UN academics attend ‘Memory Frictions’ conference in Spain

​Dr Sonya Andermahr and Dr Larissa Allwork from the University of Northampton’s School of The Arts recently returned from the ‘Memory Frictions’ conference at the University of Zaragoza in Spain.

The academics are both representatives of the University’s Research Centre for Contemporary Narrative and Cultural Theory (CCN&CT), and members of the Interdisciplinary Research in Trauma, Narrative and Performance Group.

Dr Allwork and Dr Andermahr delivered papers at the event, which was organised by María Jesús Martínez-Alfaro and Silvia Pellicer-Ortín – who co-edited with Dr Andermahr the essay collection, Trauma Narratives and Herstory.

Dr Allwork presented on the literary and political essays of Lithuanian poet and emigre intellectual, Tomas Venclova and Dr Andermahr delivered a paper on Andrea Levy’s novel Small Island. Throughout the conference, the pair were fortunate to engage with keynote lectures by Professor Jean-Michel Ganteau (University Paul Valéry-Montpellier), Professor Bryan Cheyette (The University of Reading) and Professor Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway, University of London).

Dr Allwork commented: “We also got to see some great panel sessions featuring academics such as Susana Onega, Alan Gibbs, Sue Vice, Peter Lawson and Ruth Gilbert. We took the opportunity to catch up with our academic partners in Zaragoza, particularly those PhD students who have spent a term of their degree studying at the University of Northampton.  It was good to see that María Ferrández is making such good progress on her E.L. Doctorow doctorate and it was wonderful to celebrate with Zaragoza supervisor Dolores Herrero, the submission of María Pilar Royo Grasa’s PhD on Gail Jones.  It was also fantastic to catch up with Ana Beatriz Pérez Zapata who will be coming to the University of Northampton in Autumn 2015.”

Find out more information about the Memory Frictions conference.

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Pictured left to right: Dr Sonya Andermahr,  Professor Stef Craps of Ghent University and Dr Larissa Allwork, at a recent ‘Decolonizing Trauma Studies’ symposium dinner.