Curtin Sarawak dean keynote speaker at international conference on new literatures

Miri – 22 January 2014 – The Dean of Teaching and Learning of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak), Associate Professor Beena Giridharan, recently had the honour of delivering the inaugural address at an international conference on ‘New Literatures and Their Relevance to the 21st Century’ held at Loyola College in Chennai, India.

Dr. Giridharan outlined the origin, growth and the evolution of Malaysian literature in English where she spoke on ‘The Distinctiveness of South East Asian Writing in English’ focusing on the contributions of Malaysian writers.

Her keynote address highlighted the significance of new literatures and their relevance in today’s society, as they provide literary forms and expressions to their readership and echo social and national concerns and ethos that are resonant nationally and internationally.

Dr. Giridharan (2nd right) receiving a memento from Dr. Felicita I. Mary Prabha of Loyola College’s Department of English as two other staff members of the college look on. 

The conference aimed to sensitise participants to focus on the problems of the 21st century as highlighted in the New Literatures, feel the relevance of solving problems by a re-reading of the New Literatures texts, and evolve pedagogy for teaching the problem-centred Protest Literatures.

It also aimed to forge an academic network of those interested and involved in teaching ‘emotive’, hybridised’ and ‘multi-cultural’ literatures; form a cluster in promoting and deepening research in the area; and bring out a peer-reviewed research journal and monograph.

Among the sub-themes of the conference were New Literatures vis-à-vis Intertextuality; Post modern Challenges; Protest Themes; Cultural Studies/Other Voices; Subaltern and Caliban Cultures; and Orature, Folklore and Mythopoeia.

Conference participants pose for a group photo. 

Alienation and Exile/Paradigms in Plurality; The Process of Decolonisation; Hybrid Literatures/New-New Literatures; Tigritude; Re-writing the History/Journey Backwards; Search for Identity/Journey Inwards; Diasporic Consciousness; and Tribal, National and Continental Sentiments were also part of the sub-themes discussed.

Other speakers at the conference included academics from the International Council for Canadian Studies, Ottawa, Canada; University of Madras, Chennai; University of Mysore, Karnataka; Panjab University, Chandigarh; and Pondicherry University, Puducherry.

In his welcoming address, Dr. A. Devaraj, convener of the conference, underlined the importance of the conference in understanding the marginalised, neglected and suppressed voices of the voiceless as Loyola College admits 40% of the students from the economically and socially disadvantaged sections of society.

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