dziga | Conference: Images of Power / Representations of the Past

Call for Papers

Conference: Images of Power / Representations of the Past

The Doctoral College European Historical Dictatorship and
Transformation Research University of Vienna, Department of
Contemporary History

The conference will take place on November 7th-8th 2011 at the
University of Vienna.

Deadline for CfP: April 30th 2011

The conference Images of Power / Representations of the Past is
organized by the Doctoral College European Historical Dictatorship
and Transformation Research at the University of Vienna as the first
part of a bigger conference (the second part, with the title Public
sphere, ideology, transformation of power, will be organized by the
Doctoral College as well and will take place two weeks later). It
aims to explore different aspects and correlations between images and
political power. The focus of the conference lies on the social,
political and ideological utilization and function of images in
dictatorial regimes and societies in transformation.

The goal is to identify diverse ways of how visual art and various
types of images were used as a political instrument in the European
dictatorships of the twentieth century to promote the representation
of political power, leaders and heroes, as well as the construction
of national identity, historical narratives and national myths.
Different forms of political iconography should be particularly
examined and analysed with emphasis on concept of nation, state and
power, visual representation of political parties and elite. The
materials that could be explored are e.g. posters, photography, film,
promotion material for election campaigns and others.

Questions that could be raised, especially on case studies examples,
might include, but are not limited to:

¢ How does visual art contribute to the construction of
political, social and historical myths, legends and memories?
¢ How and why do images and power interfere and interact?
¢ How different representations of the past influenced politics
in European countries during the 20th century?
¢ What was/is the role of visual and mental images for the
construction of identity in European dictatorships as well as in post-dictatorial
societies?
¢ How do official culture, art and cultural events in a
dictatorship reflect, spread and help to assert its ideological ideas, political
thinking and strategical aims?

The theme of the conference is broadly conceived and we are keen to
encourage papers from a variety of critical perspectives from
graduate students of all disciplines from universities abroad, as
well as from Austrian universities.

Working language of the conference: English

Please send your 300 words proposal, together with your short CV and
current email address, to Ms. Nathalie Soursos
nathalie.patricia.soursos@univie.ac.at by April 30th 2011.

Successful candidates will be informed per email by May 31st 2011.
Travel and accommodation expenses for accepted presentations up to a
limited amount will be covered by the organizers of the conference
University of Vienna
Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies
Vienna Doctoral College for "European Historical Dictatorship and
Transformation Research"
Department of Contemporary History
Spitalgasse 2, Hof 1 (Campus)
A-1090 Vienna
T+43-1-4277-412 41
F+43-1-4277-9 412
http://diktaturforschung.univie.ac.at/