Postgraduate Colloquium 2021 – Call for Papers

‘Belonging’

The Postgraduate Colloquium is a one-day conference held online, organised by the School of English at the University of Sheffield on Friday 2nd July.

The conference aims to explore the theme of ‘belonging’. It will bring together ideas and presentations from individuals, students and researchers working in a range of disciplines throughout the Humanities, including English Literature, Linguistics, Theatre, Creative Writing, History, Geography and Music.

We invite proposals for 20-minute pre-recorded submissions on the theme of ‘belonging’.

It feels urgent to consider how events of the last year have shaped and reshaped our notions of what it means to belong, and the conference will provide a platform to discuss such ideas through a combination of interdisciplinary responses, including personal essays and academic, creative, and experimental presentations.

We welcome topics including, but not limited to:

• Community and placelessness

• The idea of community past, present and future

• The politics of belonging

• Community and individualism

• The language of belonging and exclusion (including issues such as hate speech, radicalisation, cancel culture and cyber-bullying)

• Finding community in the digital landscape

• Nurturing inclusive spaces to foster a sense of belonging

• Social media and belonging

• What it means to ‘belong’ in a pre- and post-pandemic world

• Migration and belonging

• Belonging and diversity