Events

Announcements

In recent years, we have witnessed a fortunate upsurge in the publication of books dedicated to the exploration of various facets of Iranian modern and contemporary art. These publications have significantly contributed to our understanding of Iranian artistic culture. The Graduate Center for Literary Research at UCSB is pleased to host three separate events that brings together three distinguished scholars, each of whom has recently authored a work on Iranian art in the twentieth century. Please join us on Zoom for the first event of this seriees on Friday, April 5, at 9am PST. To register for this Zoom event, please use this link.

On April 16, 4-6 PM (location TBA), renowned Somali-Italian writer Cristina Ubah Ali Farah will speak about the recent translation of her 2014 novel Commander of the River (Indiana University Press, 2024) in dialogue with Dr. Laura Dahl Sarnelli and Prof. Giancarlo Tursi. The exchange will focus on issues of both linguistic and cultural translation which are central to this novel, which is set in contemporary Italy and England and tells a compelling coming-of-age story exploring themes of racism, trauma, and adolescent rebellion.

On Friday, March 1, 2024, 10am-11.30am PST (on Zoom), this international panel discussion addresses questions of figuration in the global postwar era, with specific reference to the utopian potential of Socialist Realism. Embedding Eastern European art in a global context, participants will investigate the social function of Socialist Realism in various socialist societies, placing them in relation to other politically engaged art forms. Apart from this they will look at different national historiographies and ask how these in their turn determine different perspectives on Socialist Realism. Everybody is welcome! Join us on Zoom

UC Santa Barbara's Department of East Asian Languages & Cultural Studies is pleased to host "New Approaches to Traditional Chinese Food Culture: A Workshop" on March 9-10, 2024, organized by Thomas Mazanec and Wandi Wang. This in-person workshop, featuring papers by 15 leading scholars from 11 institutions across the globe, will bridge sinology and food studies, presenting innovative approaches to the intersection of food and culture in China from the fifth to the twentieth century. The event will take place on March 9-10, 2024, from 9am-3pm, at the McCune Conference Center, HSSB 6020. Please register here by March 4.

The GCLR proudly co-sponsors the online conference "Nabokov from Novel Perspectives" that presents innovative approaches to the work of novelist Vladimir Nabokov, with international participants. The conference is organized by Prof. Pankenier Weld (Germanic and Slavic Studies, UCSB). The event will take place on Friday, March 1st, from 11:15 am-2:45 pm PST. Zoom Meeting ID: 825 7855 3258. Everyone is welcome to attend and we hope to see you there!

The GCLR's Winter Roundtable, focusing on "Film & Media in the Humanities", will feature 3 graduate student presentations that examine interdisciplinary and transnational aspects of film and media studies. Please join us in these cross-disciplinary discussions and in offering the presenters feedback on their papers! The event will take place on Tuesday, January 30th, from 5-7pm in Phelps 5316.