The list of tentative topics includes seven sub-topics related to (Ultra)Minor/Small and World Literatures in the Age of Cold War: (1) Soviet, (2) American, (3) Canadian and Latin & South American, (4) West European, (5) African, (6) Asian and (7) Oceanian. The main goal of this proposal is nothing more than the reinterpretation of the literary World under Cold War through the many neglected “literary spaces” between and beyond the counter-relationships of “North/South” and “West/East”. In this endeavor, we focus on (but do not restrict ourselves) to three points of inquiry:

• How did the two super powers’ cultural systems influence the differences of the “Northern/Southern” and “Western/Eastern” world literatures, e.g. UK vs. Oceania, North vs. South American, European vs. American literatures?
• Where are the fissures in these dominating dichotomies involving the five continents’ literatures, e.g. East v.s. West Asian, North v.s. South European literatures—as well as the distinctions within the same regional or national literatures, e.g. East v.s. West German, North v.s. South Korean/Vietnam literatures, ultraminor/small literatures in Soviet Union/States?
• What are the avenues for research on rethinking world literatures through (ultra)minor/small angles, and do these have the capacity to redefine and pair “minor & small literatures” that before, under and after Cold War Age, such that they obtain coherence among Deleuze, Guattari & Casanova’s new terms—or even with Kafka’s new literary continent before World War I?

Papers will be circulated at least one month before the conference in order to generate in-depth discussion of related publication plans during the seminar. For questions, please contact the seminar organizers: Yanli He and Iker Arranz

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