In recent years, the transnational turn, fueled by a critique of globalization that relies on the apparent fluidity of spatial mobility and the supposed efficiency of global interconnection, has drawn attention to the forms of contact and interaction that occur in complex, unstructured, unpredictable and even chaotic contexts, leading to the production and emergence of new forms of culture and identity. This shift has led to the realization that “modern and globalized experiences of (re)attachment, multiple belongings, belonging-at-a-distance, supranational agreements, diaspora cultures, and global cities reveal the limitations of the national optic for characterizing twenty-first century ways of life” (Mattea Cussel, 4). As pointed out by Naoki Sakai, the traditional way of understanding international and intercultural dynamics, which relies on contrasting and juxtaposing spaces, cultures, and languages, is no longer as applicable or relevant in the contemporary world. Additionally, the binary logic used to frame concepts, such as colonized vs. colonizer, migrant vs. host society, North vs. South, mother tongue vs. foreign language, and so on, is also losing relevance. Thus, to fully understand the experiences of culture, language and identity in today’s interconnected world, it is crucial to move away from dichotomies to a more nuanced and complex way of thinking. In this conference, we aim to engage with the concept of contact and its various forms, centering on this shift from international relations to transnational dynamics, and from binary logic to complex and multidimensional thinking.
Deadline: 15.02.2025
