CFP: Orientalism in Early Modern Europe

[mcfinke]

Please see the Call for Papers below, posted on behalf of colleagues  
here at Illinois.  They have asked to be put in contact with scholars  
who might offer contributions pertaining to our regions.



CALL FOR PAPERS
The Dialectics of Orientalism in Early Modern Europe, 1492-1700
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, October 7-8, 2011

In early modern Europe, discourses on and images of the Orient and  
Islam are inextricably tied to the rise of national consciousness and  
the formation of a European identity as several Western states were  
striving for imperial supremacy. The goal of this international and  
interdisciplinary conference is to explore the dialectical function  
of early modern Orientalism for the creation of different notions of  
a collective self: national, European, and/or imperial.

We invite proposals for contributions that analyze the multiple uses  
of an imaginary Islam and Orient and compare at least two national  
orientalist discourses and/or the intersection of nation-building and  
the invention of Europeanness catalyzed through these discourses.  
Beyond being simplifications, what role do stereotypes play in the  
complex and often contradictory rhetorical dynamics that served to  
articulate, implement and promote both internal policies and  
supranational endeavors of imperial supremacy? To whom are these  
stereotypical representations addressed and through what media? In  
what instances does the creation of a fictive homogeneous nation lead  
to the conceptual “islamization” of minority groups? Is there a  
competition among European nation-states for the hegemony in the  
representation of the Oriental, and in which ways does it feed into a  
transnational rivalry for imperial power? What does the comparison of  
different national accounts of Orientalism reveal about the supposed  
homogeneity of the stereotypical Muslim?

Proposals for presentations of 20-25 min that address any of these or  
related questions will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary  
organizing committee. The conference language is English.

Please send a 250-500 word abstract by November 15 to  
earlymodernorientalism at illinois.edu, along with information about  
your professional affiliation and a brief cv or a reference to your  
personal website.

For more information, visit www.earlymodernorientalism.illinois.edu  
or contact the organizers:

Marcus Keller (Department of French): mkeller at illinois.edu
Javier Irigoyen-García (Department of Spanish, Italian and  
Portuguese): irigoyen at illinois.edu





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