Brazil is a continental country and within the subcontinent it borders on almost all other South American countries. In the north Brazil borders on the Guianas region, also called Caribbean Amazonia, which comprises Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, as well as Roraima and Amapá in the extreme north of Brazil.

​

In linguistic terms this region brings together several languages such as Portuguese, French, Dutch, English and Javanese, as well as indigenous and Creole languages. As for the literary and cultural output of the region, not only are the social contradictions present in the Amazonian cities incorporated in the aesthetic form, but also the imaginary, as well as representations of riverside people, Amerindian and Creole, are incorporated in its artistic production.

​

Despite cultural and artistic similarities and geographic proximity, very little has been done so far in the field of academia. The Federal University of Amapá (UNIFAP), due to its presence in the area, is able to gather research produced in and about the region. In the field of literature, the regional literary production is studied by the Nucleus of Research in Literary Studies (NUPEL). Research in the field of literature and languages is also carried out at the University of French Guiana (UG), conducted by the Imaginary, Literature and Arts group (IMLA).

​

At the initiative of UNIFAP and UG researchers at these two centres, the 1st Symposium of Literature in the Guianas: "Transits and Decentralisation" and the 2nd Symposium of the Guiana Shield: "Circulation and decentralisation in literature" aim at bringing together specialists in the field of literature in order to better understand the space of the Guianas and its multiple facets: for instance its history, sociology, literature and art. The objective is to think about research and teaching on the basis of a paradigm of circulation of knowledge in the region, the configuration of which, full of potentials, represents a specific peripheral space. In this sense, the 1st Symposium of Literature in the Guianas and the 2nd Symposium of the Guiana Shield are part of the reflection on the "decentering" of knowledge. This posture implies thinking about the role of academic theories and practices in a context locating itself outside the center, but not denying the existence of a centre-periphery relationship.

​

Far away from the European and Brazilian political, economic and intellectual centres, the region of the Guianas is a heterogeneous space composed of states and territories. However, this space at the same time boasts original qualities, for instance unique artistic forms, a prolific literary production, linguistic and cultural diversity, migratory dynamics and cross-border cooperation, to name just a few. All these topics will be part of the discussions at the 1st Symposium which aims at being multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.

The term "periphery" carries geographical meaning, marking a space far from the urbanised world of the great centres. It also has sociological and political meaning, defining a space where the productive forces reproduce themselves under bad conditions. Within both paradigms the term "periphery" is labeled an "exclusion zone'.

​

One of the main objectives of this Symposium is to bring together academics and researchers to talk about the Guianas (or Caribbean Amazonia). It is necessary to appropriate instruments of knowledge and investigation, as well as new concepts emerging from the periphery. Indeed, through the comparison of knowledge, the meeting of different fields of research and the union of different practices of knowledge production, it is essential to find means of understanding the reality of the Guianas. Finding answers to questions, motivating new discussion, taking critical stances, are the means which make possible the construction of solid foundations for our cultural and geographic particularities.