UNSAM-Cátedra John M. Coetzee in Literatures of the South
International conference: “The Works of John Maxwell Coetzee in Latin America”
UNSAM Buenos Aires, September 12 & 13

Introduction

Over recent years, in Latin America there has been increasing and pronounced interest in the literature and the thought of J.M. Coetzee. The organization of several international conferences, the publication of literary biographies and the proliferation of monographs and academic articles show the importance and the impact of this author’s work beyond the contexts that could have been predicted, based on the specific locations that gave rise to his texts.

Also, relatively recently but consistently, Coetzee has been forging connections with intellectuals and scholars; writers and artists; playwrights, screenwriters and filmmakers; translators and publishers in Latin America. In addition to literature, other fields have found in Coetzee’s work a lens with which to focus on certain concerns of relevance to Latin America: in Mexico a colloquium was held on Coetzee’s work from the perspective of contemporary philosophy; in Argentina ,a three-day encounter explored the relationship between literature and film in the southern hemisphere; also in Argentina there was a colloquium—in which Coetzee participated—on topics such as political memory and the role and impact of literature on issues such as human rights in Argentina and South Africa.

The idea of this international conference is to take advantage of the dialogues and comparative studies that have emerged in prior less formal encounters and become a place for scholars concerned on diverse Latin American issues to analyse the ways in which Coetzee’s work impacts and influences their fields.

The papers should be 6000-8000 words long, and may cover the topic from the following fields of knowledge:

• Philosophy & Humanities
• Social Sciences (Anthropology, Sociology, Post-Colonial Studies, etc.)
• Gender
• Political Memory
• History

The selected papers will be published in a special collection by UNSAM Edita.

Those interested in participating should send their proposals by July 31, 2017, to catedracoetzee@unsam.edu.ar. Decisions will be communicated by August 10, 2017. The Academic Committee of the Cátedra, in coordination with its director, J.M. Coetzee, will select the proposals that will participate in the Conference.