Orientations: A Conference of Narrative and Place 2018


Our relationship to space and place is a continual, evolving, ever-pressing concern. Economic, social and political anxieties are once again being articulated through spatial forms of control: from the restriction of free movement and migration, to surveillance and the nation state, to debates regarding the ownership of space itself. Seemingly fixed markers of place, such as national boundaries or regional borders, are now threatened with increasing volatility. As such, this conference seeks to interrogate the connection between narrative, space and place across disciplines and timeframes.

Due to recent political events, space has once again become an intimate concern for citizens across the globe. These ruptures have deeply affected our relationship with place, as well as made us reevaluate our histories, communities, identities, and everyday conversations. As our sense of self becomes ever more spatially oriented, we invite discussion concerning narratives of lived and imagined experience; in this way the conference addresses the timely need for the convergence of critical practices attuned to both environmental and spatial relations.

This interdisciplinary conference is open to scholars working in Literature, Cultural Studies, Creative Writing, Classics, History, Archaeology, Film Studies, Media Studies, Heritage, Geography, Politics and Sociology. Presentations other than traditional academic papers – e.g. short films, photography, artwork and readings – are heartily welcomed.