In the wake of 2008’s financial crisis, and as spending cuts in the UK look set to change the shape of research in the arts, humanities and social sciences, ‘economies’ are at the forefront of public, academic and political discussions. In light of this contemporary context, the 2011 PSA conference presents postcolonial scholars with the opportunity to re-examine postcolonial texts, histories, and research methodologies through a focus on economic relations and practices past and present. As a field that is underpinned by analysis of inequality and ‘crisis’, how can postcolonial studies inform our understanding of relations between local cultures and global capital? And how might we situate present economic relations within longer (post)colonial histories of capitalism, deprivation, debt and ‘dependency’?
The two-day conference seeks to explore ‘economies’ and ‘crises’ through historical and cultural analysis, textual readings, and interdisciplinary debate. We are very pleased to welcome Elleke Boehmer (University of Oxford), Suman Gupta (Open University) and Sarah Brouillette (Carleton University) to Birmingham as our keynote speakers. Gupta’s prolific work on globalisation, capitalism, and socialism, Boehmer’s richly historicised research on Empire, gender, migration, and terror, and Brouillette’s expertise on creative industries and the marketing of postcolonial literatures will provide diverse and complementary perspectives on the conference theme. We anticipate stimulating and provocative keynote presentations that will resonate throughout the conference.
We are delighted to be able to present a rich and varied programme of scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds and from a wide range of countries. Their presentations collectively will suggest ways in which postcolonial approaches to economic practices and representations can make conceptual interventions into debates about local economies, global capitalism, industry, enterprise, poverty and its alleviation.
Program