Post Graduate Department of English, Berhampur University, Odisha
Organises its
International Conference
on
Sustainable Environments and Interspecies Ecologies: Literature, Creativity, Theory and Praxis
29-30 September 2023
Berhampur University, Berhampur, Odisha, India
Exploitation of natural resources fuelled by rapid expansive industrial growth and materialistic outlook towards world domination led to depletion and unimaginable destruction of the natural world. Acute global warming, melting Poles, rising seas, forest fires, food and water crisis, pandemics and war make the climate crisis a jarring reality.Sustainable environments and interspecies ecologies refer to a new way of thinking about the relationship between humans and the natural world, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living and non-living and the need for a sustainable approach to managing and utilizing resources. This approach recognizes that human activities have a direct impact on the environment and that the health of the planet depends on the robustness of its ecosystems and the species that inhabit them.But scientific discourse alone will not suffice. The automized humans, lost in their survival mode of living needs to be woken up by defamiliarizing the world they live in, to see the disastrous effects of mindless exploitation of the natural world. This can be achieved only through reaching the masses. This is where literature, creativity, theory, and praxis all play an intricate and essential role in understanding and promoting sustainable environments and interspecies ecologies.
Through literature, we can imagine alternative worlds and ways of being, drawing from various cultural and natural heritage to create stories and narratives as well as draw examples from them that promote sustainability and ecological awareness. Literature does not need specialized jargons to put across the point, stories and narratives touch the heart and stimulate the brain.On the other hand, creative expression not only allows us to celebrate the beauty and diversity of life on Earth, reminding us of the interconnectedness of all living beings but also helps in reinventing strategies to mitigate the problems associated with attaining sustainable environments. Both literature and creative expression allow us to explore and articulate the complexities of these relationships, connecting us with the natural world and inspiring us to take action. Writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson, Barbara Kingsolver, Richard Powers and Amitav Ghosh et. al have used this channel to voice their concern for the environment.
Theory provides us with frameworks for understanding the social, cultural, political, and psychological contexts in which sustainable environmental policies and practices can be developed and implemented. From critical theory to environmental justice frameworks, sustainable ideas enable us to recognize and address various factors that contribute to environmental problems and inequities as regards clean atmosphere, food and gender. Theorists such as William Rueckert, Greta Gaard, Lori Gruen, Robert D. Bullard, Christophe Bonneuil, Jean-Baptiste Fressozet.al, have theorised the various ways to look at the crisis facing the earth today. Praxis brings about change through personal and collective actions both at the national and international spheres and prioritizes the wellbeing of all beings and promotes sustainable environments and interspecies ecologies. These are crucial for our survival as a species and the health of our planet. Literature, creativity, theory, and praxis all have a dominant and indispensable role to play in understanding, promoting, and implementing sustainable environmental policies and practices, and in fostering a deeper connection between humans and the non-human natural world. Faced with critical questions like: Is the greatest threat to our planet the belief that someone else will save it?Will the rise in global warming and rapid climate change bring a realisation in humans that if human species have to survive, they have to do so in relation with non-human nature?
We invite research papers in the following themes but we do not restrict paper presenters from being more innovative and interdisciplinary in this subject area:
- Sustainable environment and feminism
- Climate change narratives and the reader
- Climate /Environmental Refugees
- Environmental racism and sustainability
- Ecology,curriculum and green pedagogy
- Religion, Myth and environmental sustainability
- Technological advancement,biomimicry and AI
- Sustainable environments: Literary representation
- The Anthropocene and Post human ecologies
- Green Criminology and Eco-justice
- Eco-disaster and sustainability
- Eco-philosophy and Ecological ethics
- Interspecies relationship for sustainability
- Ecological language for sustainability
- Green Anxiety and sustainable futures
- Eco-linguistics and stories we live by
- Green Action Research in and outside the classroom
- Role of folk and indigenous knowledge in sustainability
- Role of History in promoting sustainability
Important information:
Last date for receiving abstracts within 250-300 words with 4-5 keywords: 30.06.2023
Information about acceptance of abstracts: 04.07.2023
Last Date for Full Papers: 10.08.2023
- Best Paper to be awarded with ‘ByotkeshTripathy Award’
- Submission must be made only in MS Word Document attached to the email. MLA 9th Edition must be followed strictly for in-text citation and Documentation
- Selected Papers will be peer reviewed and published in the Conference Proceedings bearing ISBN Number.
- Participants interested to compete for the Best Paper Award must clearly mention that in the Title page of their paper.
- We encourage Physical participation; however, International participants have the option of presenting online.
Registration details:
All co-authors and poets should register as delegates.
Last date for Registration: 1.08.2023
Registration Fee: 2000 INR
Registration fees includes conference kit, certificate, lunch, tea and snacks
- UG and PG students: Rs 1000/-
Kindly send abstracts to and seek information from:
Contact: conf.pgde23@gmail.com
Chief Patron: Prof. Geetanjali Dash, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Berhampur University.
Patron: Prof. Susant Kumar Baral, Chairman, PG Council, Berhampur University
Conference Convenor: Prof. Shruti Das
Co-Convenors: Dr T. Eswar Rao & Mr. Anil K. Tiriya
International Conference on Sustainable Environments and Interspecies Ecologies: Literature, Creativity, Theory and Praxis, 29-30 September 2023 