Writings from the Margins at Gautam Buddha University

Conference Details:

The advent of literary and cultural theories on World’s literary map has brought major changes in the way of reading, interpreting and understanding literature and culture. This has empowered marginalized discourses which often remained unnoticed by the hegemonic culture. These marginalized cultures which flourish away from the mainstream, were called ‘Subaltern’ by Italian Marxist thinker Antonio Gramsci. The writing from margins, unlike Marxist literature, does not talk about the class struggle between the rich and the poor, but the struggle between castes, seen from the point of view of the lower caste, the have-nots, the minority, the marginal, the subaltern. Such writings, though with limited numbers and geographical space, articulate their own alternative consciousness. The shifting power-relationship between ‘Centre’ and ‘Margins’ have paved new way of negotiations. It has also given platform to the silenced subaltern for assertion of their identity, culture and language. Their writings, often, voices protest against hegemonic claims to power.

The aim of this multi-lingual conference is to establish, explore and investigate literature written by the marginalized which generally does not find spaces in academic syllabus. By focusing on writings from margins in English, Hindi and Urdu literature, the seminar not only makes a case for marginalized writings and its intensification but also underlines how this enables turning away from white western supremacy in literature towards the formation of a new canon and acceptance of the new marginalized writings that have recently emerged.

‘Writings from the Margins’ invites submission from faculties and research scholars of English, Hindi and Urdu literature and languages, Cultural Studies and Media Studies.

Conference Contact Details:

margins@gbu.ac.in
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Greater Noida
UP