International French language symposium at BHU

The Banaras Hindu University is set to host the International French Language Symposium on the theme of "Travel in French and Francophone literature".

The event, to be held from February 23 to February 25, will be supported by the French Embassy and Institut Francais India.

"French Embassy gives prime importance to strengthening cultural relations between India and France through the promotion of French culture and French language here," according to a statement released by Institut Francais on Wednesday.

"The link between travel and literature is as old as history and literature, but the two are far from being of the same nature. Although this relationship between travel and literature exists since the origins of literature, it gained even more significance during the 20th Century," it said.

The event will address various questions like: "What could this passion be attributed to? What does one look for in these initiatory peregrinations and in these ritualised shifts?"

It will address problematics like discovery in oneself and the representations of the "other" that emerges out of it.

The conference will also touch on the clarity that travel stories bring out regarding the questions of alterity and cultural identity with the rise of globalisation and pluralism.

--IANS

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