Organized by the graduate students within the English department, the Pacific Rim Conference on English Studies invites submissions in literature, rhetoric and composition, linguistics, anthropology, history, journalism, gender studies and other related fields.
The effects of colonialism continuously shape the way we all live our everyday lives, making it one of the most challenging subjects in academia. Reframing colonialism opens conversations about indigeneity, decolonization, and critiquing colonial frameworks in our disciplines. The University of Alaska, Anchorage English Studies Department welcomes all scholars to help reframe colonialism at the Pacific Rim English Studies Conference on April 20th and 21st 2019. We welcome paper, panel, poster, and art submission for presentation at the conference.
The Pacific Rim English Studies Conference welcomes two keynote speakers this year, Dr. Alanna Frost, from the University of Alabama Huntsville and Dr. Beth Leonard from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Both scholars consider languages, cultures, and identities in Canadian and Alaskan contexts. In “Literacy Stewardship: Dakelh Women Composing Culture,” Dr. Frost focuses on literacy among Dakelh women in British Columbia, coining the term “literacy steward” to understand their literacy practices. Literacy stewards push back against the dominant literacy practices and support traditional linguistic and cultural practices. As the director and professor of the Alaska Native studies department at UAA, Dr. Leonard’s work focuses on literacy practices, education, and the impacts of colonialism in Alaska Native cultures. We look forward to new spaces for future critical conversations about reframing colonialism at the 23rd annual Pacific Rim English Studies Conference.