Comparatists in Conversation is first and foremost a collective of readers. We came together through our shared understanding that when something is expressed in language; whatever form such a language may take, it is an event that is immensely significant. As readers who engage with texts, including but not limited to oratures, cinema, theatre, music, photography and other forms across languages, locations and mediums, we believe in the uniquely transformative power that a text can wield–the power to delight, but also to educate, shock and even devastate.

 

We are all students, scholars and educators who work in Comparative Literature, literary studies, translation studies and allied fields of inquiry. As a collective we are committed to making room and holding space for conversations around textual and discursive practices that are grounded in comparative approaches and methodologies.

 

At the heart of our initiative are early career researchers whose work we seek to highlight, support, and bring into conversation with broader scholarly and public communities.

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Our commitments extend beyond disciplinary boundaries. We engage closely with cultural studies, oral history, translation studies, and broader questions addressed in literary studies while attending to our lived and intellectual worlds opened up by multiple South Asian languages. To such an end, translation–both as a theory and practice forms a core value that informs our vision for comparative work.

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We see ourselves as part of a global conversation: rigorously academic, ethically grounded, and committed to building networks that connect scholars across languages, regions, and research practices.