CFP - Being Human in Young Adult Literatures Symposium
CFP: Being Human in Young Adult Literatures Symposium
Friday 17th May 2019
University of Roehampton, London
National Centre for Research in Children’s Literature (NCRCL)
What does it mean to be human? Identity categories such as race, religion, gender, ability, size, and age intersect in definitions of the self, shaping how we construct ourselves and are perceived by others. Humanity is also under scrutiny, as other forms of consciousness help define what we are and what we are not. A growing corpus of young adult narratives across a range of genres and media attempt to engage with the plurality of the human experience.
The NCRCL’s symposium will consider how "being human" is explored through YA narratives, beginning with a keynote paper from renowned YA literature critic Dr. Alison Waller.
Suggested topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Sex and sexuality
- Gender identity and/or expression
- Religion
- Race
- Ability and/or disability
- Mental health
- A.I./cyborgs/post-human
- Animal/human
- Aging
- Body image
- Mortality and death
- Genre and the construction of human experience
- Performativity
This symposium invites papers from a range of disciplines addressing young adult narratives. It welcomes papers from postgraduate students, early career researchers, and academics.
Abstracts of no more than 250 words and a short bio should be sent to Emily Corbett at corbette@roehampton.ac.uk by 31 January 2019.