Celebrating, commemorating, communicating, contesting…an international conference on ‘national days’.
In all cases the political dimension of National Days seems clear enough, though its status may vary from hegemonic through informal to contestatory. What forms of expression does this political dimension take? The celebration of such days can also be linked to what are in some ways seen as “holy places” (for example Montserrat in Catalonia) and often involve (very) significant movements of population. How are these sites managed? Do such large migrations entail opportunities for national, or even international tourism? How are National Days mediated? How is this mediation managed in multilingual societies?
This conference welcomes proposals for twenty-minute papers on the subject of National Days on:
The politics of National Days National Days and the construction of the nation
National Days and the invention of tradition
National Days in the stateless nation
The symbols and iconography of National Days
National Days and class
National Days and diasporas
National Days and heritage sites
National Days and religion
The language and rhetoric of National Days
Public and privatised National Days
National Days in film, television, radio and the press
National days and the internet
National Days and tourism … and indeed other topics relating to the complex and multifaceted phenomenon