Since the turn of the millennium, the European Anglophone literary scene has seen a growing prominence of Scottish and Irish fiction. This is evidenced by the numerous awards given to writers of Scottish and Irish origin and/or residence over the last two decades. What is particularly remarkable about this productivity is the ability of these writers to combine an interest in identities that can be significantly characterised as local/regional or migrant, with the ability to represent, on the global stage of the West, all the thematic and genre trends closely connected to the most pressing current events and the urgencies of contemporaneity. Climate change and eco-anxieties, the disintegration of democracy and civil coexistence, the culture of hate and apocalyptic imaginings of the future, identity politics and, in particular, the question of identities and gender relations are promptly and appropriately articulated in a stylistic-expressive variety that ranges from particularly effective and original forms of realism to speculative and dystopian tendencies intertwined with all possible narrative subgenres. Authors such as Ali Smith or Paul Lynch, to name just a couple among many others, have shown the ability to renew contemporary literary canons by combining stylistic innovation and formal experimentation with a firm grasp on contemporary reality, problematising its observation and narration. Both from the perspective of the stories and themes they address and from the formal perspective of linguistic and expressive research, these two literary scenes are therefore extremely interesting and capable of intersecting critical perspectives informed by the most recent theories in the fields of the post-humanities and metamodernism.

Call for Submissions
The Conference organisers invite scholars and researchers interested in this area and its latest trends in fiction, poetry, drama, cinema, TV series, digital media, and critical theory to submit proposals for 20-minute presentations.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:
● Identity and Place: The dynamics of cultural identity. Local, traditional, diasporic, global, and ‘glocal’.
● Ecocriticism and the Anthropocene: Ecological and environmental affect in eco-gothic, eco-catastrophic, and narratives of the climate crisis.
● Politics and Speculation: Dystopian and speculative fiction as responses to contemporary socio-political scenarios, neoliberalism, and late capitalism.
● Intersectionality and Embodiment: Representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality; queer identities and feminist perspectives.
● The Post-Human Condition: Perspectives on transhumanism, post-humanism, affect theory, and embodiment.
● Theories of the Contemporary: Post-postmodernism, metamodernism, off-modernism, and deep realism.
● Form and Genre: Narrative techniques, genre hybridisation, autofiction, and autotheory.
● Linguistic Experimentation: The aesthetics and politics of dialect, multilingualism, and experimental language.
● Myth and Memory: Folklore-inspired narratives and mythic retellings within or beyond the Celtic sphere.
● Media Convergence: Critical approaches to adaptations, TV series, films, and digital storytelling.
● The Literary Marketplace: The impact of literary prizes on circulation, canonisation, and promotion; Translation and reception studies.

Please submit the following documents in a single Word (.docx) or PDF file:
- An abstract of 250-300 words.
- A short, selective bibliography.
- A brief biographical note (maximum 150 words), including affiliation and contact information.

Proposals should be submitted to: IRSConference2026@gmail.com.

Key Dates
Submission Deadline: 10 January 2026
Notifications of acceptance and further details, including information about the conference fee, will be communicated by the end of January 2026.

Scientific/Organising Committee
Rossella Ciocca, Marta Cariello, Giuseppe De Riso, Daniela Vitolo, Luca Sarti, Gaia Zaccaro.