National Forum for English Studies 2023 – Call for papers

The 12th National Forum for English Studies will take place on 26-28 April 2023, at Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden.

Background, aim and scope

In the current state of the world, with its challenges, threats and upheavals, be they of a military, political, cultural, economic, health- or climate-related nature, it is more important than ever to emphasize the need for relation-building and the capacity of language, not least English, to connect communities and overcome divisions and challenges. We therefore specifically invite proposals for talks and activities that address the communicative and unifying potential of English, including the teaching and learning of it. That said, the Forum remains open to all kinds of topics and perspectives falling within – or being of relevance to – English Studies in Sweden and beyond.

At the Forum, teachers and researchers are welcome to raise and discuss issues and questions, challenges and solutions, projects and findings regarding the study, promotion and use of English – from linguistic, literary, culture-and-society or pedagogical perspectives, including fruitful combinations of perspectives. This can be done in the form of classic research presentations, workshops, or inspirational accounts of professional/pedagogical development projects, experiments, strategies and solutions – in short, anything of interest to professionals in the field of English Studies in Sweden.

Keynote talks

Three internationally renowned scholars have kindly agreed to give keynote talks at the Forum: Bo G Ekelund (Stockholm University), Fiona Farr (University of Limerick), and Tom Morton (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). More information about them and their talks will be provided on the National Forum website.

Discussion sessions

In line with the ambition and scope sketched above, and following a certain tradition from earlier National Forums, we also intend to arrange for a number of discussion sessions, where specific categories of academics (such as doctoral students, lecturers and senior lecturers, and full professors) and/or special-interest groups (such as degree project supervisors and examiners, directors of study and program coordinators, or literature teachers) can come together to ventilate shared concerns. Suggestions in this regard, including proposals for organizing and chairing a discussion forum, are therefore welcome, too.

Invitation to submit proposals

Individual papers: 20-minute presentations followed by 5 minutes of questions and discussion. Abstracts should not exceed 250 words, excluding the title of the talk, author name(s), affiliations, email addresses, reference list, and 3-5 keywords.

Panels: 90-minute sessions based on 3-4 thematically related papers and leaving room for joint discussion. Abstracts should include the rationale for the session as well as the abstracts for the individual contributions, not exceeding 1000 words in total (excluding the title of the panel, author names, affiliations, email addresses, reference lists, and 3-5 keywords).

Workshops: 60- or 90-minute sessions with instruction and active participation. Proposals should not exceed 250 words, excluding the title of the workshop, organizer name(s), affiliations, email addresses, and 3-5 keywords.

Discussion sessions: 60- or 90-minute sessions for the discussion of a specific topic or concern regarding English Studies in Sweden and/or among a defined group of participants. Proposals should include a rationale for the session but not exceed 250 words, excluding the title, organizer name(s), affiliations, email addresses, and optional keywords.

Deadlines and additional information

The deadline for submitting proposals for contributions will be 15 January 2023. A response can be expected within the subsequent weeks. The deadline for early-bird registration will be 28 February 2023.

Additional information about the keynote speakers, abstract submissions, other important deadlines, registration, the program and more will be made available on the Forum website.

Inquiries can be sent to the following Forum email address: nationalforum2023@mdu.se

National Forum for English Studies April 2019!

Malmö University – the Faculty of Education and Society, and the Faculty of Culture and Society – is proud to host the National Forum for English Studies 2019.

The schedule for the conference is available here and abstracts for the presentations are available as well. The conference begins with Robert O’Dowd’s plenary
‘Establishing the impact of virtual exchange in foreign language education’.

The conference will be held at the Faculty of Education and Society 10-12 April 2019. The conference welcome desk will be open from 10 AM on 10 April in the atrium of the education building, Nordenskiöldsgatan 10. The opening is at 1 o’clock in room D222. The conference closes Friday 12 April at noon.

The theme of the conference is “English in Transformation” thus highlighting, on the one hand, the dynamic nature of English literatures cultures and language, and on the other, the ongoing transformation of English as a school subject and an academic discipline.

Confirmed keynote speakers:

  • Robert O’Dowd (University of Léon): Establishing the Impact of Virtual Exchange in Foreign Language Education
  • Phil Nel (Kansas State University), Lissa Paul (Brock University), Nina
    Christensen (Aarhus University): Keywords for Children’s Literature: Mapping Meaning, Transforming Research
  • Otto Kruse and Christian Rapp (Zurich University): Recent Developments in Writing Technology

The keynote lectures are (among other things) intended to serve as inspiration for three parallel workshops.

Call for papers

We welcome presentations in all fields of English studies – linguistics, literature, culture, and language education – in the form of individual papers, panels, and posters.

  • Individual papers: 20-minute presentations followed by 10-minute discussions. Abstracts for papers should not exceed 250 words excluding session title, author names, affiliations, email addresses, reference list and 3-5 keywords.
  • Panels: 90-minute sessions consisting of 3-4 related papers. Abstracts for thematic paper sessions should include the rationale for the session and individual contribution abstracts, altogether not exceeding 1000 words excluding session title, author names, affiliations, email addresses, reference lists and 3-5 keywords.
  • Posters: The conference will hold a poster session. Abstracts for posters should not exceed 250 words excluding poster title, author names, affiliations, email addresses, reference list and 3-5 keywords.

Presentation proposals should be submitted by 31 January (extended deadline) to Björn Sundmark (bjorn.sundmark@mau.se or Anna Wärnsby (anna.warnsby@mau.se).

Conference registration

The registration fee is 1500 SEK, to be paid to bankgiro 5052-4958. Please mark the payment with your name and tag it “NFES 2019”. The registration fee should be received no later than 1 February 2019. Further information in the conference poster.