The Archive India Institute invites abstracts for its conference on “Literature in Times of Religious Fundamentalism,” to be held January 11, 2015, in Bangalore, India.
It is a widely acknowledged fact that we live in increasingly turbulent times. There has been a resurgence of religious fundamentalism in the last two decades the world over. This has assumed various forms, ranging from terrorism, riots, genocides, xenophobia, and secessionist and ultra-nationalist political movements. These developments have certainly not gone unchallenged. Creative art and literature have provided fora for the articulation of such resistance; but they have also been actively deployed for propagating fundamentalist religious mentalities and worldviews.
A need is therefore being felt to understand how the world of art and literature has responded to or engaged with religious fundamentalism. At the same time, a need is also felt to reassess the role of art and literature in such times. This conference, with its specific focus on literature, is a step in this direction.
Proposals in 200-300 words should be sent by 30 August 2014. All correspondence, including submission of proposals and final papers, must be addressed to the Secretary, Archive India Institute, and sent by email to <adminATarchiveindia.in>.