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PROYECTOS DE GENERACIÓN DE CONOCIMIENTO Y ACTUACIONES PARA LA FORMACIÓN DE PERSONAL INVESTIGADOR PREDOCTORAL ASOCIADAS A DICHOS PROYECTOS, CONVOCATORIA 2023

Literature’s ability to retell historical events and explore conflicting memories makes it a powerful tool for remembering—and sometimes forgetting—the impacts of war. Our project entitled “Beyond Postmemory: English Literary Perspectives on War and Memory in the (Post) Postmodern Era (POSTLIT)” focuses on the literary and cultural representation of war and conflict by second- and later-generation Anglophone writers as clearly distinct from first-hand accounts. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education (PID2023-147481NB-I00), this project will run for three years starting September 1st, 2024.

We aim to challenge and expand Marianne Hirsch’s postmemorial framework, exploring the ways in which subsequent generations engage with inherited trauma. Our research highlights a shift from depicting historical trauma to emphasizing ethical responsibilities toward future generations by using three analytical categories: the performative, the transcultural/transnational, and the imagined.

Our goal is to foster an ethical and empathetic approach to war (post)memories, by deepening our understanding of the roots and tragic impacts of conflict.

Stay tuned for updates on our journey with POSTLIT as we uncover new insights on war and memory in contemporary English literature. 

Projectes de Cooperació Universitària per a la Justícia Global
XLI Convocatòria del Fons de Solidaritat de la UAB

The goal to broaden the scope of our research and focus on the ethical issues involved in the literary and cultural representation of conflict and positively influence both UAB students and society in general has been realized through the project “Words Beyond War: Fostering Academic and Community Dialogue through Literature.” This project has been awarded funding by the Fons de Solidaritat de la UAB (Fundació Autònoma Solidària) to conduct a range of educational activities focused on awareness, debate, and conflict resolution. The key activities will include:

• Workshops on the Theatre of the Oppressed: Based on Augusto Boal’s methodology, these workshops use theatre as a tool for social and personal transformation, allowing participants to perform their own stories and reflect on power dynamics and social injustices. The main technique, “forum theatre,” invites the audience (“spect-actors”) to intervene and suggest solutions to the conflicts presented.
• Role-Playing Sessions: They focus on immersing individuals or small groups in specific characters or situations, allowing them to experience and understand various perspectives more directly. These sessions create fictional contexts where participants adopt roles and explore emotions, decisions, and consequences from the perspective of migrants or refugees.
• Storytelling Sessions: These sessions provide a platform for migrants and refugees to share their personal stories through narration and song.
• Seminars on Sensitisation and Training: Discussions on the repercussions of war, the value of memory and postmemory, and the role of literature in promoting peace.
• Pre-Activity Training Course: Intensive preparation for participants to actively engage in the proposed activities, through the promotion of empathy, intercultural understanding, and conflict resolution strategies.

These activities will be conducted in collaboration with the association KUDWA and involve various members of the academic and local community.

I am happy to announce the release of our latest edited volume, (Re)Writing War in Contemporary Literature and Culture: Beyond Post-Memory, now available through Routledge. This book represents the culmination of extensive research and collaboration with a group of international experts.

In this volume, we build upon and extend Marianne Hirsch’s concept of postmemory, exploring complex themes such as the ethical dimensions of war writing, the authenticity of representations, and the creative power of art in reimagining traumatic events. By drawing from a diverse array of conflicts, the book incorporates a rich tapestry of perspectives and insights from various disciplines, including contemporary literature, film studies, visual arts, and cultural studies.

I hope this volume will become a significant addition to scholarly discourse and a valuable resource for those interested in the intersection of history, memory, and literature.

Our SGR Group for the Representation of Conflict (G4RoC) recently participated in a seminar organized by our colleagues at CELCA (Centre de Literatures i Cultures en Anglès, Universitat de Lleida). The event covered a wide range of topics, including literary gerontology, various aspects of conflict, and the challenges posed by anthropocentric and terracentric readings in contemporary literature. Below is a selection of photographs capturing the discussions and interactions that took place among our participants and moderators.

2nd SGR Seminar Lleida-Barcelona

The 2nd SGR Seminar on Contemporary Literatures in English will be held on May 16, 2024, at the Universitat de Lleida, in the Sala Juntes room of the Rectorat building. This research seminar, coordinated by CELCA (Centre de Literatures i Cultures en Anglès, Universitat de Lleida) and G4RoC (Group for the Representation of Conflict, UAB), offers academic discussions across several themes in contemporary English literatures. Participants include scholars from the two universities, offering diverse perspectives on the following topics: “The Coming of Age of Literary Gerontology,” “Conflict: Ethics, Aesthetics and Methodologies” and “Challenging Terracentric Readings: The Ocean as the Centre of Human Development.” The seminar is open for anyone interested in the latest literary conversations and scholarly insights.

Exhibition of G4RoC Publications (Sala de Revistes, Biblioteca d’Humanitats)

Start: 11 March.

You are all invited to visit the exhibition on conflict and war organised by the SGR Group for the Representation of Conflict (G4RoC). This group brings together researchers from the Departments of English and German Studies and is dedicated to exploring the complexity of conflicts and their intersection with contemporary literature and culture. Based on a wide range of theoretical and methodological frameworks, the G4RoC investigates the relationship between memory, postmemory, and literature/culture in representing the main conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. The aim of this exhibition is to illuminate the complex dynamics of trauma and its impact on future generations and create new strategies that can inform more effective policies and practices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

2023. On December 8th, I presented my latest work at the 8th “Memory, Melancholy and Nostalgia” International Interdisciplinary Conference, that took place in Gdańsk, Poland. I had the chance to engage with fellow scholars and attendees in a dialogue about how lsabel Colegate’s The Shooting Party (1980) recreated an Edwardian period which was informed by her twentieth century knowledge. My paper, based on a chapter soon to be published in Beyond Postmemory: Rewriting War in Contemporary Literature and Culture (Routledge, Pividori, Owen, editors) examined how Isabel Colegate used nostalgia to confront the problem of historical recollection. Based on her own personal history, Colegate presented a view of the Edwardian era that both reflected her longing for an idealised past and acknowledged that this past— with its exploitation of the working classes, its male rivalry and its patriarchal and animal abuse —was not without its flaws.

By applying Linda Hutcheon’s theory of “postmodern ironic nostalgia,” I suggest that Colegate’s nostalgic tone was both self-aware and critical and that she employed ironic nostalgia to both evoke and question the Edwardian era. I ultimately claimed that The Shooting Party goes beyond a mere reflection of the past to suggest that some Edwardian traits might have persisted into the 1980s, during the height of Thatcherism.

Please keep an eye out for further updates on the official publication of the chapter!

2023. On June 21, I had the privilege to attend and present at the “Diasporic Heritage and Identity” conference held at the Amsterdam School for Heritage, Memory and Material Culture (University of Amsterdam). My paper, entitled “’Make America Great Again’: (De)Colonising Masculinities in Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Refugees (2017),” explores the representation of displaced masculinities within the Vietnamese diaspora, drawing on Nguyen’s collection of short stories. It was an enriching experience to share and exchange insights with fellow academics and experts in the field. My paper has also been published by Amsterdam University Press (AUP), a pioneering institution in Open Access (OA) publishing. I extend my gratitude to AUP and the University of Amsterdam for the opportunity.