“Life Narratives in Troubled Times”: IABA Asia-Pacific 2017
Was held: Friday 23 June 2017
Central Queensland University, Noosa Campus
90 Goodchap Street, Noosaville
Keynote speaker: Associate Professor Kate Douglas (Flinders University)
IABA Asia-Pacific emerges from the central disciplinary association for auto/biography scholars—The International Auto/Biography Association (IABA). IABA was founded in 1999 as a multidisciplinary network that aims to deepen the cross-cultural understanding of self, identity and experience, and to carry on global dialogues about life writing/narrative. IABA Asia-Pacific aims to foster new region-specific conversations and to encourage regional participation in the global IABA conference. Our goal is to develop scholarly networks between life narrative scholars and practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region that support the circulation and publication of high-quality life narrative theory, practice, and pedagogy.
The conference theme for 2017 is “Life Narratives in Troubled Times”. This theme, broadly envisaged, sought to explore the ways in which life narrative authors and texts explore, mediate, and respond to personally, culturally and politically difficult events and contexts, or ‘troubled times’. What role can life writing play at these moments? How does/can life narrative represent troubled times? What is the role of writer, genre, media, publisher, marketing in how ‘troubled’ life narratives are distributed and received? What ‘trouble’ might this create for writers and readers? We welcomed scholarly or creative presentations on life narrative texts or issues across various media and genres.
Professor Donna Lee Brien
CQUniversity, Noosa campus d.brien@cqu.edu.au
IABA Asia-Pacific 