten or marginalized, to say the least.
These new orientations in critical and innovative readings of traditional narratives on power have grown into a counter-paradigm that has gradually advocated a more visible presence of the voices that have long been unheard. Widely referred to as empowerment, the new tradition has adopted a citizen-centered advocacy approach that is now most apparent in the discourses of human rights, gender studies, innovative artistic expressions, and post-colonial writings.
In literary and cultural studies, writers and critics have sought to interrogate the hegemonic discourses of narratives claiming authority and unity. Discourses of power such as ‘History’, the Enlightenment, colonialism, patriarchy, ethnocentrism, among many others, rest on ego-centric, supremacist ideologies that intend to devalue and exclude other forms of discourses that do not operate within the confines of their dogmatic frames. In an attempt to unlock discursive silences, narratives of empowerment spring from the premise that speaking truth to centers of power offers alternative visions, bringing to the limelight the narratives of those who were eclipsed in the shadow of “Grand Narratives” (Lyotard). The intricate relationship between narrative as a form of discourse and power (Foucault) offers venues for exploration in a transcultural world where limitations are transgressed, meaning is disseminated (Derrida; Bhabha) and identities are negotiated.
It is within this framework that the steering committee welcomes individual and panel proposals related, but not limited, to the following topics:
- The sociolinguistics of power
- Power in discourse studies
- National/international power
- Depictions of power in the media
- War and peace
- Empowerment and capacity building
- Representations of power and empowerment
- Imperialism and colonialism
- Genderand women studies
- Minorities and resistance
- Nationalism and power
- Power and memory
- Power and engaged arts
- Subversion and emancipation
Submission
We welcome individual abstracts for 20-minute presentations and complete panel proposals of four papers treating a similar theme or topic. Priority will be given to panel proposals. Participants are kindly invited to submit their proposals via the appropriate link below no later than April 30th, 2018. Notifications of acceptance will be communicated by May 31st, 2018.
– Individual submissions: http://bit.ly/2DxHlbH
– Panel submissions: http://bit.ly/2BDG5Of
We accept abstracts and papers written in English, Arabic and French.
TAELS editorial board will select a number of papers that will be published after peer-reviewing in a collective volume on the proceedings of the conference.
Participation fees
Presenters of accepted papers will be required to deposit a participation fee of 250 TND (250 Euros for international participants)to TAELS bank account no later than August 31st, 2018.
TAELS Bank Account
IBAN: TN 59 1070 5007 0481 8407 8872
Bank address: Rue HédiNouira – 1001 Tunis – Tunisia
Swift code: STBKTNT
TAELS Address: ISLG, Rue Ali Jemel, 6000, Gabes – Tunisia
The amount will cover:
For Tunisian participants:
- One full-accommodation night at a four-star hotel inSousse,
- Conference materials,
- Two copies of the conference proceedings after publication.
For international participants:
- Two full-accommodation nights at a four-star hotel in Sousse,
- Conference materials,
- Two copies of the conference proceedings after publication.
For advice and more details about transportation and accommodation, please send your requests to contact@taels.org. TAELS team will be happy to assist in making your stay most comfortable.
