Alternative Spaces and Cultural Translation

As part of the Alternative Spaces research project, an international conference on alternative spaces is held from 8-10 June 2009. The conference takes place at the Carlsberg Akademi in Copenhagen and is organized in collaboration with the Research School of Regional Studies.

The aim of the conference is to explore the potentials of ‘alternative spaces' as a prism for understanding different forms of social activism and cultural awareness in the new world order. The conference will also address the implications of globalization for emerging alternative spaces, and particular attention will be paid to new types of social organization and communication by which social groups in marginalized positions strive to develop alternative cultural and political agendas.

In this connection a PhD course will run in the afternoon as a parallel programme. This programme is arranged by Associate Professor, PhD, Kirsten Thisted, and with financial support from the Research School of Regional Studies.

Topics:

• The potential of the concept of alternative spaces as a prism for understanding social activism and cultural awareness.

• How are alternative spaces created and constituted?

• The scope of cultural translation: knowledge, ideas, texts in transit.

• Approaches to cultural translation through metaphors of space.

Keynote speakers and respondents (still subject to change):

Professor Mona Baker
Professor Susan Bassnett
Professor Tim Cresswell
Professor Veena Das
Dr David Featherstone
Professor Kevin Hetherington
Dr Peter P. Mandaville
Distinguished Professor Michael Peter Smith
Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz