international conference
Social and Environmental (In)Justice
in Discourse & in the Literary/Artistic Imagination
NOVEMBER 8-10, 2023
TUNIS, TUNISIA
organized by
Department of Languages
Department of English Language, Literature
& Civilisation
Ecole Normale SupErieure
Universityof Tunis
About the conference
The Rationale of the Conference
Our conference at Ecole Normale Supérieure – University of Tunis, organized in the charming capital of Tunisia, aims at inviting scholarly examinations of the discursive patterns—historiographic, documentary, theoretical, and artistic—within which the old theme of social (in)justice has been revisited in connection with the issue of environmental (in)equality.
If—as it has often been noted—exposure to, and suffering from ecological disasters has also been victimizing the lower classes, marginal groups, and indigenous populations, how far did this multi-faceted injustice orient documentary, theoretical and creative practices towards a critical rethinking of the concept of representation, as well as a rethinking of notions such as militancy, commitment, and activism? How have the discourses of culture studies, sociology, sociolinguistics, and literary criticism been approaching those intersections between forms of social and environmental (in)justice? How has the literary and artistic imagination been reacting to the urgency of these issues in an intellectual climate that has been increasingly skeptical about the adequacy of representation and the desirability of the mimetic? How did the issues related to the ecological urgency contribute to the revival of a scholarly interest as well as artists’ concern with the question (in)justice.
See the detailed conference description in the Call For Papers available on this website.
The Thematic Axes of the Conference
Theory and Cultural Studies:
- Indigeneity, ethnic movements, and the conception of environmental justice in historiography
- Ecological and social movements in journalistic representation
- Social activism & the politics of ecology
- Narratives of social and ecological militancy
- Race, class, and gender in the discourses on (in)justice
Theory and Literary Studies:
- Poetic justice in narrative fiction: its convergence with/divergence from the politics and ethics of justice
- Renewed interest of Literature and/or the visual arts in social class and class distinctions
- Environmental justice movements and their impact on artistic expression
- Neo-Realism in literature & the ecocritical wave
- Satire and the militant ethos in (ecocritical) literature & the visual/cinematic art
- Social justice and academic discourse socialization
- Critical pedagogy and social justice
Bilingualism/multilingualism in the context of social (in) justice - Language assessment and social justice
- Learner/teacher agency related to social justice
Social justice and intercultural education - Class, gender and/or race related to ecological issues from a sociolinguistic perspective
- Social justice and academic discourse socialization
- Critical pedagogy and social justice
- Bilingualism/multilingualism in the context of social (in) justice
- Language assessment and social justice
- Learner/teacher agency related to social justice
- Social justice and intercultural education
- Class, gender and/or race related to ecological issues from a sociolinguistic perspective
About ENS
Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) was founded in 1956, shortly after Tunisia’s independence. Ever since, ENS has been recognized for its rigorous selection process and conducive study conditions. Our conference at ENS serves as a platform for scholars to engage in intellectually stimulating discussions and present their cutting-edge research. Join us at ENS from November 8-10, 2023 to participate in an enriching scholarly gathering and to establish or further strengthen meaningful connections with fellow academics from Tunisia and abroad in the field of Anglophone studies and beyond.
Scientific Committee
Prof. Saloua Karoui-Elounelli
Prof. Mickaël Popelard
Prof. Faiza Derbel
Prof. Lanouar ben Hafsa
Dr. Rudolf Sardi
Dr. Lamia Tayeb
Dr. Khalthoum Kassab