MT 2017 Week 6 Updates
Please note that the Comparative History of Literatures of the Islamic World: Round-Table Discussion, scheduled for Week 7, has been CANCELLED.
In Week 6, we had the final OCCT Discussion Group of the term. In Week 8 of term, instead of the Discussion Group, we’re having the event Borders and Bordering Practices in Literature, Mind, Politics, and Memory. The Discussion Group will resume in Week 2 of Hilary term.
EVENTS
1. The Department of English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, invites applications for October 2018 entry to our PhD programmes.
Goldsmiths, University of London, is part of the CHASE AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership (alongside Birkbeck, University of London; the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London; SOAS, University of London; the Open University; and the Universities of East Anglia, Essex, Kent and Sussex). The strongest applicants for PhD study will be invited by the Department, if they are also otherwise eligible, to apply for studentship funding.
The Department of English and Comparative Literature – one of the largest at Goldsmiths – consists of some 50 scholars and creative writers, whose work is acknowledged and cited internationally. We offer a stimulating environment for undertaking research in English (including American Literature and literary theory), Comparative Literature, World Literature; Translation; Linguistics; and Creative Writing. We welcome applications from students wishing to pursue research in any of these areas and we particularly encourage cross- and interdisciplinary research in emerging fields of study and creative practice. As well as working with scholars and writers of international standing, you will have the opportunity to play an active role in a vibrant research environment which includes the Richard Hoggart Lectures in Literature and Culture, the annual Goldsmiths Prize for bold and innovative fiction, the e-journal, GLITS-e, and specialist seminars and colloquia offered by the Goldsmiths Writers’ Centre, the Centre for Philosophy and Critical Thought, the Goldsmiths Literature Seminar (GLITS), and the Goldsmiths Linguistics Seminar (GoldLingS).
The Department of English and Comparative Literature promotes an understanding of the value of human culture and creativity that is central to the CHASE vision of postgraduate research and professional development. Our research and training environment encourages our doctoral students to develop interdisciplinary methodologies. In addition, our network of partnerships with leading arts and humanities organisations and creative industries provides an outstanding resource for future CHASE scholars.
Applications for funding will be considered by Goldsmiths, University of London, with the best applicants put forward to four CHASE selection panels. Applications will be considered on a competitive basis. Given the predictable intensity of the competition, potential applicants to CHASE should normally expect to have achieved First Class Honours at BA level and a Distinction at MA level. Other relevant factors, such as an exceptionally strong portfolio in the case of creative writing students, may be taken into consideration, but the above standards are otherwise a sound indication of baseline expectations.
For UK students, these awards cover both fees and maintenance and for EU residents awards are on a fees-only basis. The funding will cover professional development opportunities, including the enhancement of public engagement skills and placements with CHASE partner organisations in the UK and overseas.
To be considered for one of these awards, please note that you will need to have applied for entry to a PhD programme by Wednesday, 10 January 2018. We encourage you to contact us as early as possible to discuss your proposal. You should aim to make at least initial contact with the Department by Tuesday, 19 December 2017. Please note that the earlier your approach, the more time will be available for discussion.
For enquiries about the PhD in Creative Writing (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mphil-phd-creative-writing/), please contact Stephen Knight (s.knight@gold.ac.uk). For any enquiries relating to our other PhD programmes (https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mphil-phd-english-comparative-literature/), please contact Uttara Natarajan (u.natarajan@gold.ac.uk). To see staff expertise, please consult our website: http://www.gold.ac.uk/ecl/staff/.
For full details of the subject areas covered by the funding, and how to apply, please see the CHASE website: http://www.chase.ac.uk/.
2. Making ‘World Literature’: Translating and Publishing Chinese Books in the 21st Century with Singaporean Writer Jeremy Tiang and Hamza Jahanzeb (Pan Macmillan, Penguin China)
Sunday 19th November, 5-7PM
Pichette Auditorium, Pembroke College, OX1 1DW
All welcome!
Come along to gain insight into the translation and publishing world from industry insiders.
Oxford Chinese Studies Society is delighted to have invited Mr. Jeremy Tiang, an acclaimed writer and translator from Singapore and Mr. Hamza Jahanzeb, who has just finished working for Penguin China in Beijing, to talk about their experiences working in book industries related to contemporary Chinese literature. As the changes in the Politburo after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China have shown, China has become ever more ambitious to expand its cultural presence overseas, in which the translation of contemporary Chinese literature plays a major role. Drawing on their working experiences in China, Singapore and the UK, Mr. Tiang and Mr. Jahanzeb will present analyses of the current state of the cultural economy of China’s international literary ambition. Mr. Tiang has also just published a new English language novel, State of Emergency (2017), which traces the leftist movements of Singapore and Malaysia from the 1940s to the present day. He will thus share with us his insights on the similarities and differences between the Chinese literary scene and its Singaporean counterpart.
This event will be of interest to all who work on contemporary Chinese society and culture, Chinese literature, translation studies, and Singapore. The speakers will talk for around 15 minutes each, after which there will be plenty of time for critical dialogues, Q&A and discussions.
Speaker biographies:
Mr. Jeremy Tiang is originally from Singapore, and read English at University College, Oxford. He is the author of a short story collection, It Never Rains on National Day (Epigram Books 2015; shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize) and a novel, State of Emergency (Epigram Books, 2017). He has also translated more than ten books from Chinese, including novels by Zhang Yueran, Chan Ho-Kei and Yeng Pway Ngon, and is the recipient of an NEA Literary Translation Fellowship, a Henry Luce Foundation Fellowship, and a People's Literature Award Mao-Tai Cup for Translation. Jeremy also writes and translates plays, including Xu Nuo's A Son Soon (Manchester Royal Exchange), A Dream of Red Pavilions (Pan Asian Repertory Theater, NYC) and The Last Days of Limehouse (Yellow Earth, London). He lives in New York City, where he is the Asia Literary Editor at the Asian American Writers' Workshop.
Mr. Hamza Jahanzeb is a British Pakistani, hailing from Lancashire. After graduating with a BA(Hons) degree in English and American Literature from Kent University, he moved to China to study at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) 北京语言大学 and later undertook an editorial placement at Penguin Books China. While working in Beijing, He also chaired the British Chamber Beijing's One Bet One Road forum. He is fluent in English. Urdu, Punjabi and studied Chinese in Beijing. He is passionate about foreign rights, publishing translated works in the UK as well as campaigning for more BAME voices within the publishing industry. You can reach him at hamzajahanzeb@gmail.com or on Twitter @hamzjah.
More information may be found on our Facebook event page:
About OCSS: Oxford Chinese Studies Society (OCSS) connects students and researchers from differing departments and disciplines across the University who share an academic interest in the Chinese-speaking world.
Founded in 2015, our primary aim is to create an informal platform for members to meet and socialise, in order to foster the formation of academic collaborations. OCSS holds a variety of relaxed drop-in events, including weekly brunches, Chinese film screenings, and Spring Festival celebrations. We have hosted several high-profile panels and speakers from the fields of academia, activism, and the arts over the course of the past year. We also run an annual Graduate Seminar weekly in Hilary term, which usually focuses on the practical aspects of conducting research in and on the Sinosphere.
Come and join the active Chinese Studies network in our Facebook group.
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Dr Eleni Philippou
