NISN Newsletter, New Year 2013
Dear members of the Nordic Irish Studies Network,
Due to an unforeseen delay, the Christmas newsletter is this year replaced by a New Year’s newsletter. I hope you all have had a great holiday, and wish you all the best for 2013!
NISN AND NIS ANNOUNCEMENTS
The NISN conference at Dalarna
The 8th Biannual NISN was hosted by DUCIS (Dalarna University Centre for Irish Studies)Sweden, from December 12 to 14. Unfortunately, challenging weather conditions and other problems meant some members could not attend (those in question were sorely missed!), and some of the participants had delays and layovers. Nevertheless, the concerted efforts of Irene Gilsenan Nordin, Carmen Zamorano Llena, Billy Gray, John Lynch and all the other organisers ensured this became a memorable event for those of us who were able to make it. The theme of the conference was “Authority and Wisdom” in the context of Irish history, culture and literature. The plenary speakers – Ciarán Benson, Patricia Coughlan, John Wilson Foster and Mary O’Donnell – were excellent, providing solid contributions not only through presentations of their own work but also their participation in the discussion of other papers. The NISN general meeting decided that the next NISN conference will take place in 2014, at theUniversityofAalborginDenmark. Further information about the general meeting will be made available by the new NISN secretary, Anne Karhio.
Nordic Irish Studies journal
The journal has now achieved top ranking (No. 1) granted by the ERIH (Eiropean Index for the Humanities): see http://www.esf.org/research-areas/humanities/erih-european-reference-index-for-the-humanities.html
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, a special issue of the journal – edited by Billy Gray, Irene Gilsenan Nordin and Katherina Dodou – is being prepared on the following topic: “Cultural Remediation: The Role of Literary and Visual Representation in Reshaping Cultural Narratives in Contemporary Ireland.”
There have been some changes regarding the editorial duties of the journal. As before, Irene Gilsenan Nordin is the Literary Editor, and her Assistant Editor is Carmen Zamorano Llena. The new editor for politics, history, sociology, and cultural studies is Billy Gray. The new assistant Editor for the latter topics is John Lynch. Brynhildur Boyce is still the reviews editor, while the editorial board now includes the following: Charles Armstrong, Michael Böss, Hedda Friberg-Harnesk, Heidi Hansson, Meg Harper, and Catherina Maignant.
Those of you who are interested in contributing to forthcoming issues of the journal, should contact one of the following editors: (a) for literature: Irene Gilsenan Nordin (ign@du.se), (b) for politics, history, sociology and cultural studies: Billy Gray (bgr@du.se), and (c) for book reviews: Brynhildur Boyce (brynboyce@hotmail.co.uk)
NISN book project
The publishers Peter Lang have expressed an interest in the ongoing NISN book project – titled The Crossings of Art: Culture and Aesthetics in Ireland – and a contractual agreement will hopefully be reached shortly.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Irish Itinerary
In connection with the Irish presidency of the European Union, EFACIS (European Federation for Centres of Irish Studies) is organising tours of Irish culture involving selected Irish centres and hosts in Europe. The Scandinavian part of the itinerary comprises of events in Falun (Høgskolan i Dalarna), Gothenburg, Kristiansand(Universityof Agder) and Stockholmfrom 25 February to 8 March. It will involve the artist Rita Duffy, the novelist Anne Enright, and theatrical performers Darina Gallaher and Sinead Murphy (with their “Songs of Joyce”) – as well as the films Once and The Secret of Kells. For more information about the Irish itinerary project, see this link: http://irishstudies.be/index.html
EFACIS Conference in Galway
The ninth EFACIS (European Federation for Centres of Irish Studies) conference will be held at the National University of Ireland-Galway on June 5-8, 2013. The theme for the conference is “Toward 2016: Old and New Irelands”. There is a new deadline for panels and paper proposals: 1 February 2013. For more information, see this link:
IASIL Conference in Belfast
The 2013 conference of the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures will take place at Queen’s University in Belfastfrom 22 to 26 July. The title of the conference is “Urban Cultures”. A call for papers and more information will be made available at the IASIL website: http://www.iasil.org/index.html
All the best,
Charley Armstrong
NISN chair
NISN Newletter, Summer 2012
Dear members of the Nordic Irish Studies Network,
Hopefully this will reach at least some of you before you take off for your summer holidays. I wish you all a great summer break, and look forward to meeting you soon at one or another of the events mentioned below!
NISN AND NIS ANNOUNCEMENTS
The forthcoming NISN conference
As announced in the Christmas newsletter, the 8th Biannual NISN will be hosted by DUCIS (Dalarna University Centre for Irish Studies) Sweden, December 12-14, 2012. The theme of the conference will be “Authority and Wisdom” in the context of Irish history, culture and literature. Confirmed plenary speakers include Prof. Ciarán Benson, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, UCD School of Psychology, Dublin; Prof. Patricia Coughlan, Professor of English, University College Cork; Emeritus Prof. John Wilson Foster, Honorary Research Fellow, Queen’s University Belfast, and writer Mary O’Donnell. A call for papers has already been distributed, and this – like any other further updates that may occur – is available via this internet link: http://www.du.se/en/Education/Subject-list/English/Dalarna-University-Center-for-Irish-Studies1/Prospective-Students1/
Nordic Irish Studies journal
Volume 11, number 1 (2012) of the Nordic Irish Studies journal was published earlier this year. Edited by Ruben Moi and Irene Gilsenan Nordin, it was a special issue on the topic of ”The Island and the Arts.” The articles were written by Michael Parker, Anne Karhio, Ruben Moi, Gerald Porter, Martin Shaw, Ciara Rustici, Gerd Bjørhovde. John Braidwood, Joakim Wrethed, Timothy Saunders, Ondrej Pilny, Alexandra Slaby and Charles Armstrong.
Work is under way for another special issue of the journal – edited by Billy Gray, Irene Gilsenan Nordin and Katherina Dodou – on the following topic: “Cultural Remediation: The Role of Literary and Visual Representation in Reshaping Cultural Narratives in Contemporary Ireland.”
Those of you who are interested in contributing to forthcoming issues of the journal, should contact one of the following editors: (a) for literature: Irene Gilsenan Nordin (ign@du.se), (b) for politics, history, sociology and cultural studies: Michael Böss (engmb@hum.au.dk), and (c) for book reviews: Brynhildur Boyce (brynboyce@hotmail.co.uk)-
NISN book project
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the working title of the ongoing NISN book project is The Crossings of Art: Culture and Aesthetics in Ireland. The three co-editors – Brynhildur Boyce, Ruben Moi and Charles Armstrong – have recently received second drafts from the contributors. Stragglers are still welcome, so please get in touch with the editors if you feel that you might be able to come up with a fitting contribution some time soon. Early in the autumn term, a proposal will be submitted to a suitable publisher.
REPORTED EVENTS FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR
Joyce Day and other events at the University of Gothenburg
Britta Olinder reports that there have been one or two seminars on Irish topics like “Belfast as a literary city” at the University of Gothenburg so far this year. On April 27, there was a full day of events – titled “I huvudet på James Joyce: en dag om en dag i Dublin” – to celebrate a new translation of Ulysses into Swedish.
Guest at University of Bergen
NISN member Brynhildur Boyce was a visiting PhD student at the University of Bergen during this spring term, on an Yggdrasil stipend. On March 21 she gave a talk entitled “Impulse and Impediment: Communication in the Work of Samuel Beckett” for the Christianity and Modernism research project (which is led by NISN member Erik Tonning) in Bergen.
Guest lecturer and new organisation at the University of Agder
In March Seán Crosson from NUI-Galway spent a week at the University of Agder. In addition to providing inspiring assistance to normal English at the university, Seán held lectures on ”The Cinema and Northern Ireland” and ”The Muisc of Poetry: A Theoretical Survey”. The former lecture also marked the inauguration of AINE (Agder Irish Network), a new Irish Studies organisation including three University of Agder members (Jan Erik Mustad, David Eric John Herbert and Charles Ivan Armstrong) and three associated members in Norway (Sissel Rosland, Ruben Moi and Kevin McCafferty).
NEW FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Irish Writers Symposium in Gothenburg
In connection with the Gothenburg Book Fair, there will be held an Irish writer symposium. Friday and Saturday September 28-29,eight writers will read from and answer questions about their work in sessions alternating with reports and discussions of current research projects. The writers are Kevin Barry, Sebastian Barry, John Boyne, Paul Muldoon, Paul Murray, Éilis Ni Dhuibhne, Siobhán Parkinson and Colm Toibín. For more information, please contact Britta Olinder via this email address:. britta.olinder@eng.gu.se
Irish Festival at Oulo
The Irish festival at Oulo will take place from October 3 to 7. This is the most northerly Irish festival in the world, and it is now in its seventh hugely successful year. The visiting poet this year is Tony Curtis. Born in Dublin in 1955, he is the author of six warmly received collections of poetry. His most recent, What Darkness Covers, was published by Arc in 2003. In that year also, he was the recipient of the Varuna House Exchange Fellowship in Australia. Curtis has been awarded the Irish National Poetry Prize and is a member of Aosdána, the Irish academy of the arts. For more information about the festival, see this link: http://www.irkku.fi/index.html
EFACIS Conference in Galway
The ninth EFACIS (European Federation for Centres of Irish Studies) conference will be held at the National University of Ireland-Galway on June 5-8, 2013. The theme for the conference is “Toward 2016: Old and New Irelands”. The deadline for the call for papers is 10 September 2012. For more information, see this link:
All the best,
Charley Armstrong
NISN chair