Keynote speaker:

Prof. William Glass (American Studies Center, University of Warsaw)

Unum? Individualism and Community is the fifth conference organized by the United Students Society, under the auspices of the Department of American Literature, University of Lodz. It is devoted to the notion of individualism as expressed in American and Canadian literature and culture. Although the title references a term introduced into the English language after its 1839 use by Alexis de Tocqueville, it is important to note that the very phenomenon which it describes had been present in America much earlier, perhaps as far back as the times of the Revolutionary War. Crucial to our thinking about individualism is its philosophical and cultural aspect, best expressed in R. W. Emerson’s concept of self-reliance, one of the most influential ideologies in U.S. history. Another issue of interest to us is the survival of individualism in the 20th and 21st century, where it often effectively merged with the idea of consumerism. Finally, we wish to compare the US American model with its Canadian counterpart, which seems more oriented towards the communal, and may even be perceived as anti-individualistic.

We invite presentations concerning the history of individualism and its contemporary incarnations, as well as describing the tension between individualism and community, and the potentially anti-individualistic tendencies in the cultures of the US and Canada.

The list of topics includes, but is not limited to, the following:

·       individualism and community

·       the individual and society

·       the individual and the ‘other’

·       the history of individualism

·       individualism in popular culture: heroes, superheroes, antiheroes

·       R. W. Emerson and his heritage

·       Canada – individualism or community?

Please send an abstract of 150-200 words to the following address: unum2016@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2016. The conference fee is 40 PLN (includes coffee breaks and conference materials).