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Dear colleagues,&#160;The Department of French at Rutgers University announces its Interdisciplinary Graduate and Post-Graduate Conference:&#160;Transitions and Transgressions&#160;&#160;Keynote speaker: Michèle H. Richman, Professor of Romance Languages at University of Pennsylvania.&#160;Friday, March 6 &#38; Saturday, March 7, 2015New Brunswick, NJ&#160;The Rutgers University Department of French Graduate Student Organization is pleased to announce an interdisciplinary conference that explores the concepts of transition and transgression in French and Francophone societies.The notions of transition and transgression have a contrasting and intricate relationship. Transition is generally described as a gradual movement devoid of violence and urgency, a process composed of the accumulation of imperceptible adjustments, as depicted in the works of Ross Chambers (Room for Maneuver) and Michel de Certeau (The Practice of Everyday Life). In contrast, transgression is often characterized as a movement of urgent violence. As theorized by Michel Foucault in “Préface à la transgression,” transgression is intent to destroy the limit, as it seeks to impose itself in the system that denies it inclusion. Despite their contrasting approaches, the concepts of transition and transgression also share fundamental traits. Both share a similar trajectory as they both move towards the limit, a movement that is fueled by both power and desire.&#160;Our upcoming conference proposes to explore the broad and very rich concepts of transition and transgression in cultural, political, and aesthetic contexts. We invite papers that examine the ways in which these phenomena are represented through various artistic media such as literature, film, music and visual arts in the Francophone world. How do we define transitions and transgressions? How do they work? What is their relationship to one another? What new understandings do they bring to French and Francophone literature and culture across centuries? How does the work of critical theorists enlighten or challenge our conception of transgressions and transitions?&#160;Possible themes include but are not limited to:&#160;The sacred and the profaneSexualityRevolutions, rebellions, uprisingsTaboosLimits and horizonsViolenceExcessArt as transgressionArt in transitionTransformationsCriminalityMorality/ImmoralitySystems of GovernmentSocial &#38; economic changesCapitalism and its discontentsReligion, faith, and apostasyThe private and the publicDangerous discourse&#160;ImmigrationIdentities (postmodern, postcolonial, gender)Adaptability and alienationThe subalternLife transitions (childhood, adolescence, adulthood)Forbidden languageHybridity, porosityExileIndependence and its discontentsDiasporasSocial and economic mobilityGeographical boundariesInfiltrationsLiminalityColonizationTravelingTranslationDisobedience&#160;The conference will have a panel format. Participation should last between 15-20 minutes. We welcome papers in both French and English.&#160;Abstracts of 250-400 words should be submitted to transgressionsrutgers2015@gmail.com before the 18th of January. The abstract should be preceded by a cover page with the following information:&#160;- Name (Last, First)- Academic affiliation- Title (PhD/Masters Candidate, Post-Docs, Visiting Professor)- Title of the paper- Telephone number- Email address