Cfp: SELF-TRANSLATION: INCLUSION OF DIVERSITY

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: SELF-TRANSLATION: INCLUSION OF DIVERSITY

September 20-21, 2023, Alma Mater Studiorum – Bologna University

Since the 2011 Bologna conference, the field of self-translation has received increasing attention, which resulted in the broadening of this research area. New approaches enriched what now has become an autonomous branch of Translation Studies, often referred to by scholars as Self-Translation Studies (Anselmi 2012, Lusetti 2018). This follow-up conference aims at approaching the phenomenon of self-translation from a fresh perspective, framing it in terms of the dynamics of diversity/identity and inclusion/exclusion. Indeed, as key aspects of translingualism, these sociocultural elements play a significant role for self-translation.

The conference will privilege case studies and texts from the 20th and 21st centuries, i.e. when the phenomenon of migration reached much greater dimensions than in the past. Particularly in this period, the practice of self-translation served as one of the primary means of identity reflection, giving voice to hybrid selves, both migrant or in exile. Self-translation thus represents a peculiar synthesis between exclusion and inclusion, between the self-alienation of those who do not assimilate and the self-amputation of others who abandon the language of origin by losing themselves in translation (Hoffman 1989).

Self-translation is also a way of overcoming socio-spatial inequities and a response to the challenges of migration, whether political or economic. In this respect, self-translations born in the context of “endogenous” bilingualism gain considerable significance too. “Migrant” and “sedentary” self-translators (as Grutman calls them, in Puccini 2015) experience different conditions, but are united by a common living in-between. This “in-betweenness” is expressed in self-translation as a way of crossing, renegotiating and reinventing linguistic and cultural boundaries. Another privileged line of inquiry includes groups that challenge the dynamics between center, periphery and power (Castro, Mainer, Page 2017), such as minorities, migrants/immigrants/exiles in the postcolonial sphere. Moreover, meaningful insights on the work of the author-translator can be drawn from various forms of life narratives (Falceri, Gentes, Manterola 2017), such as diaries, letters, testimonies etc..

We welcome papers on general issues as well as specific case studies focusing on the process and/or products of self-translation, the figure of self-translator, etc., analyzed from the perspective of diversity and inclusion. Possible approaches include, but are not limited to, theoretical, linguistic and cultural frameworks.

The conference accepts submissions in English or Italian. Proposals for panels or twenty-minute papers should be sent via e-mail no later than December 31, 2022 to: selftranslation2023@unibo.it.

The submissions must include an abstract (maximum 500 words), an essential bibliography, a brief bio note and institutional affiliation.

Notification of acceptance will be announced via e-mail no later than January 31st, 2023. We are exploring the possibility of using the conference as a springboard for a themed, peerreviewed volume, in which selected papers will be published as full-length articles.

Conference fee

100 € - tenured researchers and professors
50€ - non-tenured researchers and PhD students

Payment details will be notified on acceptance of the proposal.
The registration fee includes catering and conference materials.