BSANZ Conference Call for Papers

[posted on behalf of the BSANZ]

CALL FOR PAPERS--Deadline in 10 days

The BSANZ (Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand) wishes to remind readers that abstracts for its annual conference, to be held this year in Dunedin, New Zealand, from 14-17 November, are due the first of May. Papers on all aspects of bibliography and book history will be welcomed, but special consideration will be given to those addressing the conference theme, 'Thinking Through Books'.

Possible sub-topics include:

~ Issues of surface reading – what do readers 'see' and attend to on the page and how does that vary with time, genre and occasion?

~ Word and image in electronic databases such as British Printed Images to 1700 

~ How do books influence culture, i.e. how does 'cultural thinking' happen through books?

~ How do readers 'compile' or create a coherent sense of a book when absorbing it only sequentially?

Abstracts should be c. 250 words and should be emailed to the conference organisers, Shef Rogers (shef.rogers@otago.ac.nz) or Donald Kerr (donald.kerr@otago.ac.nz), by 1 May 2012.

University hall accommodation will be available for NZ$70/night including breakfast. Registration will be NZ$200 and include morning and teas and lunches on all three days, as well as afternoon tea on the 15th and an opening reception on the evening of the 14th. The afternoon of the 16th will be free for various sightseeing activities, followed by the conference dinner at the University Staff Club (separate fee). The conference will conclude with lunch on the 17th.

For those especially keen to make the most of their travels, why not consider attending the 'Global Ireland' conference the week before (7-10 November)?

Conference 'Love and Devotion: Persian Cultural Crossroads'



A royal picnic (detail), from ʿAttar, Intikhab-i Hadiqa, c 1575

Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, MS. Canonici Or. 122, fol. 4v

Registration is still open for "Love and Devotion: Persian Cultual Crossroads", a three-day conference coinciding with the State Library of Victoria exhibition "Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond".

"This cross-disciplinary conference will explore cultural convergences in literature, art and architecture, history and philosophy from the time of Firdausi in the early 11th century to the present day, within the various Persian empires, Ottoman Turkey, Mughal India and Europe .... Distinguished international guests and Australian specialists will explore themes including Persian ideals of love and devotion as expressed through the arts, intersections with the west, and the contemporary legacy".

The conference runs from 12 to 14 April. Among the keynote speakers are:

~ Charles Melville (University of Cambridge): "The 'Arts of the Book' & the Diffusion of Persian Culture"

~ Stefano Carboni (Art Gallery of Western Australia): "Illustrated Talismans in the Bodleian Kitab al-Bulhan"

~ Zahra Taheri (Australian National University): "Women in Rumi's Spiritual Circle"

~ Mammad Aidani (University of Melbourne): "Authenticity & the Act of Devotion & Friendship in the Poetry of Maulana Jalal al-Din Rumi"

~ Barbara Brend (independent scholar, London): "The Khamsa of Nizami & the Khamsa of Amir Khusrau: Some Similarities & Differences Reflected in Their Illustrations"

A full list of speakers and paper abstracts can be found here.

The exhibition website offers a wealth of educational information, an events list and multimedia, including an image gallery and poetry readings. The site is well worth a visit if you are unable to make it to Melbourne.