Cultures in dialogue: relations between the French-speaking and English-speaking worlds in the area of languages and cultures  Event

13 - 14 May 2011 at the Institut Français, London

The colloquium is sponsored by the Groupe d'Etudes et de Recherches pour le Français Langue Internationale (GERFLINT), in association with the French cultural service. It is organised by the review Synergies Royaume-Uni et Irlande, edited by Professor Michael Kelly (University of Southampton).

The colloquium seeks to respond to the growing importance of relations between cultures in the 21st century. On the one hand, the progress of physical and virtual communications has multiplied the points of contact across cultures for individuals as well as for governments, businesses and organisations. On the other hand, the processes of globalisation have reduced the differences between countries in economic, social, technical and scientific terms.

Increasingly, it is left to the cultural domain to construct collective representations and to assert particular identities. Languages are at the heart of the cultural domain, and serve as indispensable vectors for communication as well as fundamental means for the expression of identities.

The tensions and complexities in relations between languages and cultures are highlighted by the relations between the French-speaking and English-speaking worlds. The two languages both serve to support international communication and to give a voice to many different cultures. Their relations have included misunderstandings and conflicts, but have also given rise to dialogue and cooperation.

The colloquium will consider all countries and all organisations in which the two cultures have met over the last half-century, without excluding longer term perspectives. It will also focus on the way in which teaching can address the issues of cultural dialogue.

Registration process is now open.

If you want to attend the conference please fill out the registration form (in English OR French) and send it to dialoguecultures@soton.ac.uk.  You will then be emailed with a link to a secure online page where you can make the payment of the registration fee.

Registration fee
Includes conference materials, lunches and coffee breaks over two days, a cocktail supper buffet and a welcome dinner. We are grateful to the French Institute for sponsoring the coffee breaks and cocktail, and to GERFLINT for sponsoring the conference dinner.

Early rate (payment received until 1 April 2011)
£100 (approximately €118)

Full rate (from 2 April 2011)
 £120 (approximately €141)

Please note that accommodation is not provided. For information about accommodation in the area, please refer to our list of hotels. Some will offer preferential rates for conference attendees.

The final programme of the conference and the book of abstracts are now available. Presentations should not exceed 30 minutes in length (20 minutes for oral presentation + 10 minutes for questions and discussions). If you want your presentation to be included in the review Synergies Royaume Uni et Irlande, you will need to send us a full-length paper by the 15 of June 2011. All papers will be subject to peer review and only selected ones will be published.

All queries related to this conference should be addressed to Bianca Tomoni (dialoguecultures@soton.ac.uk).