Emphasis will be put on the critical reflection of the category of space in (post)colonial contexts. Instead of looking at colonial and postcolonial spaces as static historical structures, we aim at exploring processes of spatial construction and representation in cultural practices. Our interdisciplinary perspectives will facilitate prospects on the dynamic nexus between space, place and coloniality in Postcolonial Studies by means of focusing on migration, mobility, displacement and further concepts of spatial dynamics.

This international meeting brings together scholars of various backgrounds who study the relationship between language, literature, culture, geography, and the construction of colonial sites with a focus on discussions about the concept of diaspora in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies. We aim at initiating a new interdisciplinary research program that explores how language, literature, culture, and place-making processes have been affected by colonial and postcolonial conditions and how material colonial and postcolonial constellations have been reflected, shaped and negotiated by communication and symbolic practice.

We welcome contributions from linguistics, literary and cultural studies, geography, anthropology, history, political science, and other disciplines.

Plenary speakers include:
Beatrix Busse, University of Heidelberg
Derek Gregory, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Harald Hammarström, MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology,
Leipzig
Yaron Matras, University of Manchester
Cheryl McEwan, Durham University
Katherine McKittrick, Queen's University
John McLeod, University of Leeds
Corinne Mencé-Caster, Université des Antilles et de la
Guyane / Martinique (to be confirmed)
Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan, University of California, Irvine
Anne Storch, University of Cologne
Brenda Yeoh, National University of Singapore

Sections and Contributions
Apart from the plenary lectures (60 minutes), there will be four sections devoted to:
Section 1: Language, Linguistics and the construction of (post)colonial places and diaspora
Section 2: Literature as construction of place and diaspora in (post)colonial settings
Section 3: Cultures of (post)colonial space construction
Section 4: Geographies of place and diaspora in (post)colonial contexts

Please bear in mind that papers should not exceed 20 minutes. We have reserved 10 minutes for discussions of each paper. Poster presentations will be accepted as well. The conference language will
be English.

Please submit abstracts until: April 30, 2014 via email to culcc@uni-bremen.de

We kindly ask you to send complete information (name, academic title, affiliation, title of the paper, the section in which you see your presentation) with the short summary of the objectives of the talk, including three bibliographical references. Abstracts should not exceed 3,000 characters.

There will be a conference fee of EUR 90,00 (EUR 50,00 for students) that covers participation, conference material, coffee breaks, and lunch buffets.