Fw: H-ASIA: CFP Symposium on Telugu Literature and Politics & Social Movements

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Monika Lehner" <monika.lehner@UNIVIE.AC.AT>
To: <H-ASIA@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 7:57 PM
Subject: H-ASIA: CFP Symposium on Telugu Literature and Politics & Social
Movements


> H-ASIA
> April 28, 2012
>
> Symposium on Telugu Literature and Politics & Social Movements
> ******************************************************************
> From: "Sam Gundimeda" <samgundimeda@gmail.com>
>
> *Rajendranagar Symposium on*
> *Telugu Literature: ***
> *Contemporary Politics and Socio-Political Movements *
>
> * *
> *Council for Social Development*
> *Southern Regional Centre, Hyderabad *
> * *
> *August 30-31, 2012*
>
> There is nothing new about the interconnection between the literature and
> politics and the role played by former in the emergence and sustenance of
> socio-political movements for justice, equality and democracy across the
> globe. Telugu literature, particularly modern Telugu literature, is known
> for the works that condemn social evils and speak of realizing justice to
> the politically marginalized and socially, economically suppressed
> sections
> of the Telugu country. For instance, while writers like Kandukuri
> Veeresalingam Panthulu used their pens to eradicate social evils, poets
> like Gurram Joshuva turned their words into weapons to fight against
> practice of untouchability and discrimination against Dalits.
>
> Of course, it was not just social evils that Telugu
> literature addressed, but importantly also challenged the established
> forces in favour of the democratic revolution. Indeed, Telugu literature
> has been at the base of all those political movements that shook the state
> rather violently for nearly 30 years, starting from 1960s to until the
> beginning of the 80s.
>
> A point that is sociologically noteworthy here is that until the early 80s
> almost all the writers and poets, except a few people like Gurram Joshuva
> and Satyamurthy (Siva Sagar), had come from the Brahmin and other upper
> caste social backgrounds. But the emergence of the Feminist and Dalit
> movements in the late 1970s and early 80s respectively, completely changed
> the social profile of Telugu literary personalities and the dominance of
> the Brahmins and other upper castes upon the Telugu literary field. The
> subsequent emergence of the Dandora movement and production of rich
> literature by the Madiga writers, poets and novelists further brought in
> writers who belonged to the Dalits, particularly the Madigas and other
> marginalized sections into the Telugu literary arena. This, in turn, led
> to
> further democratization of Telugu literature in terms of its subject
> content and the social profiles of the writers.
>
> Since the late 1990s and beginning of the 2000s, the politics in the state
> have taken a different course, and so did Telugu literature. There has
> been a strong demand and movement for bifurcation and sometimes even
> trifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. In recent years Telangana writers and
> also
> the non-Telanganites, who are supporting the demand of separate Telangana
> movement, have sharpened their pens and produced a great body of
> literature
> in support of Telangana state. On the whole we see two dominant voices in
> the movement. While one group of people simply asking for carving of a new
> state by separating the ten Telangana districts from the present state of
> Andhra Pradesh. Almost all the upper castes are in favour of this demand.
> The second group of people, in addition to the separate state, are also
> demanding for a share in the political power and resources in the emerging
> state. All the marginalised sections, including Dalits, Adivasis, Backward
> Classes and Minorities are in favour of this form of Telangana. The recent
> Telugu literature around the Telangana theme reflects not just the
> socio-economic and political conditions of the Telangana but importantly
> also focused around these two demands. Apart from this Dalit and
> Telangana-based literature and politics, there has always been women and
> minority-focused literature. In recent years some writers are focusing on
> the issues concerning the Adivasis, and also on livelihoods, forms of
> discrimination, such as discrimination against the beef consumers. Thus,
> these new additions have enriched the arena of the Telugu literature, and
> they, in turn, have inspiring both politics and socio-political movements
> in our times.
>
>
> The two-day national symposium on Telugu literature and politics at the
> Council for Social Development (CSD), Southern Regional Centre,
> Rajendranagar, aims to capture these recent trends and nuances.
> Interested
> scholars and activists are invited to take part in this initiative and
> submit their papers for presentation in the symposium, as well as for
> publication in an edited volume at a later stage.
>
>
>
> The conference will be organised around four overarching themes:
> (a) Hegemonies
> (b) Livelihoods
> (c) Resistance
> (d) Utopias
>
> Please note that:
> - Symposium will be held between August 30-31, 2012.
> - Papers can be presented in either English or Telugu.
> - Interested scholars may send their individual paper title and
> abstract on or before 31st May to director@csdhyd.org or
> samgundimeda@gmail.com
> - Selected abstracts will be uploaded in CSD website: www.csdhyd.org
> - Those scholars, whose abstracts have been selected, are requested
> to submit (the same address as in the above) on or before 30th July, 2012.
> - The final papers have to be resubmitted, after addressing the
> suggestions/comments made in the symposium, on or before 31st October,
> 2012
> for publication.
>
> Sam Gundimeda
> Council for Social Development, Southern Regional Centre
> Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh, India)
>
>
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