Literature and Humanity in the 21st Century

‘Where Do We Come From?
What Are We?
Where Are We Going?’
Literature and Humanity in the 21 st Century
International Conference
17 – 18 October 2013, Nitra, Slovakia
Literary discourse on humanity always reflects fundamental social, historical and cultural changes and views of the time. At
the beginning of the 21 st century, the discussions about well-being, prosperity and historical progress are juxtaposed with the
problems of globalization, struggles of the Third World, the crisis of spirituality and humanistic values. All these issues
challenge us to question what humanity stands for in the new millennium, and how our understanding of the past and the
present helps us to consider the future of the humankind. Thanks to new technologies, especially internet, the world got
smaller, yet whether this can help us become better human beings and be closer to each other is an open question. This
conference seeks to address the above mentioned concerns and initiate a discussion on what it means to be human and
humane, how the essence of man can be found in artificial setting and what perspectives literature offers to think about.
The main aim of the conference Literature and Humanity in the 21 st century is to focus on scholarly studies and interpretations
discussing the concept of humanity as captured in literary works. Proposals based on interdisciplinary research are also
welcomed (History, Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Film Studies, etc.).
The proposed abstracts may include the following thematic concerns:
- Exploring the human condition
o Philosophical, theological versus literary inquiries
o What is ‘a person’: human condition in modern and postmodern literature
o Displacement, exile and the sense of belonging

o Conception of morality in the study of literature: beyond good and evil
o The search for ultimate meaning
- Humanity – literature – nature
o From the subatomic to the cosmic
o Identity and change in literary works
o The transcendental Being and literature
o Technology and literature in the 21 st century
o What is a man? Representation of humanity in literature (slave narratives, war and holocaust fiction, postcolonial fiction,
etc.)
- Apocalyptic visions and narratives
o Fate of the mankind – fate of the universe
o The anthropic principle
o Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
o Nuclear holocaust, pandemic, and war conflicts.
Organizing committee:
Prof. PhDr. Anton Pokrivčák, PhD.
Mgr. Simona Hevešiová, PhD.
PhDr. Mária Kiššová, PhD.
Mgr. Alena Smiešková, PhD.
Mgr. Diana Židová
Deadline for abstracts: 31 May 2013
Notification of acceptance: 15 June 2013
Full paper submission: 30 September 2013
Conference fee: 50 EURO
The conference fee covers: refreshments, publication of the book of abstracts; selected articles from the conference will be published in
a peer-reviewed journal Ars Aeterna
Conference webpage: http://www.kaa.ff.ukf.sk/index.php/sk/udalosti/150-literature-and-humanity
Please, submit proposals of 300 words and a short biography to: mkissova@ukf.sk