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CFP: The “Soul” of W.E.B. DuBois: Fifty Years Later –NeMLA CFP

By Nara Improta on 19 September , 2012 • ( 0 )

Location: Massachusetts, United States
Call for Papers Date: 30 Sept 2012 (!)

The year 2013 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of W.E.B. DuBois’ death.
As the premier historian, sociologist, and civil rights activist of the
twentieth century, DuBois certainly left his mark within the African
Diaspora and beyond. His seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk (1903)
includes his prescient formulation that “the problem of the twentieth
century is the problem of the color line.” Later on, he published Black
Reconstruction (1935) and founded two journals, Phylon and The Crisis—this
latter one was the official publication of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Long before becoming a prolific man of letters, DuBois was born and raised
in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. His experience growing up there became
pivotal to his life, such as his initial realization of race which
occurred in elementary school. This incident began his lifelong
observations on race and education, especially after being the first
African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. A half
century after his death, DuBois is very pertinent not only to
African-Americans, but to NeMLA too, as we attempt to link the conference
to its Boston location. One way to do this is to remember this formidable
scholar on the anniversary of his passing. With that said, this panel
solicits papers that reflect upon the myriad influences DuBois has had on
literature. Papers that examine his influence on contemporary literature
are particularly welcome. Is the problem of the twenty-first century still
the problem of the color line, or are there other ways in which his astute
commentaries resonate with contemporary texts?

Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
44th Annual Convention: March 21-24, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts
Host Institution: Tufts University

Proposal Deadline: September 30, 2012
Please send your abstracts in the body of the email to
donavanramon@gmail.com and include:
Name and Affiliation
Email address
Postal address
Telephone number
A/V requirements (if any; $10 handling fee with registration)

Donavan Ramon
Rutgers University Department of English
510 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Email: donavanramon@gmail.com
Contact: donavanramon@gmail.com