International Conference: The Great War and English Studies held in University of Dhaka

Saturday 3 January 2015 The English Department of the University of Dhaka recently commemorated the First World War by holding a 2-day International Conference on the Great War and its consequences for world literature. The conference; “International Conference The Great War and English Studies” was held on the 18th and 19th of December, 2014 in Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium, University of Dhaka. Farhat Tasannum Farah, Assistant Professor, Department of English, American International University-Bangladesh also participated in the Conference as a paper presenter. She read the paper entitled “History of the Great War ‘Written With Lightning’ - A (Cinematic) Representation of the ‘Reality of the Past’ ”. The paper focuses on the post traumatic cinema that explores how the Germans were haunted by the horrors of World War I and the devastating effects of the nation's defeat, by analysing extreme psychological states into visual expression; how it pushed the limits of cinematic representation with its fragmented story lines, distorted perspectives, and stark lighting; and how it helped create a modernist film language that anticipated film noir and remains incredibly influential today. Her paper was included in the Session: Film (Visual Media) and the War, Chaired by Professor Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan, Department of Film Studies, University of Dhaka. With the Address by the Honourable Vice Chancellor of the University of Dhaka Professor A A M S Arefin Siddique and by His Excellency Mr. Robert W Gibson CMG, the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, followed by the Welcome Speech by the Convener of the Conference Professor Fakrul Alam, Professor Tahmina Ahmed-the Chairperson of the department inaugurated the 2-day International Conference.