The conference will be held in The National Library of Norway and The Norwegian Institute of Children’s Books auditoriums, located on Henrik Ibsens gate 110, Oslo

23 – 25 August 2012

Call for papers

Prelimenary programme by February 2012

What are the contemporary research questions in the Nordic region today?

Visual aspects have become increasingly more meaningful for collective literary expression within children’s literature. New publication channels have developed as a result of the introduction of electronic books. Digital media makes different demands in terms of form and content than traditional paper books. As a result, new visual and interactive possibilities for expression now exist within the domain of children’s literature. What does this mean for our knowledge of children’s literature?

The Nordic institutes of children’s literature invite you to the conference Nordic Children’s Literature – a question of new aesthetics? to focus on contemporary research projects and on the meeting points between art, text, electronics and research. The aim of the conference is to provide a forum for the discussion of the following topics:

• How research corresponds to literature, images and the media
• The connection between research interests, the need for knowledge within society, the possibilities of the media, and the ways in which authors and illustrators present problems

Keynote lectures will be held by:

• Professor Mavis Reimer, University of Winnipeg
• Professor Philip Nel, Kansas State University
• Professor Lissa Paul, Brock University, Ontario
• Professor Elise Seip Tønnessen, University of Agder

Participants are invited to submit 250 - 300 word abstracts for 20-minute papers on the conference themes. Panels of three linked papers are also very welcome. Topics for papers may include, but are not limited to: the history of children’s literature, reviews, cultural policy, aesthetics, genre studies and excesses, intermediality, visual and digital texts, reader habits and literacy, globalisation and nationalism, trauma and gender perspectives, as well as other central literary themes.

Abstracts should include an introduction to the lecturer of a maximum of 100 words.

Abstracts should be sent to post@barnebokinstituttet.no by 1 April 2012.

Notification of outcome by 1 May 2012.

Conference languages: Scandinavian languages and English.

The conference is funded by the Nordic Culture Fund, The Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books, The Swedish Institute for Children’s Books, the University of Aarhus’ Centre for Children’s Literature and The Finnish Institute for Children’s Literature.

For further information, please contact:

Maria Ihonen                                                         Nina Christensen
The Finnish Institute for Children’s Literature       Centre for Children’s Literature, Aarhus Universitet
maria.ihonen@lastenkirjainstituutti.fi                     nc@dpu.dk
                 

Jan Hansson                                                        Kristin Ørjasæter
The Swedish Institute of Children’s Books          The Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books
jan.hansson@sbi.kb.se                                       kristin.orjasater@barnebokinstituttet.no