Conference: Wartime Shakespeare in a Global Context

[Dassia Posner]

Dear SEELANGers,
I am posting this conference announcement at the request of a 
colleague.  Advance apologies for any cross-postings.
Best,
Dassia Posner

Dassia N. Posner, Ph. D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
Harvard University


Wartime Shakespeare in a Global Context/ Shakespeare au temps de la 
guerre

  University of Ottawa, September 19-21, 2009
Fought on every continent except Antarctica, the Second World War 
offers a unique, temporally limited but geographically inclusive period 
in which to analyse and probe the role and significance of the theatre 
in times of extreme social duress.   As the most frequently performed 
and translated playwright in the world, Shakespeare is arguably one of 
the most useful touchstones for examining a range of issues and 
questions brought to the fore during wartime which this international 
conference -- coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the declaration 
of war --- aims to address:

What can the classics and, more broadly, theatre offer people suffering 
under the horrific conditions of war?  How does culture (both as an 
anthropological and as an aesthetic concept) change in wartime?  Are 
some aesthetic genres and modes more conducive than others in such a 
period?  How effective is the imposition from “above” of aesthetic 
criteria or of particular works? How do ordinarily benign artistic 
productions suddenly become usable, even necessary, as political 
propaganda? How are claims about the universality of authors revised or 
revisited in wartime when special pressures and demands are placed on 
literary and dramatic work?   How are issues of character and poetic 
language dealt with in circumstances which require collective, not 
individualistic, thought? What kind of relationship develops between 
“world classics” and indigenous canons of theatre and literature in 
wartime?  How do issues of gender, class, or political formation play 
into these debates?  Post-colonialism?  Translation?  Adaptation?  How 
do terms like “high” and “low” art function in wartime?  In periods of 
post-war reconstruction?  Where does the issue of globalization fit?  
Do answers to any of  these questions about the Second World War still 
hold true today?


Registration is now open!!!!!!

FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AND FOR A REGISTRATION FORM, PLEASE 
CONTACT
Irene (Irena) R. Makaryk, Ph.D.

Vice-Doyenne | Vice-Dean

Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales | Faculty of Graduate 
and Postdoctoral Studies

Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5; vdgrad at uOttawa.ca



Accommodation:



Two hotels have set aside rooms for conference participants:



a)  The Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, downtown Ottawa: special 
conference

rate of $124.00 (Canadian).  The hotel is located on a quiet side street

(111 Cooper St.) about ten to fifteen minutes walk from the University 
of

Ottawa.



Please visit their website at www.hiottawa.ca for details about rooms,

hotel amenities, location, and other links. Contact the hotel directly

yourself in order to make your booking, quoting the special group code 
B1K

and identifying yourself as being with the University of Ottawa.  All

reservations are required to be guaranteed by a credit card.



b)  Additional rooms, at a rate of $149 (Canadian), have been set aside 
at

the Lord Elgin Hotel, a five-minute walk over the Laurier Bridge to the

University of Ottawa.  Please call the hotel directly, toll-free at

1-800-267-4298 or contact them by e-mail at reservations at lordelgin.ca 
and

reference "University of Ottawa - Wartime Shakespeare" when making your

reservations.  For hotel amenities, location, and rooms, please visit

their website at www.lordelginhotel.ca.


c) There are a number of other hotels within easy walking distance of 
the

University.  These include The Embassy Hotel and Suites (kitchenette but

no restaurant): see details at www.embassyhotelottawa.com; Cartier Place

(both on Cooper Street): see details at www.suitedreams.com;  Novotel 
(on

Nicholas St.), see www.novotel.com; and, the luxurious, historical 
Chateau

Laurier, right next to the Houses of Parliament: 
www.fairmont.com/Laurier.


Arrival in Ottawa:

1.  From the airport:

There is a shuttle bus from the airport to downtown hotels.  Please see
their website at www.shuttle.com.  Taxis from the airport to the 
downtown
core may cost anywhere from $25 to $35.  Public bus:  The OC Transpo bus
#97 departs frequently just outside the front doors of the terminal and
stops directly in front of the University of Ottawa.

2.  From the Via Rail train station:

 From the front exit, follow the walkway to the end, passing over the bus
route.  Take the stairs down to the bus shelter and take bus #95, which
travels directly to the University.

3.  From the Greyhound bus terminal:

 From the front doors, walk left one block and cross at the intersection 
to
the far side of Bank Street.  Turn left:  the bus stop is one block up.
Take bus #1 or #7.  These buses will let you off at the Rideau Shopping
Centre which is a five minutes walk from the University of Ottawa.

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