CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

Warwick School of Feminist Translation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Overview of the Warwick School of Feminist Translation

Date: 11-12 May 2023

Organisers: Dr Olga Castro & Dr Emek Ergun

Deadline for applications: 8 January 2023

Feminist translation has experienced an unprecedented growth in the last decade, both as a theoretical area of research within translation studies and feminist studies and as an emancipatory activity carried out by translation practitioners and feminist activists. On the one hand, this growth is evidenced by the increasing number of publications, academic dissertations, research projects, conferences and events that have discussed feminist translation theories and practices around the world. Initially considered a subfield of translation studies, there is now growing interest in feminist translation studies as an interdisciplinary field of study. Transnational feminist scholars particularly have become interested in the study of translation, seeing it as a crucial tool to enable cross-border alliances and challenge prevailing hegemonies, most especially in today’s global world defined by neoliberal values. On the other, the greater number of self-claimed feminist, gender-conscious and queer translations carried out across a wide range of languages and genres with ideologically diverse motives and missions also demonstrate the growth of feminist translation as an activist practice of resistance and social change.

Given the increasing interest in feminist translation as a thematic focus, theoretical framework or interdisciplinary methodology in academic research, the Warwick School of Feminist Translation aims to create a platform for advanced students and early career scholars to become familiar with new intersectional perspectives on the politics of feminist translation and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with peers and scholars. Considering the existing gap between research carried out “in” translation studies from feminist perspectives and research carried out “in” feminist studies focusing on translation, the Warwick School of Feminist Translation will encourage more interdisciplinary conversations in feminist, gender and queer translation studies by hosting scholars from different academic backgrounds.

The Warwick School of Feminist Translation will bring together four academics who have various kinds of interdisciplinary expertise on the feminist, queer and decolonial politics of translation: Prof Maud Bracke (Modern European History, University of Glasgow), Dr Olga Castro (Translation and Transcultural Studies, University of Warwick), Dr Emek Ergun (Women’s and Gender Studies and Global Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte) and Prof William J Spurlin (English and Creative Writing, Brunel University London). The speakers will not only give talks on their particular research topics, but also provide feedback to participants on their research projects related to feminist translation. For more information about their talks and bios, click hereLink opens in a new window.

The main participants will be advanced PG students and early-career scholars working on research projects that combine translation studies with feminist, queer and/or decolonial studies. The event will create space for formal and informal interaction with participants. The four seminars offered by the speakers will be followed by a feedback session, where the selected participants will have the opportunity to briefly present their research topics and ask the speakers specific questions. Throughout the two-day event there will be opportunities for socialising.

Feedback Sessions. Selected participants will send short research statements and a list of questions they particularly need help with by mid-April. The organisers will bring these research statements/questions together and prepare an electronic package that might also include specific readings, and participants will be expected to come prepared to the Warwick School of Feminist Translation.

• A Focused Feedback Session will be scheduled, in which each speaker will be in a separate room with their 5 assigned participants. Each participant will do a brief presentation of their research, followed by a discussion of their work, during which they will receive feedback both from the speaker leading the session and the other participants in the room.
• A final Collective Feedback and Networking Session will also be scheduled, in which all participants will be able to further chat with any of the speakers and any participants about any questions that have not been covered in the previous Focused Feedback Session. There will also be opportunities for networking.

Application and Registration Fee

Those advanced PG students and early-career scholars interested in attending the Warwick School of Feminist Translation should prepare an application with the following documents in one single file (pdf, Word or equivalent), with maximum 4 pages as follows:

1. A brief CV (maximum two pages)
2. A cover letter explaining why the summer school would be beneficial for their research (maximum one page)
3. A research statement of their research project, including (a) title, (b) research questions and/or objectives and (c) short abstract (maximum one page).

The one single file must be sent by email to both Dr Olga Castro (Olga.Castro[AT]warwick.ac.uk) and Dr Emek Ergun (eergun[AT]uncc.edu) by midnight 8 January 2023 (GMT) latest.

A maximum of 20 applicants will be selected and receive notification of acceptance by 31 January 2023. The anticipated registration fee will be GBP 25 and it will cover lunch and coffee breaks.

Date and Venue

The Warwick School of Feminist Translation will take place on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 of May 2023. It will be held in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Arts. The University of Warwick is a campus university located south-west of Coventry city centre, in England, Great Britain. For more information: https://warwick.ac.uk/about/visiting/

For more information, please contact the organisers.