In line with the three previous successful ASYRAS conferences organised at the University of Salamanca and the University of Oviedo, the Department of English, French and German Studies of the University of Vigo is pleased to announce the 4th International Conference of Young Researchers on Anglophone Studies. The event will be held at the School of Philology and Translation between the 4th and the 6th February 2015, keeping up with the society’s interest in the overall promotion of literary, linguistic and cultural research in Anglophone Studies. In order to stimulate the exchange of research and ideas, the conference will take place concurrently with the 4th ELC (English Linguistics Circle) Postgraduate Conference.

Over the last years, researchers’ concerns about what academic materials are indeed worthy of attention and how have been on the rise. In connection with this, the way in which we define notions such as “centre”, “periphery”, “normative” or “normal”, needs to be thoroughly addressed so as to better reflect on research practices and results nowadays. Taking into account the recent introduction of concepts like liminality, we’d like to address precisely what we understand by “liminal”. Furthermore, how do ideas of authority, usage and intention shape our conception of the aforementioned topics?
Delegates are expected to reflect on the present state of research in English studies and offer distinct pathways to challenge classical interpretations of both artistic and critical works from a theoretical or analytical point of view. Therefore, this conference aims to provide a stimulating environment for postgraduate researchers and other students to share their ideas about the process of redefinition and update that most works of art or study are undergoing in our days. Such a reinterpretation is due to the application of the complementary concepts of “marginal” vs “mainstream”, “standard” vs “substandard” or “liminal” vs “well-established”. All of these recategorisations may pertain to the literary, cultural or linguistic fields, for they occur in a variety of environments and constitute new and exciting avenues of research to be explored.
In line with the opposition between innovative and old practices, emphasising the intimate connection between research and creative practice, this conference will offer a combination of plenary talks and joint panels of short presentations. What is more, participants will have the opportunity to attend a Creative Writing Workshop by the award-winning writer Francisco Castro, editor at the printing press Galaxia and one of Galicia’s most prominent writers.
Confirmed plenary speakers include Prof Janet Wilson, from the University of Northampton; Prof Carlos Acuña, from the University of Santiago de Compostela; Dr Marilina Cesario, from Queen’s University Belfast; and Dr Pedro Álvarez Mosquera, founding member and former ASYRAS President from the University of Salamanca.
500-word abstracts in DOC format for papers not exceeding 20 minutes should be submitted by September 30th 2014 to the organisers at: asyras2015@uvigo.es Abstracts should contain the title of the paper and your area of interest (linguistics, literary or cultural studies). As a separate attachment, the Paper Submission Form (available online at the conference’s website) containing personal information as well as a 100-word biographical note should also be sent in the same e-mail.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by October 15th, 2014.
A selection of extended versions of the best contributions will be edited by the organisers and published by a major international printing press.

For further information visit: http://asyras2015.wordpress.com/