Events by this organizer

“I’m hated, execrated, those I meet are repelled by me. They want me crucified, and maybe their feelings are all too justified,” sang the American band The Bastard Fairies in their 2010 title track “Man-Made Monster.” This conference is an interdisciplinary exploration of the variety of monsters, from gooey spider-legged creatures under the bed, to serial killers safely locked in jail and historical memory. Why do cultures create such abundances of monsters, both in fiction and in our tellings of reality? What are their functions, their roles in society, their cultural impacts? And at the same time, what draws so many people to the monstrous? Are we driven by some primal urge to touch evil, or is there a redemptive impulse in the desire to save a misunderstood creature or person?

This event is in collaboration with the Proliferations of Lovecraft event.

Read more and submit your abstract here.

Music is commonly regarded as a universal language, and yet it is also through music that the fiercest of nationalistic sentiments and inspirations for protest and rebellion have been expressed. But why does music have the capacity to direct the human imagination in this way? What does a nation sound like—or, to put it another way, why does a particular musical piece conjure up feelings of belonging to a particular nation? What aspects of the nation and its people are highlighted and what aspects are ignored by nationalistic music? How does nationalism influence the reception of music? Does being part of a particular national background shape an individual’s sense of music? How is music used against nationalistic impulses, and for protests generally? The Music and Nationalism event provides a platform for exploring these questions through inter-disciplinary dialogue and interactive engagement.

Read more and submit your abstract here.

Throughout history violence has horrified and enthralled in equal measure, defining some of our most glorious and most distressing historical events. Debate continues about the nature and implications of violence within our societies even as, in the current political moment, violence continues to define the lives of people around the globe through warfare, protest, political demonstration and discrimination. Why has violence exerted an irresistible hold on the human psyche throughout history? To what extent is violence a universal phenomenon within societies? What, if any, circumstances make violence acceptable? What factors cause people to be violent? And what can be done by individuals and communities to prevent violence?

This event is in collaboration with the Activism, Protest, and Dissent project.

Read more and submit your abstract here.

Following our first Fashion and Photography conference in Palermo in 2018, we are further broadening the interdisciplinary mix and range of potential discussions and activities. Whether dance, theatre, drama theory, directing or performance practice, the different aspects of the performing arts will be explored and developed alongside previous discussions, especially with the new challenges of technology along with the changes in audiences and performers in the 21^st century.

Our Fashion and Photography: 2nd Global Inclusive Interdisciplinary event will examine the dynamics of all these (and related) fields. In a world which is experiencing the transforming realities of globalization, with people engaging at all levels and in diverse ways, the intersections and engagements created at the interface of all the modes of representation involved in these areas and activities are paramount. They involve cultural, social, commercial, artistic, financial, and political issues, and from the bottom to the top can determine power relations, careers, sexual norms and deviance, and more.

This event is in collaboration with the Storytelling & the Body project.

Read more and submit your abstract here.