Background

The Universities of Scotland and Northern England were among the first to institutionalise postcolonial studies in the 1970’s, and many remain internationally recognised centres; rich in post-colonial resources, with established MA programmesand significan clusters of acadademics. Nevertheless, it remains the case that the North lacks the kind of integrated research culture available in London and the South, with its powerful concentration of institutions and its obvious pull to international speakers.

The Northern Association for Postcolonial Studies (NAPS) is a research collective working through Newcastle UNiversity and the University of Sunderland seeking to advance links in the area of post-colonial studies both regionally, and across Britiain.

Aims and Objectives

1. To establish a circuit of academics, creative writers and postgraduates working in post-colonial studies and cognate areas. The foundation for this circuit will be academic institutions in the North of England and Scotland, but it will draw upon and seek to establish links nationally and internationally.

2. To stimulate collaborative research projects between institutions, with the intention of applying for large research grants.

3. To establish a roaming seminar series to meet bi-annually.

4. To provide a forum for existing pockets of postgraduate students currently dispersed through institutions. In addition to bi-annual seminars, this might take the form of workshops, occasional reading groups, an online newsletter etc.

5. To provide a meeting point for critics and creative practitioners in postcolonial studies both within and without the University. This might involve, for example, working with local libraries, cinemas and museums.