This is a past event
IRCISS conference
Call For Papers (now closed)
The expansion of the British and American empires during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries created the greatest mass migration in human history. Irish and Scots migrants were major participants in this process. Their experiences have traditionally been framed in terms of push-pull factors, of exile, struggle, opportunity, and acculturation. But there is another side to the story; as the Irish and Scots spread throughout the world, they interacted extensively with indigenous cultures and peoples. In many areas, these encounters led to the displacement and destruction of indigenous peoples, while at other times and places they generated a wider range of experiences with greater opportunities for mutual cooperation and cultural exchange. At the same time, the Scots and Irish existed in an ambivalent, tense and sometimes hostile relationship to England. In what ways did their own experiences of colonialism affect their attitudes towards indigenous peoples? To what extent were they agents or critics of imperialism and how were these interactions reflected in literature, music and the arts? How did the Irish, Scots and indigenous peoples shape their political, social, religious, and economic relations with one another? And how were Scots, Irish and indigenous peoples’ understandings of the world transformed as a result of these encounters?
These are some of the issues that will be addressed in this international conference to be held in Toronto and Guelph 10-12 June 2010. It is being jointly organized by the Celtic Studies Program, St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto; the Scottish Studies Program, Guelph University; and the University of Aberdeen's AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies.
Proposals of no more than 300 words should be sent to David A. Wilson [david.wilson@utoronto.ca] by 28 February 2010
Donald Harman Akenson, Queen’s University Canada Colin Calloway, Dartmouth College Kevin Kenny, Boston College Patricia McCormick, University of Alberta Ann McGrath, Australian National University Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times Brad Patterson, Victoria University, New Zealand
- Venue
- University of Toronto and University of Guelph