Call for abstract for the panel on: The (Re)generation of the Nonhuman: Nature and Text in Dialogue

Panel Chair: Israel Eweka (University of Birmingham, United Kingdom)

The last decade has seen a surge in scholarly interdisciplinarity, exploring the nonhuman in a broad range of

critical perspectives. Whether through Glenworth et al (2024)’s conservationist prism which contextualizes

‘Rewilding’ as a way of restoring ‘non-human autonomy’; or perhaps, through Bram Büscher (2021)’s

capitalist reflections on nature’s alienation and entanglement, both of which are recent approaches that

seek to champion the cause of ‘decentering the human in favor of a concern for the nonhuman’ (Grusin,

2015: 1), we see a growing pace of intersectionality within which nature and literature are brazenly

intertwined. Often suggested as a repressed generation of ecological beings, either of subaltern

considerations or anthropomorphic (de)constructions, the nonhuman, whether it be plants, animals, or

ecosystems, has continued to fit the bill for a contemporary kind of critical and textual narrative that

urgently needs to undergo transformation through a process of generation, regeneration or auto-

generation, after decades of being consistently synonymous with the image of depletive degeneration.

David Abram (1996:22-23) describes the geographical space of this non-human depletion of nature as a

biosphere of ‘nonregenerative’ decline, which in his views, has resulted in a variation of problems for

humans: epidemics (including immune diseases and cancers) or perhaps, pandemics like the 2019 COVID

which postdates Abram’s study; or mental disorders. In the face of today’s climate change and biodiversity

loss, this session proposes a constructive way of exploring literature’s capacity to both reflect (on) the

devastation of the natural world and, more importantly, provide imaginative models for its regeneration.

Drawing on ecocritical theory, environmental humanities, posthumanism, and new materialism, this session

invites papers that trace how literary texts can challenge anthropocentric templates, (re)framing a textual

world in which the nonhuman is seen as an active element with agency, forging a reciprocal connection with

the human world.

Submission of abstract has opened on 15th June 2025 and closes on 30th September 2025.

Papers can engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

1. Ecocriticism (this includes a combination of ecocritical theories with other theories with the use of the

prefix 'eco', e.g., ecofeminism, ecophenomenology, ecopoetics, ecoqueer, etc)

2. Environmental Humanities

3. Geocriticism

4. Green Negritude Studies

5. Green Cultural Studies

6. Deep Ecology

7. Dark Ecology

8. Collapsology/Spiralism

9. Speciesism

This session proposes an ‘auto-presentation’ format only, where presenters are expected to prepare, in

advance, a 15-minute pre-recorded video and/or audio version of their papers; and then play these to their

audience at the conference, followed by a live Q&A session. The creative and innovative part of this session

lies in the deviation from live oral presentation of papers by presenters, laying emphasis on the use of pre-

recorded materials (videos/audios) in combination with PowerPoint slides while the presenter will be on

standby to answer questions at the end of their automatic presentation. This format is therefore Q&A-

focussed, as this will help to increase the number of questions asked to presenters at conferences. This

innovation will also help young and first-time conference panellists (particularly (post)graduate students) to

build confidence in oral presentations rather than shying away altogether from paper presentations at

conferences.

Mode of abstract/pre-recorded materials submission

Abstracts must not exceed 250 words in length, accompanied by a short bio note on presenters at the

bottom of the abstract page. Abstracts and presentation are only accepted in English please. (Including

language of pre-recorded materials).

Abstract submissions must be marked as “auto-presentation” and presenters must confirm if they are

attending in person or virtually. Submissions of pre-recorded materials will be requested closer to the time

of the conference (after the abstract submission deadline of 30 September 2025) to ensure a vetting

process that would verify accurate duration, quality and media compatibility (document’s size and format)

of pre-recorded materials submitted, before a final acceptance will be conveyed to presenters whose

submissions meet all the stipulated requirements.

Abstracts should be submitted directly via this link: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/21903

***Early career researchers and (post)graduate students are particularly encouraged to send in their

abstracts to this panel.

For questions and further enquiries, please email: oxe847@student.bham.ac.uk