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Panel: Time and difference in comparative world literary history

Panel at the XXII Congress of the ICLA, Macao SAR, China, July 29-August 2, 2019, Chairs: Haun Saussy (Comparative Literature, University of Chicago) and Karen-Margrethe Simonsen (Comparative Literature, Aarhus University)

Info about event

Time

Monday 29 July 2019, at 14:07 - Friday 2 August 2019, at 14:07

Location

Macau

Organizer

ICLA

For more than a hundred years, Western historicism has been criticized severely as being Eurocentric, too focused on nationhood, teleological, etc. During the 20thCentury, we witnessed a spatial turn that seemed to be more open to different developments. We also saw many experiments with episodic, multiple, or non-continuous history (e.g., Hollier, Gumbrecht, Cornis-Pope and Neubauer). At the same time, a new awareness of world literature put pressure on the genre of historiography. Despite the understanding of the need for more openness, it seemed difficult to include the whole world’s literature into any known model of historiography.

First of all, it is evident that different areas of the world have different histories, indeed different temporalities, and thus that different concepts of periodization are needed (cf. Zhang 53; Prendergast 6; Valdés, “Hacia una historia” 35). Can literary history accommodate this range of variation? Indeed, world literature may be too vast and too varied to be contained in one history. Some scholars have even suggested that we should give up writing a true world literary history since it would be immensely big and impossible to read (Damrosch, 2008). However, this has not hindered experiments in the genre, for instance Studying Transcultural Literary History (ed. G. Lindberg-Wada, 2006), and a new world literary history which is under way under the auspices of ICLA (ed. Zhang Longxi et al).

Yet historicization goes on all the time and is the backbone of many different scholarly practices. The question is not only how to write an all-encompassing world literary history; it is also how to historicize on a minor level, when one contextualizes readings and compares different literary traditions and genres. 

In this panel we invite an open discussion about possible models and practices of world literary history in a global age. If the Western model of literary historiography (including, its rationality, its focus on modernity, its concept of literature etc.) does not hold for world literature, we have to ask the question: is there another way of historicizing that fits world literature better? And how does the perspective of world literature cause us to rethink the historicity of literature?

For instance, how can a global literary history be rethought from the perspective of Africa, Asia or South America? How will Western historiography be changed in light of perspectives from other parts of the world? What are the consequences for periodization? How restrictive is the concept of literature, and how do we study the travel of genres and text forms across borders and periods? What hierarchy is there between genres? How do we decide what decisive literary (or political) events create the framework of literary histories? And why would we even want to write literary history? What is the function of literary history in a global world? Is it educational, political or ethical?

In the panel we invite new approaches and reflections on world literary history, whether theoretical or focusing on specific case studies.

 

List of possible topicsinclude but are not limited to:

-       Practical and theoretical problems of writing world literary history

-       Contextualization at different levels

-       Transcultural perspectives on literary history

-       Periodization in light of world literature

-       Canonization in varied contexts

-       Comparative approaches to world literary history

-       Reading practices in light of world literary history

-       The concept of literature and development of genres across borders

-       Temporalization: scale, longue durée vs. micro histories

-       Epistemological frameworks: narrative vs. encyclopedic models, normative vs. factual

-       Problems of translation related to literary history

-       Multidirectional history writing

-       The political/ethical/educational function of (world) literary history

 

Abstracts

Abstracts of max. 300 words should be sent toHaun Saussy: hsaussy@uchicago.eduand Karen-Margrethe Simonsen: litkms@cc.au.dkand uploaded for this panel at the ICLA- homepage before March 31, 2019http://icla2019.medmeeting.org/8045?lang=en