[ecrea] Storytelling and Trauma - An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference

*Storytelling and Trauma: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference*
*6th to 7th October 2018
Budapest, Hungary*

Storytelling is inextricably linked to the history of human beings in a 
bewildering variety of oral and visual formats. Storytelling is a 
fundamental tool in recording personal, familial, communal and national 
narratives. But it can also be linked to a process of expressing and 
working through trauma, of breaking silence, of finding a voice for 
suffering and pain as witnessed in the growth of “communal digital 
storytelling” embodied, for example, in the rise of shared storytellings 
of trauma such as #MeToo and #TimesUp. The ability to tell other people 
about what has happened to you brings into focus the uses of 
storytelling as narrative therapy for traumatic experiences from 
childhood to adulthood as well as from the personal to the collective.

Storytelling and Trauma seeks to explore both Storytelling and Trauma 
with particular focus on the inter-relatedness of the two. Stories and 
images of trauma surround us all the time, to the point of almost 
desensitising us to the suffering of others and the empathy and 
compassion we should naturally feel. Storytelling and trauma forces us 
to face, confront and resolve the suffering and pain of others—a process 
that involves the acknowledging of the trauma/traumatic event, bearing 
witness and a working through the trauma and the disruption caused to 
and in their lives. Thus the response to Storytelling and Trauma engages 
all levels of human living and thinking, individually and collectively, 
locally and globally.

Bringing the two together implies an interdisciplinary engagement with a 
spectrum of disciplines, art forms, geographical and historical contexts 
as well as multi-lingual and multi-cultural perspectives. Our first 
global gathering aims to examine the dynamics of Storytelling and Trauma 
in all its permutations. We welcome and encourage interdisciplinary 
proposals from all disciplines, professions, NGOs, voluntary sector, 
artists, scholars, workers, professionals, musicians, to name a few. It 
is the aim of the conference meeting to provide an interdisciplinary 
nexus which binds all these layers of theories and practices together in 
a safe and respectful sharing space.

Unlike other conferences or gatherings, our Event proposes to step 
outside the traditional conference setting and offer opportunities for 
artists, photographers, practitioners, theorists, independent scholars, 
academics, performers, writers, and others to intermingle, providing 
platforms for interdisciplinary interactions that are fruitful and 
conducive to broadening horizons and sparking future projects, 
collaborations, and connections. We are excited to accept proposals for 
presentations, displays, exhibits, round tables, panels, interactive 
workshops and more. Below is an indicative but not exhaustive list of 
possible approaches, all of them residing at the point of connection 
between Storytelling and Trauma:

     Oral / written / visual narratives of identity, belonging, 
im/migrations
     Literary, artistic and filmic storytelling
     Life writing genres (autobiography, memoirs, letters, ethnography, 
etc.)
     Testimony as storytelling trauma: fiction vs. non-fiction, 
official history vs. reality
     Truth and Reconciliation
     Private and personal storytelling and trauma
     Public, political, religious, activist storytelling and trauma
     Social media: twitter, Facebook, Youtube
     Trauma and memory
     Writing trauma: healing and transformation
     Healing: survival and resilience; forgiveness and reconciliation
     Therapy
     Abuse, bullying; the workplace
     Dis/abilities
     Sex and sexuality; rape, sex crimes, gender crimes
     Empathy, allyship, solidarity, activism
     Popular culture and media
     Social justice and human rights: war, civil war, conflict
     Violence, torture, and atrocity
     Pedagogy, education, and social awareness
     Digital spaces
     Comics, graphic novels, animation
     Young adult literature; children stories
     Power, resistance, rebellion, revolution
     Shame, taboo, and suffering
     Wounding, loss, death, grief and mourning
     Spectral spaces, haunted geographies, memorialization
     Fake news

If you don’t see something here that you think belongs, please tell us! 
We are happy to entertain other ideas that examine the rich, generative 
and exciting space that these fields create.

What’s so Special About Progressive Connexions Events?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic, format – at Progressive Connexions we are 
dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference 
formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off powerpoints. We 
work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience 
and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging 
debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other 
and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a 
warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.

A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our 
interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from 
all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined 
together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, 
knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to 
create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will 
become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.

A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we 
love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social 
change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under 
whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy 
proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational 
materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of 
the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice 
from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools 
and intellectual resources, as needed.

An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not 
only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also 
about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems 
and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are 
the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how 
the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help 
provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.

An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive 
Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time 
friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and 
relaxing and our event locations are history-laden and suited to the event.

What to Send
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference and collaborative 
networking event is to bring together academics, professionals, 
practitioners, NGO’s, voluntary sector workers, in the context of a 
variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, panels, q&a’s, etc.

300 word reviews of your proposed contribution (paper abstracts, 
proposals for workshops, collaborative works or round tables, overviews 
of artistic projects or any other relevant forms of participation you 
are interested in) should be submitted by *Friday 11th May 2018*.

All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous 
(blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project 
Advisory Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually 
entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple 
and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by *Friday 25th May 2018.*

If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your 
contribution should be submitted by *Friday 7th September 2018*.

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with 
the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the 
programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, 
f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: Storytelling and Trauma Submission

Where to Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and 
the Project Administrator:

Organising Chair: Cristina Santos: (cristina /at/ progressiveconnexions.net) 
<mailto:(cristina /at/ progressiveconnexions.net)>

Project Administrator: (budapeststory /at/ progressiveconnexions.net) 
<mailto:(budapeststory /at/ progressiveconnexions.net)>

Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and 
professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend 
for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this 
commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.

Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we 
are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or 
subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.

Enquiries: (budapeststory /at/ progressiveconnexions.net) 
<mailto:(budapeststory /at/ progressiveconnexions.net)>

For further details and information please visit the conference website: 
http://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/health-and-illness/storytelling-and-trauma/conference/

Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions

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