The annual IASIL Conference will be held at Gakushuin University in Tokyo from the 5-9 August 2024, organized by IASIL Japan. The conference theme will be ‘Aftermaths’.

‘Aftermaths’ is a complex and multifaceted theme, especially in relation to Irish literature. Essentially, ‘aftermath’ refers to the consequences or effects of an historical event, usually one that has had a significant impact on society, culture, and politics. Ireland has experienced numerous historical events that have had a profound impact on its society and culture, including the Great Famine, the Easter Rising, and the ‘Troubles’, the post-‘Celtic Tiger’ period, the abortion referendum, the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals, and more recently, the Covid and post-Covid period. These events have left a lasting legacy on Irish society and culture, a legacy explored time and time again in Irish literature.

Many works, for instance, have explored the impact of the Great Famine, including the long-term effects of emigration and the dislocation of rural communities. Works that explore the Troubles have focused on the impact of sectarian violence on Northern Ireland, including the long-term effects on communities and individuals. Another key area within this theme of aftermath is the idea of memory and commemoration, how societies remember and commemorate significant historical events through the creation of memorials or other cultural forms. This theme is particularly relevant in the context of Ireland, which has a long history of commemoration and memorialization, including the annual remembrance of the Easter Rising and the construction of numerous monuments and memorials to commemorate the country’s historical events.

The significance of the concept of the ‘Aftermath’ in relation to Irish literature cannot be overstated. By exploring the impact of historical events on Irish society and culture, Irish literature has provided valuable insights into the ways in which societies remember and understand their past and imagined their futures.

The hope is that ‘Aftermaths’ will be a thought-provoking and engaging theme, enabling the conference to delve into the impact of significant events on Irish society and culture, and to explore how they have shaped, and continue to shape, Irish literature.

Plenary Speakers: Mitsuko Ohno, Michael Cronin, Tina O’Toole, Moynagh Sullivan, Clair Wills

Guest writers/artists: Lucy Caldwell, Stano, Stephen Sexton

Possible themes and topics addressed by the conference include:

• Consequences in Irish literatures
• Memory and commemoration in Irish literatures
• Unions and Partitions in Irish history and literature
• Irish literatures and Asia
• Japan and Irish literatures
• Korea and Irish literatures
• China and Irish literatures
• Ecocritical approaches to and in Irish writing
• Ireland and the Anthropocene
• Critical frameworks and Irish social change
• National narratives and the Irish literary canon
• History and story in Irish writing
• Northern Ireland’s ‘aftermaths’
• Irish- and minority-language writing
• Diasporic identities
• Irish Gothic
• Translation and Irish literatures
• Scandal and/in Irish literature
• Ireland and Science Fiction
• Ireland and Murder
• Law and Irish literature
• Sexualities and gender
• Migration and Ireland
• Ireland’s imagined futures
• Linguistic identities/Linguistic change
• Race and diversity in Irish literatures and culture

In keeping with IASIL’s general practice, papers are also invited in other areas of Irish literary studies.

Abstract Proposal Form

The organisers invite proposals of 250 words for twenty-minute papers, or 500 words for three-paper panels or discussion roundtables. Online presentations will be facilitated (see below). All submissions should include a brief bio of 50 words.
N.B. If you wish to include video clips or sound in your presentation, please make sure they are incorporated in your slides or in a format that can be output from a computer.

Abstract Proposals should be submitted on the following link: Click Here
(Digital file of Abstract Proposal Form is available on request.)
Queries can be sent to: conference2024@iasil.jp

The deadline for proposals is March 15, 2024 (JST).
Prospective speakers will be notified of a decision by April 15, 2024.

Proposals and papers may be presented in either the Irish or English language. / Cuirtear fáilte roimh pháipéir i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla.

Online Presentations

IASIL 2024 Conference’s online session will take the form of pre-recorded presentations and real-time Q&A sessions. The Q&A sessions will be scheduled early morning and/or late afternoon on Tuesday 6 August and Thursday 8 August (JST).

Presenters should submit their recorded presentation as mp4 files by Wednesday 10 July (JST). The videos will be posted on IASIL Japan’s Google Drive and the link will be sent to the delegates along with the Q&A session Zoom links by Wednesday 31 July.

Links

IASIL or IASIL Japan Membership is required in order to present at the conference.

• IASIL Membership link: http://www.iasil.org/joinrenew-membership/
• IASIL Japan Membership link: http://iasil.jp/joinus.html