CfP: Visions of the Future, October 12-13, 2019 at the University of Tartu, Estonia
CALL FOR PAPERS
Department of English Studies and Centre for Canadian Studies
University of Tartu, Estonia
Estonian Association for Canadian Studies
with the assistance of Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu
and Embassy of Canada
THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL TARTU CONFERENCE
ON CANADIAN STUDIES
“VISIONS OF THE FUTURE”
October 12-13, 2019 at the University of Tartu, Estonia
Both historically and in the present, new developments and tumultuous times always raise
questions about the future. With this conference, we seek to explore visions of the future from
multiple inter/disciplinary and theoretical perspectives of the humanities and social sciences.
The conference also marks two anniversaries: the 80th birthday of Margaret Atwood and the
75th anniversary of the Great Escape of Estonians during the Second World War. While addressing the conference theme, the contexts of the issues in the papers may be current or
historical or combine both. We welcome case studies and theoretical papers as well as
comparative analyses of Canada and other countries.
The topics of the contributions may include but are not limited to: utopias,
dystopias, alternative realities; local and global future challenges, environmental issues,
solidarity; Indigenous Peoples; movement and migration, multiculturalism; Canada and the
Baltics, Baltic diasporas in Canada, diasporic futures; scenarios for the future seen through
time and space, imagined futures, futures in the past, visions of the past not realised today;
new technologies, change of perception and imagination, new art forms capturing the
transformation; digital humanities; the future of Aboriginal Studies, Quebec Studies and
Canadian Studies; research methodologies to deal with the topics. For the two narrower foci,
we particularly invite analyses of Margaret Atwood’s oeuvre in the light of the conference
theme and papers dealing with the Estonian diaspora in Canada and its future.
Confirmed keynote speaker:
Bertrand Gervais (University of Québec in Montréal)
The working language of the conference is English; however, presentations can be made
either in English or French. The length of the plenary presentations is 40 minutes plus 20
minutes for discussion and the length of workshop presentations is 20 minutes plus 10
minutes for discussion.
Contributors are expected to submit an abstract of 250 words as well as a short CV (including
title and institutional affiliation) by September 15, 2019.
Please send abstracts and CVs as well as possible enquiries via e-mail to Eva Rein
(eva.rein@ut.ee)
Conference committee: Eva Rein, Sara Bédard-Goulet, Ene-Reet Soovik