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BEYOND BORDERS: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON GIOSE RIMANELLI

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OLTRE I CONFINI: NUOVE PROSPETTIVE SU GIOSE RIMANELLI IIIRD CUSIAC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE MARKING THE CENTENARY OF GIOSE RIMANELLI’S BIRTH 26-28 NOVEMBRE 2O25 UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DEL MOLISE The international conference devoted to the centenary of Giose Rimanelli (Beyond Borders: New Perspectives on Giose Rimanelli) organized by Professor Francesca D’Alfonso, Director of the University Center for Italian American and Canadian Studies (CUSIAC), aims to reassess the work of one of the most complex and transnational figures of the Italian American literary tradition. Born in Casacalenda (CB) in 1925 and active for decades between Italy, the United States, and Canada, Rimanelli wrote in multiple languages — Italian, English, and dialect — producing novels, poetry, memoirs, and critical writings that defy neat categorization and anticipate many of the questions central to contemporary debates on bilingualism, migration, and hybrid identities. The conference intends to illuminate the breadth of Rimanelli’s literary trajectory, with special attention to his English-language production, including Benedetta in Guysterland, Accademia, The Three-Legged One, and his experimental bilingual poetry, works that contributed to positioning him as a singular voice within the Italian American canon. More broadly, the event seeks to foreground the cultural, linguistic, and aesthetic crossings that shaped his career, situating his oeuvre within a transatlantic and intercultural framework. In keeping with the mission of CUSIAC, the conference promotes innovative approaches and interdisciplinary readings, bringing together scholars from various countries to reflect on Rimanelli’s legacy at the intersection of literature, migration studies, cultural memory, and diaspora identity. By revisiting both well-known and lesser-explored aspects of his work, the event aims to contribute to the ongoing rediscovery of authors and narratives that have played a crucial role in the formation of Italian American and Italo-Canadian cultural history.

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AIA BOOK and PHD Prize 2025 – Premi e Commissioni

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AIA BOOK PRIZE 2025: Camilla Caporicci, The Song of Songs and Its Tradition in Renaissance Love Lyric, Oxford University Press, 2024 AIA JUNIOR BOOK PRIZE 2025: Marta Fossati, The South African Short Story in English, 1920–2010, When Aesthetics Meets Ethics, Oxford University Press, 2024 AIA PHD PRIZE 2025: Lellida Vittoria Marinelli, Being a Contemporary Woman Writer. Il saggio sulla scrittura: Deborah Levy, Jeanette Winterson e Zadie Smith, Università di Napoli ‘L’Orientale’, 2025 (relatrice: Anna Maria Cimitile) Commissione AIA BOOK e AIA JUNIOR BOOK PRIZE 2025 Diego Saglia (Università di Parma) Presidente Emma Sdegno (Università di Venezia) Serenella Zanotti (Università di Roma Tre) Supplente: Pietro Luigi Iaia (Università del Salento) Commissione AIA PHD PRIZE 2025 Maddalena Pennacchia (Università di Roma Tre) Presidente Mirko Casagranda (Università della Calabria) Fernando Cioni (Università di Firenze) Supplente: Patrizia Anesa (Università di Bergamo)

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CALL FOR PAPERS International Conference Regional Perspectives, Planetary Reach. Themes, Genres, Forms of Narration in Contemporary Irish and Scottish Fiction University of Naples “L’Orientale” (Conference Hall, Du Mesnil Palace) 28-29 May 2026

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Regional Perspectives, Planetary Reach. Themes, Genres, Forms of Narration in Contemporary Irish and Scottish FictionUniversity of Naples “L’Orientale” (Conference Hall, Du Mesnil Palace)28-29 May 2026 Since the turn of the millennium, the European Anglophone literary scene has seen a growing prominence of Scottish and Irish fiction. This is evidenced by the numerous awards given to writers of Scottish and Irish origin and/or residence over the last two decades. What is particularly remarkable about this productivity is the ability of these writers to combine an interest in identities that can be significantly characterised as local/regional or migrant, with the ability to represent, on the global stage of the West, all the thematic and genre trends closely connected to the most pressing current events and the urgencies of contemporaneity. Climate change and eco-anxieties, the disintegration of democracy and civil coexistence, the culture of hate and apocalyptic imaginings of the future, identity politics and, in particular, the question of identities and gender relations are promptly and appropriately articulated in a stylistic-expressive variety that ranges from particularly effective and original forms of realism to speculative and dystopian tendencies intertwined with all possible narrative subgenres. Authors such as Ali Smith or Paul Lynch, to name just a couple among many others, have shown the ability to renew contemporary literary canons by combining stylistic innovation and formal experimentation with a firm grasp on contemporary reality, problematising its observation and narration. Both from the perspective of the stories and themes they address and from the formal perspective of linguistic and expressive research, these two literary scenes are therefore extremely interesting and capable of intersecting critical perspectives informed by the most recent theories in the fields of the post-humanities and metamodernism. Call for SubmissionsThe Conference organisers invite scholars and researchers interested in this area and its latest trends in fiction, poetry, drama, cinema, TV series, digital media, and critical theory to submitproposals for 20-minute presentations.Possible topics include but are not limited to:● Identity and Place: The dynamics of cultural identity. Local, traditional, diasporic, global, and ‘glocal’.● Ecocriticism and the Anthropocene: Ecological and environmental affect in eco-gothic, eco-catastrophic, and narratives of the climate crisis.● Politics and Speculation: Dystopian and speculative fiction as responses to contemporary socio-political scenarios, neoliberalism, and late capitalism.● Intersectionality and Embodiment: Representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality; queer identities and feminist perspectives.● The Post-Human Condition: Perspectives on transhumanism, post-humanism, affect theory, and embodiment.● Theories of the Contemporary: Post-postmodernism, metamodernism, off-modernism, and deep realism.● Form and Genre: Narrative techniques, genre hybridisation, autofiction, and autotheory.● Linguistic Experimentation: The aesthetics and politics of dialect, multilingualism, and experimental language.● Myth and Memory: Folklore-inspired narratives and mythic retellings within or beyond the Celtic sphere.● Media Convergence: Critical approaches to adaptations, TV series, films, and digital storytelling.● The Literary Marketplace: The impact of literary prizes on circulation, canonisation, and promotion; Translation and reception studies. Please submit the following documents in a single Word (.docx) or PDF file:– An abstract of 250-300 words.– A short, selective bibliography.– A brief biographical note (maximum 150 words), including affiliation and contact information. Proposals should be submitted to: IRSConference2026@gmail.com. Key DatesSubmission Deadline: 10 January 2026Notifications of acceptance and further details, including information about the conference fee, will be communicated by the end of January 2026. Internet sitehttps://sites.google.com/view/irsconference/home-pageShort URLhttps://shorturl.at/gGrsX Scientific/Organising CommitteeRossella Ciocca, Marta Cariello, Giuseppe De Riso, Daniela Vitolo, Luca Sarti, Gaia Zaccaro. 1 (2)(1) 2 (2)(1) 3 (2)(1)

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CALL FOR PAPERS Post-truth and populism in politics, communication and discourse (Status Quaestionis, December 2026)

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Edited by Massimiliano Demata and Donatella Montini This issue of Status Quaestionis seeks to investigate contemporary political communication from a sociolinguistic perspective, with particular attention to the phenomena of post-truth and populist discourse. In recent years, the relationship between language, politics, and society has been profoundly reshaped by the impact of social media, the spread of polarizing narratives, and the erosion of the traditional link between factual truth and public credibility. In this context, where “fake news”, “alternative facts”, and algorithmically driven amplification circulate at scale, the stakes for democratic debate are increasingly high. This issue of SQ aims to provide a critical contribution to the understanding of ongoing transformations in political communication, while reflecting on the risks and opportunities for democratic debate in a context increasingly marked by fragmentation, disinformation, and discursive oversimplification. It welcomes analyses that foreground how discursive practices shape public credibility, the mobilization of identities, and the production of simplified oppositions between “the people” and “the elites.” We will publish original papers drawing on textual corpora from public speeches, electoral campaigns, and digital interactions, examining how rhetorical strategies and linguistic choices contribute to redefining discursive authority, influencing not only electoral dynamics but also the collective perception of reality (including, crucially, social reality). Approaches may include or combine insights from discourse analysis, pragmatics, and critical sociolinguistics, with the goal of identifying recurring patterns in populist political language and assessing how these contribute to the construction of a simplified, oppositional, and identity-based imaginary. In view of the publication of this issue, we invite scholars to submit a 250-word proposal for an article. Contributions may address one or more of the following areas, or propose alternative topics closely related to them:Discursive constructions of truth, authority, and legitimacy in the post-truth eraPopulist rhetoric: linguistic, pragmatic, and stylistic strategiesPolitical discourse, polarization, and identity-buildingLanguage, emotions, and the mobilization of publicsThe role of metaphors, narratives, and frames in populist communicationDigital discourse, social media dynamics, and disinformationCritical Discourse Analysis, corpus-based studies, and computational approaches to political languageComparative perspectives on populist discourse in national and international contextsInterdisciplinary intersections: sociolinguistics, political science, media studies, and philosophy of languageWe further welcome contributions that explore:Platform-mediated dynamics (algorithmic visibility, virality, and influencer ecologies) and their effects on discursive authority and credibility;Conspiracy and post-truth formations as pragmatic and interactional practices (e.g., social validation through repetition).Abstracts (250 words), together with a short bio, should be sent to Massimiliano Demata (massimiliano.demata@unict.itD and Donatella Montini (donatella.montini@uniroma1.it).Final manuscripts should average 6,500 words (approximately 40,000 characters, including spaces).Deadline for abstract submission: 15 November.Deadline for final papers: 15 April.Expected publication date: December 2026ReferencesBergmann, Eirikur (2018). Conspiracy & Populism: The Politics of Misinformation. London: Palgrave.Bouvier, Gwen, & Machin, David (2020). Critical Discourse Analysis and the Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media. London: Routledge.Charteris-Black, Jonathan (2005). Politicians and Rhetoric. The Persuasive Power of Metaphor. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.Charteris-Black, Jonathan (2014). Analysing Political Speeches. Rhetoric, Discourse, Metaphor. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Demata, Massimiliano (2018). ““I think that maybe I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Twitter”. Donald Trump’s Populist Style on Twitter.” Textus 31, 1, pp. 67-90.Di Martino, Elena, Blaxill, Luke. (eds.) (2018). Aspects of Political Language in the Age of “Post-Democracy” and Beyond. Textus 31, 1.Edelman, Murray (1964). The Symbolic Uses of Politics. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press.Edelman, Murray (1988). Constructing the Political Spectacle. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Fairclough, Norman (1989). Language and Power. London: Longman.Foucault, Michel (2002) (1969). The Archaeology of Knowledge. London: Routledge.Foucault, Michel (1976). Sorvegliare e punire. Torino: Einaudi.Judis, John B. (2016). The Populist Explosion. How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics. New York: Columbia Global Reports.Khosravinik, Majid (2018). “Social Media Techno-Discursive Design, Affective Communication and Contemporary Politics.” Fudan J. Hum. Soc. Sci. 11, 427–442.Khosravinik, Majid (ed.) (2020). Social Media Critical Discourse Studies. London, Routledge.Levitsky Steven & Ziblatt, Daniel (2018). How Democracies Die. What History Reveals About Our Future. New York: Penguin.Mazzoleni, Gianpietro (1998). La comunicazione politica. Bologna: Il Mulino.Moffitt, Benjamin (2016). The Global Rise of Populism. Performance, Political Style, and Representation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Montini, Donatella (2019). “Hockey Moms and Pitbulls: Populist Discourse and Female Leaders”. Costellazioni 8, 89-108.Mudde Cas, Rovira Kaltwasser, Cristòbal (2015). “Vox Populi or Vox Masculini? Populism and Gender in Northern Europe and South America.” Patterns of Prejudice 49 (1-2), 16-36.Mudde Cas, Rovira Kaltwasser, Cristòbal (2017). Populism. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Taggart, Paul (2000). Populism. Buckingham: Open University Press.van Dijk, Teun (1997). Discourse as Structure and Process. London: Sage.Wodak, Ruth (2020). The Politics of Fear. The Shameless Normalization of Far-Right Discourse. Second edition. London: Sage.

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Final programme EASA Conference 2025: Minding the Present. Bodies, Places, Matter in and between Australia and Europe (Padova, 17-19 September)

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On the occasion of this conference, also sponsored by AIA, the three plenary speakers have agreed to make their lectures freely available via a zoom webinar. This is the link: EASA 2025 Padova plenary lectures: https://unipd.zoom.us/j/81857360208  

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CALL FOR PAPERS – EXTENSION: Resilience and Adaptation in Intercultural and Educational Mediation: Rethinking Practices in the Era of AI

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Treviso Campus of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice 28-29 October 2025 The international conference on “Resilience and Adaptation in Intercultural and Educational Mediation: Rethinking Practices in the Era of AI” will be held at the Treviso Campus of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice on 28-29 October 2025. Due to a number of requests, the deadline to submit paper proposals has been extended to 10th September 2025; abstracts of maximum 300 words including references must be sent to mediation@unive.it for evaluation. More details are available on the official conference website: https://www.unive.it/web/en/15642/home The conference intends to explore both professional and non-professional practices in intercultural and educational mediation, with a particular emphasis on community interpreting and educational mediation in academic settings. Discussions will encompass innovative research approaches, adaptation strategies in connection to technological advancements, including AI-powered translation tools, and the evolving role of interpreters as both linguistic and social mediators.

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New Book: Elena Mattei, The Language of Persuasion on Instagram. A Systemic Functional Approach to Multimodal Tourism Discourse, Routledge, 2025

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This book offers a systematic, interdisciplinary investigation into the language of persuasion in contemporary tourism discourse, with a focus on English-language travel boards’ use of Instagram and official websites. Drawing on Corpus Linguistics and Systemic Functional Linguistics, it examines how linguistic and visual resources are strategically deployed to construct idealized representations of destinations and evoke positive emotional responses. Through a multimodal analysis, the volume explores recurring linguistic patterns, the role of platform-specific dissemination, and how discourse constructs power dynamics between destinations and prospective tourists. By combining empirical methods with critical discourse and sociological perspectives, the book sheds light on how emotionally charged, consumer-oriented narratives may reinforce broader socioeconomic inequalities and contribute to unsustainable travel practices. In doing so, it contributes to ongoing debates on digital persuasion and literacy, media framing, and the ideological function of tourism communication, recommending approaches to integrate data-driven, highly persuasive strategies and eco-sensitive narratives. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in discourse analysis, digital communication, tourism studies, marketing, and linguistics, as well as professionals interested in the mechanisms behind strategic, promotional narratives and their potential impact on social and environmental sustainability. Elena Mattei, The Language of Persuasion on Instagram. A Systemic Functional Approach to Multimodal Tourism Discourse. Routledge  ISBN 9781032937489   288 Pages 44 B/W Illustrations

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Echoes of Hate, Screens of Resistance: Discourse, Media, and Pedagogy in the Digital Age

CFPs Conferences, Members' Events, News, Uncategorized, upcoming /

Naples, 23–25 October 2025 Università di Napoli “L’Orientale” The international conference Echoes of Hate, Screens of Resistance marks the culmination of the PRIN 2022 project ECHOES – English Studies to Contrast Hate Online and Enhance Solidarity, a multidisciplinary initiative funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The project focuses on the critical analysis of harmful online practices (HOPs) in English multimodal discourse, with an emphasis on promoting solidarity, inclusion, and responsible digital citizenship. In today’s increasingly polarised digital world, hate is no longer confined to fringe communities; in fact, it circulates widely through social media, public discourse, and popular audiovisual culture. Cinema and television, together with social networking systems, participate in both the reproduction and the contestation of exclusionary narratives. Meanwhile, educational institutions face mounting pressure to equip learners and educators with tools to identify, counter, and neutralise these forms of hate. This conference provides an open platform for scholars, educators, cultural practitioners, media analysts, and digital activists to reflect on the critical role of language, screen discourse, and pedagogical practices in addressing hate and fostering inclusive futures. Over the past two years, the ECHOES project has investigated online hate from a multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA) perspective, analysing verbal, visual, and aural digital texts in English. Using this methodology, the interuniversity research team has identified four prominent forms of HOPs, namely trolling, cyberbullying, bashing, and defamation, and analysed their impact on four particularly vulnerable social groups: women, migrants and diasporic communities, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. In addition, the analysis was guided by six main hate categories: Age (including discrimination against the elderly), Body, Disability, Ethnicity (including various forms of racism not necessarily linked to migration), Gender, and Religion.The conference will explore how digital and screen-based textualities construct and circulate hate, and how they offer discursive and pedagogical opportunities for resistance. By convening experts from fields such as applied linguistics, discourse analysis, media and film studies, education, and social semiotics, Echoes of Hate, Screens of Resistance seeks to cultivate and promote interdisciplinary dialogue and reinforce the role of education and research in countering digital toxicity. We especially encourage contributions that engage critically with the idea of digital solidarity, interrogate the ethical responsibilities of content creators and educators, and propose tangible models for promoting inclusion and mutual respect in online and audiovisual communication. Conference ThemesWe welcome proposals for individual papers, panels, and workshops on topics including, but not limited to: 1. Digital Hate Discourse• Multimodal analysis of online hate speech (HOPs) across social media platforms• Discursive strategies of exclusion and vilification in English-language digital environments• Affect, irony, humour, and other indirect forms of digital aggression and disambiguation• Corpus-informed approaches to the study of online hostility 2. Cinema and Television as Arenas of Resistance• Audiovisual representations of vulnerable communities (LGBTIQ+, migrants, women, disabled people)• Screen narratives that challenge hate and promote empathy• Subtitling, dubbing, and the translation of discriminatory ideologies• Censorship, genre, and ideology in TV and film discourse 3. Activism, Policy, and Civil Society• Best practices in hate monitoring, moderation, and civic advocacy• Pedagogies of peace and solidarity across sectors• Partnerships between researchers and public institutions• Lifelong learning and critical media literacy in local communities 4. Teacher Training Track• As part of the ECHOES project’s commitment to outreach and societal impact, the Conference will feature a dedicated Teacher Training Track on Saturday, 25th. This track will include 45-minute workshops and/or materials presentations specifically designed to support English language teachers. Aimed particularly at those working in primary and secondary education, it will offer practical insights into teaching digital literacy, global citizenship, and intercultural communication through inclusive and critical methodologies. Submission Guidelines• Abstracts (max 300 words, including references) for individual 20-minute papers must be submitted via email in English, accompanied by a brief bio (maximum 150 words).• Panel proposals (3-4 speakers) should include a panel rationale (max 300 words, including references) and individual abstracts (max 200 words each, without references). Write to: prin2022echoes@unior.it Deadline for submissions: 30th July 2025Notification of acceptance: 1st Sept. 2025Registration deadline: 30th Sept. 2025Language: English Keynote SpeakersWe are delighted to announce the participation of internationally prominent scholars:• Salvatore Attardo (Texas A&M University)• Michael Burke (Utrecht University)• Giuditta Caliendo (Université de Lille)• Majid KhosraviNik (Newcastle University) TBC• Tiziana Terranova (University of Naples L’Orientale)• Mikael Toulza (Université de Lille) Convenor:Giuseppe Balirano, University of Naples L’Orientale Scientific Committee:Maria Cristina Aiezza (University of Naples L’Orientale), Emilio Amideo (University of Naples “Parthenope”), Marta Arcovito (University of Messina), Maria Vita Cambria (University of Messina), Maria De Santo (University of Naples L’Orientale), Bianca Del Villano (University of Naples L’Orientale), Alessandra Ferlito (University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli), Antonio Fruttaldo (Sannio University), Bronwen Hughes (University of Naples “Parthenope”), Francesco Nacchia (University of Naples L’Orientale), Marina Niceforo (University of Naples L’Orientale), Maria Cristina Nisco (University of Naples “Parthenope”), Raffaele Pizzo (University of Naples L’Orientale), Annalisa Raffone (Pegaso University), Margherita Rasulo (University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli), Katherine Elizabeth Russo (University of Naples L’Orientale), Maria Grazia Sindoni (University of Messina), Stefania Taviano (University of Messina). Organising Committee:Mauro Brondi, Maria De Santo, Robin Donadio, Roberto Esposito, Dalia Mennella, Francesco Nacchia, Marina Niceforo, Raffaele Pizzo Venue:23–24 October 2025:San Severo al Pendino Heritage Site, The Historic SacristyVia Duomo, 286 – 80138 Naples 25 October 2025:Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici, Palazzo Serra di Cassano Via Monte di Dio, 14-15 – 80132 Naples

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