Politics and Poetics of Nostalgia–cfp

MLA CFP: The Politics and Poetics of Nostalgia in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

Generally speaking, nostalgia enjoys a much more dominant position in the history of Chinese cultural discourse than it does in its western counterpart. Indeed, in the Chinese tradition, nostalgia is a common literary conceit used by authors to define their creative identity. To most of the contemporary Western critics, by contrast, nostalgia carries pejorative connotations. This session intends to complicate the subject of nostalgia, be it a feeling, an ideology, or a culturally coded concept, by contemplating the notion and use of nostalgia in modern and contemporary Chinese thinking. The organizer in particular invites proposals that offer new theoretical views of nostalgia by not only addressing the nostalgic impulse concealed or revealed in Chinese literature, film, and media, but also examining the ways in which nostalgia in these forms participates in the (re)construction of the society, culture, and the world. Possible topics are not restricted to the following but could relate nostalgia to cultural critique, literary aesthetics, national identity, individual identity, and historical intervention. Presentations that help contribute to a fresh understanding of Chinese nostalgia are especially welcome.

This special session proposed through the LLC Modern and Contemporary Chinese Forum investigates the nostalgic impulse concealed or revealed in Chinese literature, film, and media. Topics that relate nostalgia to cultural critique, literary aesthetics, and historical intervention are encouraged. Please send an approximate 300-word title and abstract proposal, 250-word minimum BIO and CV by 15 March 2017; Dr. Sijia Yao at the University of Nebraska (syao4@unl.edu).

Sijia Yao <syao4@unl.edu>

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