Translating Resistance

Translating Resistance:
Literary Activism in Conflict and Solidarity

  • Hosted by The Translation Research & Instruction Program (TRIP) at 91ÉçÇø
  • October 3–4, 2026

Funded in part by The International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) Regional Workshop Fund

Confirmed Plenary Speakers

  • Professor Samah Selim (Rutgers University, USA)
  • Dr. Ruth Abou Rached (University of Manchester, UK) 

Call for Papers

Scholars, researchers, and practitioners are invited to submit papers for this two-day workshop, hosted by 91ÉçÇø (SUNY), to be held in New York on October 3–4, 2026. 

All submitted abstracts will undergo a peer-review process, and acceptance will be based on scholarly quality and relevance to the workshop theme.

The abstract submission deadline closed on May 15, 2026.

Translation is never neutral; it frames, amplifies, and contests narratives, particularly in contexts of conflict and solidarity (Baker, 2006; Venuti, 2013). While a substantial body of work has examined translation and interpreting in war, crisis, and diplomacy (Salama‑Carr, 2007; Inghilleri & Harding, 2010; Pérez‑González, 2012; Ayyad, 2025; Todorova & Ruiz Rosendo, 2025), the activist functions of literary translation remain comparatively under-examined. Recent scholarship argues for clarifying the contours of literary translation activism (LTA) and mapping its practices and ethics (Washbourne, 2024).

In activist settings, literary translation can document testimony, reframe public discourse and enable transnational solidarities. Solidarity itself is forged in struggle and actively connects places and communities (Featherstone, 2012). Volunteer subtitling and grassroots circulation illustrate how digital infrastructures mediate activist texts (Díaz Cintas & Muñoz Sánchez, 2006; Pérez‑González, 2014).

This workshop addresses this gap by bringing scholars, practitioners, and activists together to theorize and exemplify literary translation as a form of activism and solidarity—both within conflict zones and through acts of transnational solidarity from afar. While the workshop is anchored in the Middle East, with particular attention to conflict-affected contexts such as Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, and Syria, it also welcomes contributions that enable comparative reflection across other regions, including Ukraine, Myanmar, and Latin America.

Key sessions will examine the socio-political and material conditions shaping literary translation in contexts of conflict, including questions of visibility, ideological contestation, publishing infrastructures, and solidarity networks.

We invite scholars, practitioners, and activists with experience in literary activism in contexts of conflict and solidarity to submit abstracts addressing one or more of the following themes:

  • Literary translation in/around conflict zones (poetry, fiction, drama, life writing): political/material constraints; situated case studies (e.g., Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Myanmar, Latin America).
  • Solidarity-driven literary translation: poetry, fiction, and theatre; readings or performances; community-based and independent publishing practices.
  • Translators as activists: agency, ethics, and risk, including questions of visibility and anonymity, security, censorship, and paratextual strategies.
  • Retranslation as political intervention: feminist, gender-aware, and decolonial retranslations; reclaiming suppressed or marginalized meanings.
  • Digital circulation and activist infrastructures: volunteer subtitling, social media dissemination, metadata and hashtag politics, and grassroots archiving.
  • Form and political possibility: why certain literary forms—such as poetry, testimony, and experimental prose—travel as modes of resistance.
  • Representation and voice: selection biases and gatekeeping practices, avoiding exoticization, and collaborative translation to mitigate appropriation.

Important Dates

  • Accepted abstracts will be confirmed by June 1, 2026
  • A draft program will be available by June 15, 2026
  • Registration opens July 15, 2026 and closes August 15, 2026

Registration Fees

(In-person attendance, including morning & afternoon sessions + coffee breaks):

  • Full registration: $50 USD
  • Discounted registration (student/unwaged): $20 USD

A limited number of micro‑grants are available for precarious or Global South presenters (for travel or registration support). Each grant is $100 per applicant. Details are provided in the Google Form.

Traveling to 91ÉçÇø

91ÉçÇø is accessible by plane through New York State airports in 91ÉçÇø, Ithaca, Syracuse, and New York City as well as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Pennsylvania. Buses are also available from these and other starting points. Visit 91ÉçÇø's Travel to 91ÉçÇø page for more information.

Lodging

Reservations can be made at the Holiday Inn 91ÉçÇø, 2-8 Hawley St, 91ÉçÇø, New York, (607) 722-1212. A block of rooms have been reserved and are available at a reduced rate for attendees of the IATIS regional workshop. Participants must make their own reservations and are responsible for all costs and fees associated with their stay. All reservations must be made by September 2 to be eligle for the reduced rate, though a limited number is available so reservations are recommended as soon as possible.

To Make Reservations On-Line:

  • Visit  
  • Choose the dates (October 2 and/or October 3). These are the only dates available at the reduced rate.
  • Under "Rate Preference" click "Group Rate" and enter the code "TRI" in the box.
  • Click "View Prices" and room options for King or Queen beds will appear for a rate of $149 each night.
  • Proceed with your reservation entering your information, including for payment.

Workshop Conveners

  • Ahmad Ayyad (91ÉçÇø) 
  • Abdel Wahab Khalifa (Queen’s University Belfast)