Announcements

Call for Papers: The Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies announces its annual conference to take place at the Institut français in London, 26-27 November 2004. The conference theme is "Republic and Empire," with the aim of drawing together scholars from a range of disciplines (politics, history, anthropology, cultural studies, literature, sports studies,) to assess the paradoxes and complexities of France's Republican Empire, not only in relation to France itself but also for its former colonies. For further information, please contact Susan McWilliam, French Department, University of Edinburgh, 59-60 George Square, Edinburgh EH1 1HT.

Call for Essay Proposals for MLA Options Volume on Teaching the African Novel—The Publications Committee of the Modern Language Association of America Has approved the development of a volume of essays on teaching the African novel. This volume, planned as part of the Options for Teaching series, will be edited by Gaurav Desai. As currently projected, the volume will be structured in three main sections, the first devoted to theoretical approaches (e.g., Afrocentric, feminist/womanist, theories of orature), the second to thematic concerns (e.g., political resistance, nationalism, multiculturalism), and the third to a variety of course and institutional contexts in which the novels are taught (e.g., seminar course, foreign language course, women's studies course, historically black colleges). The volume will also include a sectionon resources that may be helpful to teachers of African novels. One-page abstracts are invited by 1 December 2004, although the editor strongly encourages potential contributors to contact him well in advance of the deadline at gaurav@tulane.edu.