[Commlist] CFP: International Symposium in Ljubljana - War and Peace on Screen

International symposium War and Peace on Screen
24 and 25 September 2024
Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, University of Ljubljana

We live in uncertain times. War zones are multiplying, military 
conflicts and war crimes, which are happening increasingly close to us, 
cannot be ignored, there are too many screens constantly conveying them 
to us. If the Gulf War with its representations in mainstream media had 
already encouraged Baudrillard to postulate its hyperreality, the live 
broadcast, made possible by new communication technologies at any moment 
and on a wide variety of channels, only intensifies this ontological 
effect. Technological capabilities, which have taken image (and sound) 
far beyond indexicality and at the same time made it possible for humans 
to leave the most lethal decisions to artificial intelligence, fill 
audiences with scepticism, distrust and fear. The increasingly tangible 
possibility of a devastating global conflict has shrunk the space for 
philosophical distance and it demands commitment and action from all of us.

Our international symposium will therefore shed light on the complexity 
of the present moment through multi- and interdisciplinary approaches 
and it will also put it in a historical perspective. The common 
denominator of the contributions will be visualising war and imagining 
peace on screens of all shapes and sizes, hence we shall be interested 
in questions such as:

- Technological development, which has radically transformed audiovisual 
media, too, can be understood as a paradigmatic shift that paves the way 
for posthumanism or the posthuman gaze. How does this affect the roles 
and responsibility of audiovisual media in relation to war? Is the range 
of these roles expanding or contracting? Is their responsibility greater 
or has it become impossible?
- It is a well-known and well-documented fact that, throughout history, 
screens have often been called upon to serve as propaganda, especially 
when the latter’s goal was warmongering or incitement of hatred. What 
about screens as anti-war, peacemaking platforms or even as facilitators 
of conflict resolution? Does the noble goal as such guarantee their 
credibility, resonance and therefore also influence?
- Are viewers of images of war becoming more literate and better 
informed through historical experience and increasingly complex 
theoretical reflection? Are technological development and the ensuing 
paradigmatic transformation making us more critically engaged or 
desensitised, more empathetic or apathetic?
- What is the role of art in the present-day deluge of images of war? Is 
the space of artistic reflection the ultimate site of genuine contact 
with human tragedy, which is being dehumanised, willy-nilly, by the 
inevitable hyperproduction of current affairs content?
________________________________________
The symposium will take place in a hybrid format (in-person and online). 
Participants can present papers in Slovenian, English and other 
languages of our region. For additional information, contact the head of 
the symposium, Asst Prof Polona Petek ((polona.petek /at/ agrft.uni-lj.si)). 
You can also follow us on our Facebook page 
(https://www.facebook.com/Vojnainmirnazaslonih).
________________________________________
All participants will have 30 minutes to present their papers. After 25 
minutes, the chair of the panel will signal that the time is running out.
Each panel will comprise three papers, followed by a 30-minute 
discussion with the audience moderated by the chair of the panel.
If you wish to make your presentation online, please notify the head of 
the symposium.

If you have any technical questions regarding your presentation, please 
contact the head of the symposium. The lecture hall where the 
presentations will take place features a PC with internet connection, 
the option of connecting your own laptop, a DVD/Blu-Ray player and a 
large screen.
________________________________________
If you have decided to prepare your paper as a written contribution to 
undergo a blind peer-review process and be considered for the symposium 
publication (details to be announced at a later stage), please write 
your text in English and note that it should not exceed 45,000 
characters with spaces (including footnotes and section Literature and 
resources). Submission deadline: 15 September 2024.
________________________________________
Deadline for proposals (max 300 words) 15 June 2024.
Please send your proposal to (Simpozij.AGRFT /at/ agrft.uni-lj.si).
Notification of decision 15 July 2024.
________________________________________
The symposium is being organised within the framework of the research 
programme UL AGRFT Theatre and Interart Studies (Gledališke in 
medumetnostne raziskave ‒ P6-0376) with the financial support from the 
Slovenian Research Agency (Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in 
inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije ‒ ARIS).

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