[Commlist] CfP for the Panel: Identity in the Visual

Call for Papers for the Panel:
Identity in the Visual

The panel is part of the 8th Euroacademia International Conference
‘The European Union and the Politicization of Europe’
Ghent, Belgium, 25 - 26 October 2019

Deadline: 25th of September 2019


Panel Organizer: Daniela Chalániová (Anglo-American University, Prague)

Panel Description:
Ever since the so called ‘linguistic turn’ in the 1970s, majority of
research on identity in political and social sciences has been focused
on language and text - as language has been considered the primary
tool for meaning formation, and ideas exchange. Today, we are twenty
years from a digital revolution of the 1990s, which on the one hand,
made communication faster, more efficient and more global, on the
other hand made the linguistic exchange just one of many
possibilities. While arguably some visual elements such as symbols and
flags have been recognized as important for collective identification,
the impact of journalist, fashion and travel photography, films, comic
books and documentaries, billboards and brands, sports and arts has
largely been neglected by mainstream political science scholars, who
viewed images as something rather suspicious. However, with increasing
interest in the visual/aesthetic aspects of political and social life
(the so called ‘visual/aesthetic turn’ of the late 1990s) it is only
logical to take a hard look at identity beyond language, that is, from
an interdisciplinary visual perspective.

Images, just like words, are able to communicate norms, meanings and
values, they polarize as well as unite communities, identify who is
‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Images communicate meanings through logic of
association, rather than logic of argumentation as texts often do,
appealing to our emotional rather than logical cognition. Images
trigger the unconscious processes of stereotyping and value judgments
associated with them, effectively constructing affiliation or
differentiation, a Self and the Other, with behavioural consequences.
Therefore, analysis of visual material in connection to identity
should occupy a more prominent place among identity scholars.
Political and social science, however, lacks in tools of visual
analysis, therefore it needs to broaden its scope into other
disciplines such as communication studies, artsand history, cultural
studies, media studies, theatre, iconography, semiotics, marketing and
advertising, public relations, fashion, photography, cinematography,
etc.

Thus, this panel aims at a more inclusive interdisciplinary approach
to identity building, especially in terms of the empirical scope. The
goal is to collect empirical as well as theoretical and methodological
papers on political and social identity, focused on visual aspects of
identity construction.

Suggested topics may include/but are not limited to these:
~ Role of images in multilingual collectivities’ identity construction
~ Role of images in multicultural/multinational collectivities’
identity construction
~ Role of sports as visual performance in identity narratives
~ Emotional appeal of images, symbols and representations
~ American presidential election and the public ‘image’ of the candidates
~ Presidential election and the public ‘image’ of the candidates
~ Constructing the democrats/the republicans in the media
~ Political branding and electoral campaigns
~ Media campaigns of the European Parliament
~ Statues and monuments of national identity
~ Treatment of minorities in films – visualizing the Other
~ National cinema and national identity
~ Images of patriotism
~ Fashion statement as a declaration of belonging
~ Folk costumes and clothing in contemporary national identity narratives
~ Visualizing the gender

While the papers suggested here approach identity from a
social-constructivist perspective, other approaches and criticisms are
welcome.

For complete information before applying see full details of the 
conference at:
http://euroacademia.eu/conference/8eupe/

You can apply on-line by completing the Application Form on the 
conference website or by sending 300 words titled abstract together with 
the details of contact and affiliation until 25th of September 2019 at 
(application /at/ euroacademia.org)


---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------