Call for Papers: Rome in Translation

I thought this looked like a great idea - and personally topical, since I recently attempted to sit through Tinto Brass's Caligula (an attempt only foiled by the DVD which self-destructed in horror). If I were a little nearer Rhode Island I would totally go to this.

CFP: Decline and Fall: Rome in Translation, Translation in Rome
ACLA 2012 Conference, Rhode Island, March 29th to April 1st, 2012
Deadline: November 15, 2011

Papers should be submitted through the ACLA's website (http://acla.org/acla2012/)

Rome was an empire built on translation. She developed a literary tradition through a deliberate Latinization of Greek forms and incorporated art, culture and technology from across her vast empire. Consequently, Rome has often served as a symbol for translation and its dangers, a flashpoint for investigating the perceived perils of incorporating foreign cultures and texts. This seminar seeks to explore the topic of Rome in translation from both ancient and modern perspectives, asking how translation, broadly defined, has contributed to Rome's historical - and retrospective - rise and fall. We welcome papers that explore ancient Roman translation as well as papers that examine how translations have been mobilized to rethink and refashion Roman antiquity since the Roman empire's historical collapse: How did translation contribute to the evolution of Latin literature? How did ancient authors use translation to consolidate - and contest -evolving social and political identities? How was translation used during periods of political crisis or social collapse? On the modern side,
relevant questions might include: How has Rome's collapse been interpreted as a sign of the dangers of translation? How have modern translations been used as a tool for contesting Latin literary canons and creating modern ones? How have modern translators of Latin texts constructed particular images of Rome - or dismantled pre-existing representations? How has Rome been reinterpreted for modern audiences
through literature and other media?

We welcome paper proposals from scholars working in any period or field. Our hope is that the panel will prompt a dynamic interchange among scholars who focus on Roman antiquity and those who study ways in
which Rome has been repurposed or reimagined in later periods.

Organizers: Elizabeth Young (Wellesley College) and Siobhán McElduff (University of British Columbia)