Third Biennial John Dos Passos Society Conference (June 20-22, 2018, Lisbon, Portugal)
Abstract Submission Deadline: January 31, 2018
Graduate students wishing to be considered for supplemental travel funding must submit a full paper by February 28, 2018
The John Dos Passos Society invites papers for its third biennial conference to be held in Lisbon, Portugal.
As the grandson of a Portuguese-Madeiran man, the famous American modernist John Dos Passos remained fascinated with his ancestral homeland throughout his life. Over the course of that life, he visited both mainland Portugal and Madeira on several occasions. On his first trip to Madeira, in the year 1905, he was a child still going by the name of Jack Madison (using his mother’s surname). The sights and smells of that trip, Dos Passos recalled years later in The Best Times, stayed with him his whole life. No doubt these and other memories are what compelled the author to publish The Portugal Story, a history of Portugal’s celebrated nautical past, a year before he died.
Hosted by the Geographical Society of Lisbon, the 2018 conference encourages papers that connect the theme of exploration (however broadly construed) to the life and writings of Dos Passos; however, even papers that do not address exploration are still welcome.
Possible topics may include Dos Passos and. . .
—Portugal, Madeira, or Portuguese culture
—Brazil and/or Portuguese-influenced lands and culture
—the Spanish/Iberian World
—translation studies
—war and/or violence
—Europe
—the expatriate experience
—his ideological journey/changing politics
—sex, sexuality, and gender
—labor, the proletarian novel, and the Popular Front
—Ernest Hemingway, José Robles, and/or others involved in the Spanish Civil War
—his relationships with other authors and artists
—realist, modernist, and late-modernist aesthetics
—regionalism and internationalism
—genre: histories, travel writing, poetry, essays and so on
—painting and the visual arts
—technology
—his own influences
—his influence on contemporary literature
—We will also hold a roundtable on teaching Dos Passos, and welcome short position papers on classroom experiences with his work.
The Geographical Society of Lisbon (http://www.socgeografialisboa.pt/en/) is housed in a beautiful nineteenth-century building in the heart of downtown. From its front steps one can access, either by foot or by a short metro ride, the city’s major historical sites and cultural venues, including Restauadores Square, the Rio Tejo waterfront, Rossio Square, Castelo de São Jorge, Miradouro de São Pedro Alcântara, Museu São Roque and Sacred Art Museum, and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos.
While there is no official hotel sponsorship for the conference, the Geographical Society of Lisbon itself is situated near a number of lodgings, such as the VIP Executive Eden Aparthotel, Flor de Baixa Alojamento, Residencial Florescente, and the Goodmorning Hostel. The Ibis Lisboa Liberdade Hotel, the Casa de São Mamede, and the Altis Grand Hotel are slightly farther away but still within walking distance or a short ride on the metro. (A list of hotels with appropriate contact information will be sent to all accepted participants.) Most major carriers service the Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), which has easy metro, bus, and taxi connections to most major downtown sites.
Please send an English-language abstract of 250-300 words and a brief CV to both Aaron Shaheen and Mário Avelar at aaron-shaheen@utc.edu and avelar@netcabo.npt respectively by January 31st, 2018. Graduate students must submit a full paper by February 28th in order to be considered for supplemental travel funds. Make note of any A/V requests in your abstract. Please note that the conference will be exclusively in English.
IMPORTANT DATES
January 31st: Deadline for abstract submissions
February 28th: Full paper deadline for graduate students wishing to be considered for travel funding
March 15th: Registration opens
May 15th: Registration closes
Registration Fees:
Panelists: €100, which includes JDPS membership fee for a year, JDPS Newsletter, and certificate of participation
General Public €35, which includes entrance to conference and certificate of attendance
Students €20, which includes entrance to conference and certificate of attendance
(Participants can consult http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/ or other online sources for the latest exchange rates)
For more information about the John Dos Passos Society and the 2018 Lisbon conference, please visit our website at www.johndospassossociety.org