Historical Legacy, Transnationalism & Development in Globalized Contexts
Mount Saint Vincent University & Saint Mary’s University
June 28 – July 1, 2015
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Deadline abstracts: November 10, 2014
Following the establishment, from the 15th to 16th Centuries, of the world’s first global maritime trade network, the Lusophone countries and regions (the Portuguese-speaking world) experienced a long economic and political decline. Recently, however, this Lusophone bloc - led by the economies of Brazil and Angola - has once again become an emerging economic and political force.
For example, Canadian bilateral trade with Brazil has increased over 150% since 2002, while that nation represents the sixth-highest source of foreign direct investment in Canada. Meanwhile, Canada is the number one destination for Brazilian outward investments. Portuguese is also now one of the official languages of the EU and Mercosul. As a result of this vitality, Portuguese has been termed, by Monocle Magazine, 57(6), as “The new language of power and trade.”
Analysts have characterized Canada’s scholarly engagement with these Lusophone regions as inconstant and sporadic and have argued for the development of a more rounded knowledge base. Consequently, both the Canadian Government as well as the AUCC (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada) have endorsed the strengthening of relations between Canada and the Portuguese-speaking nations, including promoting education and fostering academic linkages. Despite this recognition, few opportunities have arisen in Canada for the dissemination of new knowledge on this part of the world, or for the systemization of linkages between Canadian academics and their Lusophone counterparts.
This 3rd Annual Conference of the Lusophone Studies Association, (a Canada-based Association, initiated in 2013), will address this gap, by bringing together academics, students, policy-makers and representatives of Lusophone organizations, in order to profile the current multidisciplinary knowledge on the historical evolution of the Lusophone world, contextualize contemporary Lusophone societies, migration, and identities and dialogue on present and future directions. The conference will also explore topics in Lusophone literatures, linguistics, and language, as well as highlight research deficits in important current topics. The Conference Organizing Committee is now seeking individual papers and Workshops on such major themes as:
- Canadian relations with Brazil and other Lusophone nations
- Current developments in economics and trade in Portuguese-speaking countries
- Lusophone cultural, aesthetic, literary, linguistic, and language dialogues
- The Portuguese-speaking world in historical perspective
- Historical and geopolitical relations within the Lusophone world
- The situation of Lusophone children and youth
- Lusophone migration, integration, diasporas & transnationalism
- Citizenship and interculturality
- Global education and the Lusophone world
- The negotiation of ethnic, class, regional & other identities in Lusophone peoples
- Historic Portuguese presence in Atlantic North America
- Multiculturalism, interculturalism and national identity
- Other related themes will also be considered
A 300 word abstract, in MS Word or RTF format, should be submitted by Monday, November 10, 2014. Please use plain text, Times New Roman font, size 12. Avoid using footnotes, special formatting, characters, or emphases, such as bold, italics or underlines. E-mail subject line should be entitled: The Lusophone World in Progression. Individual papers are formal papers that will be presented as part of a workshop or panel. Workshops are panel presentations of 2 to 4 individual papers. Abstracts must contain the following:
- Indicate if submission is for an individual paper, or a workshop
- Author’(s’) name(s)
- Affiliation
- E-mail Address
- Title of Abstract
- Body of Abstract, describing main points to be raised and summary conclusion(s)
Please direct your submissions to The Lusophone Studies Association at
Organizing Committee:
- Fernando Nunes, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Child and Youth Study, Mount Saint Vincent University
- Rosana Barbosa, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of History, St. Mary’s University
- Robert A. Kenedy, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University
- Maria João Dodman, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University