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Conference:

“Poetry and the Body Politic”: Reflections on Aime Cesaire and His Vision of Negritude for a Post-Racial Society



When:

Saturday, April 18, 2009



Where:

Medgar Evers College, The City University of New York



CALL FOR PAPERS



Martinican poet, activist, politician, playwright and educator, Aime Cesaire, did not live to witness the election of a person of African descent to one of the most influential political offices on the planet. However, the legacy of his life’s work which many credit as having impacted the very foundations of thought on the African continent and throughout the diaspora may continue to provide insight and wisdom for current and future generations of leaders. Yet we recognize it will do so now in a global environment in which the limitations and restrictions imposed by race are less definitive than ever. Indeed, in an era of global and transnational identities, it is arguable that race itself no longer enjoys its historical status as a preeminent social indicator. While we memorialize this first anniversary of Cesaire’s death, we hope to reflect on the aesthetic hybridity of his writing, and to investigate the ways in which his social and political vision can help us re-imagine our world today.



We welcome proposals from CUNY undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty alike.



The primary areas of focus regarding the work of Cesaire may include, but are not limited to:



• Negritude and Surrealism

• Negritude and Magical Realism

• Symbolic and Practical Applications of the Trinity

• Hegelian Dialectics

• Negritude and Globalism

• Colonial vs. Post-Racial Identity

• Post-Colonialism and the Black Atlantic

• Negritude and Double Consciousness

• Negritude and Sexuality

• Multicultural Imperatives vs. Modernist Imperatives

• Biographical Approaches to Cesaire





Proposals should be submitted no later than March 15, 2009.

Proposals should include:

• a 250 word description of your topic

• Contact Information: Name, position (student/ faculty) and institutional affiliation, phone numbers (cell, home), email and regular mailing address.



Please email completed proposal packages to Prof. Gregory Pardlo, English Department, Medgar Evers College, CUNY at: [log in to unmask] Or, for more information, please feel free to reach Prof. Pardlo at 718-270-4948.



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Aquí qué pasa Power is

  what's happening

Aquí to be called negrito y

  negrita

Means to be called LOVE--Pedro Pietri