cfp

Sea Change: Representations of Transformation in the Caribbean and Mediterranean

Due Date: 05-01-2022

The proposed volume, Sea Change: Representations of Transformation in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, considers notable transformations in the context of the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These regions have witnessed centuries of migration, trade, and cultural contact, often accompanied by human conflict, suffering, and loss. Profound changes have resulted from such interconnected factors as (post)colonial relations, immigration policies, economic exigencies, and tourism, as well as natural disasters and other environmental conditions.

The juxtaposition of the Caribbean and Mediterranean in this volume offers new possibilities for understanding these regions by bringing to light their many parallels and connections. We invite scholarly studies of cultural texts that depict changing human experiences examined through multiple lenses—corporal, psychological, environmental, (infra)structural, and others. We encourage contributors to consider questions such as

  • how environmental factors influence cultural changes and exchanges;
  • how cultural, physical, and ideological transformations in human experiences correlate with political and economic changes;
  • how human experiences of these regions continually shape individual, communal, and national identities;
  • what two-way exchanges result from contact, conflict, transit, or communication between shores and seas; and
  • how cultural productions contribute to greater consideration of human rights and dignity.

We welcome analyses of cultural texts including fictional and nonfictional literature, film, television, theater and performance, and material and visual cultures. Papers should be written in English and consider portrayals of transformation in either region or through a transatlantic comparison. Abstracts of 250 words and a short bio of 100 words should be submitted to seachangevolume@gmail.com by 1 May 2022.