Renewal, Rebirth, Renaissance

“Rebirth” may also imply looking back at past historical moments with a new perspective, which for instance led Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies to be associated with Neo-Victorianism, and more precisely the “Neo-Victorian at sea” and a “global memory of the Victorian” (Elizabeth Ho). This panel will also discuss “renaissance” movements: can we consider that an indigenous literary renaissance has taken place in Canada, Australia or New Zealand? Has an increasing awareness of the need to protect the environment led to new literary practices and movements? The Renaissance involved the development of vernacular languages in literature; what has been the place of vernacular languages and oral literary practices in postcolonial literatures? Theory also evolves constantly: has postcolonial theory been renewed since the 1980s? In what ways?