The call for papers has just been announced for the 12th annual Samuel Beckett Society Conference which will be held in Bordeaux, France June 9-11, 2027. Titled East- and Southward Ho / Cap à l’Est, Cap au Sud, this conference, convened by Pascale Sardin and Karine Germoni, is a collaboration between l’Université Bordeaux Montaigne, Sorbonne Université and Sorbonne Université Abu Dhabi. The theme boldly asks the Beckett community ‘to reassess the work of Samuel Beckett by highlighting, on the one hand, his lasting influence on contemporary writing practices in the Global South, and on the other, the significance of the concepts of “going east” and “going south.” These concepts invite a critical rethinking of literary orientation – both geographically and epistemologically – by shifting attention away from traditional European centers toward alternative cultural, linguistic, and intellectual trajectories. “Going east” and “going south” thus point to forms of circulation, translation, and reinterpretation that challenge dominant literary hierarchies, foreground marginal voices, and create new comparative frameworks through which Beckett’s work may be understood in non-Western contexts’.
Closing date for abstracts is September 25 2026. The full call for papers and submission details can be viewed here.
The Samuel Beckett Society 