Using corpus & discourse methods to study nostalgia

Two-day workshop on: Using corpus & discourse methods to study nostalgia

May 4-5 2023, Bertinoro, Italy

The purpose of the workshop is to develop a systematic methodology for identifying nostalgic discourses. We aim to bring together expertise in nostalgia, (critical) discourse analysis and corpus linguistics to break new ground in this area. The residential programme will consist of hands-on activities with corpora (including a corpus of transcripts of BBC Desert Island Discs) to identify markers of nostalgic discourse. Combining corpus linguistics and discourse analysis as well as input from other linguistic and non-linguistic disciplines, it will provide a forum to exchange ideas, best practices and foster collaboration on the multifaceted topic of nostalgia which seems to have recently gained amplified attention across disciplines.

This hackathon-type approach to the thorny issue of identifying nostalgia was sparked by discussions in the nostalgia discourses reading group led by Anna Marchi and Charlotte Taylor (see collaborative bibliography). The workshop is limited to 20 participants to facilitate group discussions and we hope to recruit colleagues at all career stages (including doctoral researchers) with an interest in the topic of nostalgia in discourse. We assume that all participants will have some background in discourse studies, corpus linguistics, or linguistics more broadly.

The event is organized by the Corpora Linguistics and Technology (CoLiTec) research centre (Department of Interpreting and Translation, University of Bologna in Forlì) and will be hosted at Bologna University’s residential centre (CEUB), in the medieval hilltop town of Bertinoro (FC). Accommodation and meals will be provided by the organisers, participants will need to arrange and pay for their own travel.

Preliminary programme:

May 3^rd.: Arrival and welcome buffet (19:30) for informal networking. CHECK-IN between 17:00 and 20:00, Via Frangipane, 6

May 4^th:

• 9:00-9:30 Welcome and overview
• AM: Presentation of research interests and/or potential methodological contributions in small groups
• PM: Exploratory work in small groups followed by  round-up sharing findings and reflections.

May 5^th:

• AM: Small groupwork followed by collaborative compilation of list of markers
• PM: Panel on future directions and outputs (closing around 16:00)

We expect the workshop to lead to a publication on the methodological aspects of systematically identifying nostalgia in discourse. The collaboration will also result in the enrichment of an open access corpus made available through the DIT Department NoSketchengine platform.

If you would like to participate in the workshop, please send an expression of interest to  anna.marchi@unibo.it and Charlotte.Taylor@sussex.ac.uk by 16 January 2023. This should include a) description of how your existing research interests relate to the theme and how you can contribute to the aims of the workshop (max.300 words), b) a short bio-note (max. 100 words).

Scientific and organizing committee: Anna Marchi, Charlotte Taylor, Silvia Bernardini, Cinzia Bevitori, Adriano Ferraresi and Alan Partington