An International Interdisciplinary Conference organized with the support of ILLE (Institut de Recherche en Langues et Littératures Européennes, EA 4363)

This conference is premised on the rejection of the 'nominalist' approach to 'radicalism' -- radicalism did not exist until it was named -- and makes a case for embracing a wider view of the issue. Although we are aware that the latter approach also has its inherent limitations we hope to offer general perspectives based on an exploration of varied sources produced in a variety of contexts.

What is meant by 'radicalism' here is any political doctrine or theory that challenges existing political, religious, economic and social norms and offers alternatives to them. This is the first of two conferences on radicalism, the second of which will concentrate on more recent times.

Papers considering the modes of writing and transmission of radical ideas will be welcome. Diverse sources can be used such as written texts (whether manuscripts or printed documents), oral sources or visual documents: pamphlets, sermons, newspapers, petitions, correspondence, fiction, music, songs, toasts raised in company, conversations, images and illustrations, cartoons, visual arts, etc.

- Relation of these modes of writing and transmission of ideas to the political, religious, economic and social context of the British Isles in the period under study;
- Presentation of the media used to promote radical ideas in terms of their users, whether they were networks (political parties, societies, lobbies, etc.) or individuals; profile of their users, i.e. their authors and those at the receiving end (gender, social background, geography);
- What made these media relevant to the cause they were used for; how they interacted and intersected; how their users interacted; what impact they had;
- Nature of radical discourse: is it context-based or can transhistorical continuities be traced? Peculiarities and recurrent motifs? Is there any such thing as a 'radical style'?
- Recycling of radical ideas and/or material from one generation to another or from one place, region, or country to another (through translations, for example).

This conference should contribute to a reappraisal of the concept of 'radicalism' with reference to its modes of writing and transmission, thus making it possible for place or time continuities to emerge between various sources or, conversely, distinguishing features or specific identities to be isolated. Papers discussing the issue from a European perspective will be welcome.

Please submit proposals for papers (250 words max.), with a short bio-bibliographical note, to Laurent CURELLY <laurent.curelly@uha.fr > by 30th June 2012.

Scientific Committee: Anne BANDRY (Université de Strasbourg) / Jean-Jacques CHARDIN (Université de Strasbourg) / Nathalie COLLÉ-BAK (Université de Lorraine) / Laurent CURELLY (Université de Haute Alsace) / Harry K. DICKINSON (University of Edinburgh) / Rémy DUTHILLE (Université Michel de Montaigne - Bordeaux 3) / Balz ENGLER (Universität Basel) / Michel FAURE (Université de Haute Alsace) / Jason PEACEY (University College London) / Joad RAYMOND (University of East Anglia) / Will SLAUTER (Université Paris 8) / Nigel SMITH (Princeton University)

(posted 7 March 2012)

The School of English of Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece, in co-operation with the Hellenic Association for American Studies (HELAAS), invites scholars to submit proposals for the international theatre conference to be held in Thessaloniki in 18-21 April, 2013.

Each era brings along its own problems. Our globalized world, with its conflicts, failed promises, economic challenges, recession, vast immigration, state corruption, ecological and environmental problems, provides more than enough challenges for theatre people to face, East and West. This international conference aims to explore the role of theatre in a world characterized by radical transformations and mediated transgressions. As a living experience, theatre has always provided the audience with the unavoidable confrontation with a society in transition, engaging provocatively with questions of identity formation, (trans)national consciousness, cultural negotiations, globalizing processes, political antagonisms.

We invite proposals that explore theatre’s potential to incorporate politics and influence audiences. Scholars, researchers, and artists are invited to submit 250-word abstracts for papers or practical presentations. We especially welcome panel proposals.Panels should include, besides the title and the summary of the topic, a summary of each individual contribution.

• Politics as theatre/ Theatre as politics
• Theatre activism in a performative society
• Threatening hybridities
• The street theatre of the "occupy movement"
• Surveillance, sight and panopticism in a society of the spectacle
• Theatre and democracy, democracy as theatre
• Theatre radicals in an age of global conformism/
• Theatre in a world of multinational and corporate giants
• Theatre innovations and the viewing experience
• Power, knowledge and the construction of place, space and viewing
• Spectatorship/witnessing and new performance forms
• Festival audiences: search for innovation or homogeneity?
• The future of theatre/ recession and theatre policy

All papers accepted for and presented at the conference will be published in an ISBN eBook.
Selected papers (developed into a maximum of 20-page chapters) will be published in a hard copy volume.

- <spats@enl.auth.gr>
- <detsi@enl.auth.gr>

- Prof. Savas Patsalidis, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
- Assistant Prof. Zoe Detsi, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
- Virginia Dakari, Ph. D. Student, School of English, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Information about keynote speakers, registration fees, accommodation, and conference events will be announced shortly on the conference website: http://www.enl.auth.gr/theatreconference

(posted 11 April 2012)