The University of Georgia

Comparative Literature Department and African Studies Institute

The Southeast African Language and Literature Forum (SEALLF) 2015 Conference Call for Paper

Several contradictory tendencies have emerged with regard to the issue of ‘’language’’ in Africa. While the globalization pressures and new trends among several African regimes plead per default for maintaining former colonial languages as the exclusive ones for official matters – including literary production – the socio-political realities on the ground speak another language: Grass root organizations and multiple NGO that encourage the use of local languages in education are showing how efficient this method is in combating poverty and enhancing cultural life.

It is against this backdrop that this conference invites contribution on topics including the following:

• Language and development
• Language and literary creativity
• Language and literary identity
• Language, literature and pedagogy

Abstracts/Panel proposals:

Each prospective presenter should submit electronically an abstract of 250 words or less to: ayoola@uga.edu by Monday August 31st, 2015. Abstracts should include the presenter’s name, title of paper, institutional affiliation, and contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email address). Please, note that submission of abstract automatically grants conference organizers the right to publish it in the conference program and website.