1st International Conference on Oral Literature in Pakistan: Past, Present and Future

Introduction

We are happy to announce the International Conference on “Oral Literature in Pakistan: Past, Present and Future” to take place on March 19, 2018 in the Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan Museum of Ethnology, University of Peshawar. This conference aims to create a space for scholars and students to share their research on oral literature, folklore, anthropology, sociology, literary studies, and related disciplines connected to the study of academic and vernacular interpretations of everyday life.

Oral literature, sometimes used interchangeably with folklore or folk literature, is a broad term which may include ritual texts, curative chants, epic poems, musical genres, folk tales, folk songs, myths, spells, legends, proverbs, riddles, tongue-twisters, word games, life histories or historical narratives. Most simply, oral literature refers to any form of verbal art which is transmitted orally or delivered by word of mouth.

The main focus of the conference is Pashto folklore and oral literature in which scholars and students will present their papers.

Conference Themes

The broader thematic focuses on the conference are as follows:

1.       Theories and Methods in Oral Literature / Folklore

2.       Ethnic Folklore and the Folklore of Ethnicity/Nationality

3.       Festivals, Rites of Passage and Identity Formation

4.       Oral Literature, Ideology, Power, and Subversion

5.       Gender Issues and Spaces in Folk Literature

6.       Images of Self and the Other in Folklore/ Oral Literature

7.       Poetic and Oratorical Arts, Music and Dance Traditions in Pakistan

8.       Children’s Folklore and Children in Folklore

9.       The Interplay between Oral Literature and Written Literature

10.     Festivals, Orality, Orature, Films, Video, Internet etc.

11.     Oral Literature, Popular Culture, and Social Media

12.     Issues in Documentation, Preservation, and Promotion of Oral Literature

Speakers/ Presenters

1. Prof. Dr. Liza Schuster, Department of Sociology, City, University of London
2. Prof. Dr. Nasir Jamal Khattak, Department of English and Applied Linguistics, University of Peshawar
3. Prof. Dr. Khalid Khan Khattak, Professor of Linguistics, Sarhad University, Peshawar
4. Dr. Sher Zaman Seemab, Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar
5. Dr. Noor ul Basar Aman, Department of Pashto, University of Malakand
6. Dr. Anoosh Khan, Department of Gender Studies, University of Peshawar
7. Dr. Muhammad Ali Dinakhel, Govt. Postgraduate College Matta, Swat
8. Dr. Ahmad Ali Ajiz, Department of Pashto, University of Peshawar
9. Aftab Ahmad Malagori, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studues, University of Peshawar
10. Tufail Ahmad Zaryab Yousafzai,  Department of Pashto, Islamia College University, Peshawar

Faculty members and MPhil/PhD students of Sociology, Anthropology, Gender Studies, Languages, Literature and Linguistics and other related disciplines are especially encouraged to participating in the conference.

Conference Organizer

Dr. Noor Sanauddin
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology, University of Peshawar
E-mail: noor.sanauddin@uop.edu.pk
Cell: +92 (0) 345 2503778

1^st International Conference on

Oral Literature in Pakistan: Past, Present and Future

Venue: SSAQ Museum of Ethnology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan