Graduate Conference 2022
April 1st 2022
On Zoom and on campus
The Université Laval Graduate Conference of English Literature is a project of the Association of Graduate Students in English Literature of Université Laval (AEGLEA).
Enthused by the Comparative Canadian Literature Conference of 2017, organized jointly with Sherbrooke University, the AÉGLEA decided to put together their own graduate conference of literature.
"Narratives of Catastrophe" is 2022 our third conference and the second to be independently organized by ULaval's own graduate students.
This year's edition was organized by Carrie-Lynn Evans, Marie Laberge, Gabrielle Laroche and Sophie Larue.
Presenting our keynote speaker:
Graham J. Murphy
who's presentation is titled Science Fiction and Virus Culture:
Catastrophe, Contagion, and Cyberpunk
Graham J. Murphy is a professor with the School of English and Liberal Studies at Seneca College (Toronto). He is the co-editor of Fifty Key Figures in Cyberpunk Culture (Routledge, 2022), The Routledge Companion to Cyberpunk Culture (Routledge, 2020), Cyberpunk and Visual Culture (Routledge, 2018), and Beyond Cyberpunk: New Critical Perspectives (2010). He has also written book chapters for Plants in Science Fiction: Speculative Vegetation (2020), The Cambridge History of Science Fiction (2019), Canadian Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror: Bridging the Solitudes (2019), Dis-Orienting Planets: Racial Representations of Asia in Science Fiction (2017), Science Fiction and Computing: Essays on Interlinked Domains (2011), Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction (2009), and The Routledge Companion to Science Fiction (2009), among other titles.
In addition, he co-authored Ursula K. Le Guin: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 2006) and his articles have been published in Science Fiction Studies, Science Fiction Film and Television, Extrapolation, Foundation, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, ImageText: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies, and Ariel: A Review of International English Literature. He has a book chapter coming out later this year on Indigenous Young Adult Dystopias in The Routledge Handbook of CoFuturisms and a book chapter on feminist-queer cyberpunk for The Routledge Companion to Gender and Science Fiction, all while he’s currently working on two short book projects.
In addition to his academic work, Graham J. Murphy is the former Chair of the 2005 Philip K. Dick Award committee, administered the academic track at WorldCon in 2009, functioned as an Associate Editor for Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts from 2007 to 2021, and sits on the Editorial Board for Science Fiction Studies, Extrapolation, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, and the Journal of Posthumanism. Finally, with the support of Seneca College he hosted online the most-recent Science Fiction Research Association annual conference.
The ULGCEL committee is extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Murphy to our university and benefit from his expertise.
REGISTER TO ATTEND ULGCEL 2022
Call for Papers
Submissions are now closed
(a french version will follow)
Catastrophe Narratives
Newspaper headlines of recent years, detailing extreme weather events, the rising spectres of authoritarian movements and the surveillance state, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic, describe conditions uncomfortably similar to those typically found in the dystopian novel. As one bookstore in Smalltown Canada put it, “the Apocalyptic Fiction section has now been moved to Current Affairs.”
Speculative literature does the imaginative work of forecasting possible futures and testing potential solutions, making it a resource in such times of crisis. As such, the Université Laval's Graduate Conference for English Literature 2022 proposes to engage such narratives to consider questions such as: What is the role of narrative in generating creative responses to crises? What might these stories reveal about the ethics of social responsibility and/or the individual’s obligation to community? Do narratives of catastrophe inspire action or discourage us into inaction regarding real world crises? While speculative fiction makes no pretense at practicing prediction, do any inaccuracies in its depictions of science nonetheless compound today’s issues with science illiteracy and the spread of conspiracy theories? Can narrative be a tool in inspiring social and environmental justice?
ULGCEL 2022 proposes to provide a welcoming environment for graduate student presentations that explore such questions as they relate to literature, film, graphic novels, television, video games, or wherever narrative is found. We are open to a range of theoretical and critical approaches, and invite presentations of 15-20 minutes in either English or French. Suggested topics include but are not limited to:
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Apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, and end-of-the-world scenarios
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Dystopia
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Ecocriticism / ecodisaster / disruptions to food supply
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Contagion / disease / pandemics / disruptions to fertility
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The surveillance state / disappearance of privacy
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Dystopian technology
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Technology’s role in destabilizing subjectivity
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Posthumanism or cyberpunk as it relates to dystopia
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Technology-enabled authoritarianism
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Zombies
The conference will be held on Friday, April 1, 2022 on the UL campus, in accordance with COVID-19 sanitary guidelines. We invite graduate students (MA, PhD, as well as advanced undergraduates) from various disciplines (Literature, Translation Studies, Film Studies, Cultural Studies, Indigenous Studies, History, etc.) to submit proposals. Visit the website for information on post-conference publishing opportunities. Please submit an abstract of 250 words and a biography of 50 words to: aeglea@asso.ulaval.ca. Include your name, affiliation and degree program, e-mail address, equipment needs, as well as the title of your presentation and upload the document as both PDF and Word attachments. The deadline for proposals is Friday January 28, 2021. You will be informed of our decision by February 11, 2022.
Hashtag: #LitConUL2022
Appel à contribution
Les soumissions sont maintenant terminées
Récits de catastrophe
Les manchettes récentes de journaux, qui détaillent des événements climatiques extrêmes, une augmentation des mesures autoritaires et de la surveillance d'État, sans mentionner la pandémie de la COVID-19, décrivent des conditions qui ressemblent inconfortablement à celles trouvées dans les romans dystopiques. Tel que mentionné par le libraire d’une petite municipalité canadienne: « la fiction apocalyptique se trouve maintenant dans la section des affaires courantes ».
La littérature spéculative effectue le travail imaginatif de prédire les possibles futurs ainsi que de fictionnellement tester les solutions potentielles, ce qui en fait une ressource utile dans ces temps incertains. Ainsi, la conférence de littérature anglaise des étudiant·e·s gradué·e·s de l’Université Laval 2022 engagera les questions suivantes : Quel est le rôle des récits de fiction dans l’invention de solutions créatives aux crises? Que révèlent ces récits à propos de l'éthique de la responsabilité sociale et/ou l’obligation communautaire de l’individu? Les récits de catastrophes inspirent-ils à l’action, ou découragent-ils face aux crises mondiales réelles? Bien que la fiction spéculative ne prétend pas faire de prédictions, les inexactitudes dans sa représentation de la science amplifient-elles les problèmes actuels d'analphabétisme scientifique et la propagation de théories du complot? Les récits peuvent-ils être des outils pour inspirer la justice sociale et environnementale?
l’ULGCEL 2022 propose de créer un environnement chaleureux pour que les étudiant·e·s gradué·e·s puissent explorer ces questions en lien avec la littérature, la télévision, les jeux vidéo, ou d’autres médiums où ces récits peuvent se trouver. Nous sommes ouvert·e·s à un large éventail d’approches théoriques et critiques, et invitons des présentations de 15 à 20 minutes, soit en français ou en anglais. Les sujets proposés incluent (mais ne sont pas limités à) :
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Les scénarios apocalyptiques, post-apocalyptiques ou de fin-du-monde ;
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la dystopie ;
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la littérature écocritique, d'éco-désastre ou de problèmes d’approvisionnement alimentaire ;
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la contagion, les maladies, les pandémies ou les problèmes de fertilité globale ;
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l’état de surveillance ou la disparition de la vie privée ;
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la technologie dystopique :
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le rôle de la technologie dans la déstabilisation de la subjectivité ;
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le posthumanisme ou le cyberpunk relatif à la dystopie ;
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l'autoritarisme permis par la technologie ;
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Les morts-vivants.
La conférence aura lieu le vendredi 1 avril 2022, sur le campus de l’Université Laval, conformément aux restrictions sanitaires concernant la COVID-19. Nous invitons tous les étudiant·e·s gradué·e·s (MA, PhD, ainsi que les étudiant·e·s en fin de premier cycle) de toutes disciplines (littérature, traduction, cinéma, études culturelles, études autochtones, histoire, etc.) à soumettre une proposition. Visitez notre site web pour plus d'informations à propos des possibilités de publication post-conférence. Veuillez soumettre une proposition de 250 mots ainsi qu’une biographie de 50 mots à aeglea@asso.ulaval.ca. Inclure votre nom, affiliation et programme universitaire, adresse courriel, ainsi que le titre de votre présentation et l’équipement requis pour la présenter. Attacher votre document en format .docx et PDF. La date limite pour soumettre votre candidature est le vendredi 28 janvier 2022. Vous serez informé·e de notre décision d’ici au 11 février 2022
Hashtag: #LitConUL2022
Maps and Resources
Here are a some maps to help you find your way in Quebec City and on the ULaval Campus!
ULaval and Surroundings - Google map
Is this your first conference? Are you an undergraduate? Are you looking for an opportunity to build your confidence through an informal, collaborative session where you can practice your presentation and speaking skills, and get feedback amongst your peers? We're happy to arrange these sessions on Zoom. Email: aeglea@asso.ulaval.ca
