Conference Information

SAMLA 91: Languages: Power, Identity, Relationships
November 8–10, 2019 | Westin Peachtree Plaza | Atlanta, Georgia

Those of us who make up the South Atlantic Modern Language Association are, according to our website, “dedicated to the advancement of literary and linguistic scholarship and teaching in the modern languages.” Our areas of study range from African/African American, American,  Asian/Asian American, Caribbean, English, French, German, Hispanic, Italian, Luso-Portuguese, and Slavic—to  studies in Creative Writing, Film, Gender and Sexuality, Interdisciplinarity, Pedagogy, and Rhetoric and Composition. We are undergraduate and graduate students; fulltime and part-time instructors and lecturers; assistant, associate, full, and retired professors. While we are a diverse group of individuals from all parts of the globe, there is something huge that we have in common: We are scholars who are fascinated by and passionate about languages.

We resonate with Virginia Woolf’s statement, “When I cannot see words curling like rings of smoke round me I am in darkness—I am nothing.” We nod our heads in agreement with Jacques Derrida’s edict, “What cannot be said above all must not be silenced but written.”  We shout out a hearty “Amen!” when we hear Melina Marchetta declare: “Without our language, we have lost ourselves. Who are we without our words?”  And we applaud Gloria Anzaldua’s declaration: “So, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language. Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity—I am my language. Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself.”

We believe in the power of language to change lives and make our world a better place for all. We understand that our language is our identity, and we know that language is the key to building healthy, strong relationships with others near and far. 

During SAMLA 91, we will celebrate languages, the ways we use them, the ways they use us, the ways they shape our realities. Presenters are invited to speak on any aspects associated with the miracle of language.

To submit a Call for Paper for SAMLA 91, please click here. Calls approved and published by February 15 will appear in the upcoming issue of SAMLA News. CFPs will be accepted until May 10.