[Commlist] Call for Papers: "Photography and Feminist Aesthetics. Italian and Transnational Perspectives"

CALL FOR PAPERS
*/Photography and Feminist Aesthetics. Italian and Transnational 
Perspectives/*

Department of Arts, University of Bologna
S. Cristina Complex, Piazzetta Morandi 2, Bologna
Aula Magna
September 11–13, 2025
At the conclusion of the three-year PRIN 2020 project “Italian Feminist 
Photography: Identity Politics and Gender Strategies” (Principal 
Investigator: Federica Muzzarelli-University of Bologna; Local Unit 
Managers: Cristina Casero- University of Parma and Raffaella 
Perna-Sapienza University of Rome), researchers are invited to submit 
contributions for the International Conference on /Photography and 
Feminist Aesthetics: Italian and Transnational Perspectives./
The project, which alongside university research units involved numerous 
institutional partners (MUFOCO, CSAC, Fondazione Alinari per la 
Fotografia, Archivia, CAMERA, and the Italian Women’s Library), aimed to 
systematically reconstruct the feminist contributions to the history of 
Italian photography.
The research examines cultural policies promoted by public and private 
institutions to assess their actions and impact in enhancing the work of 
Italian female photographers and artists. By reviewing specialized 
magazines and periodicals, retrieving exhibition catalogs, and building 
a digital archive, the project facilitates the study and analysis of 
Italian feminist photography. This encompasses works by overtly militant 
authors as well as photographic and artistic practices that address 
social and political opposition to dominant cultural codes and stereotypes.
Beyond providing access for scientific, educational, and cultural 
purposes, the website will enhance the material’s visibility through 
innovative research tools, multimedia thematic paths, online 
exhibitions, and interactive virtual spaces. By leveraging digital 
technologies and Web Extended Reality (WebXR), the project will make a 
wide range of resources accessible to both specialists and the general 
public.
Following an initial conference for early-career researchers titled 
/Displaying, Promoting, and Preserving: Spaces of Feminist Photography 
in Italy/ (Sapienza University of Rome, September 26–27, 2024), this 
second event adopts an international and interdisciplinary dimension, 
welcoming scholars in photography, art, and feminism to participate.
The conference seeks to explore feminist photography across multiple 
contexts material and immaterial that have supported, celebrated, and 
preserved the work of Italian female photographers both domestically and 
abroad. It also aims to examine feminist practices and research from a 
global perspective (networks, archives, magazines, exhibitions, 
publishing projects, and institutions).
Through this call for papers, the conference will engage the broader 
international scholarly community to discuss the findings of the 
research project, enriching shared knowledge of methodological, 
practical, and strategic approaches to Italian feminist photography. It 
will also serve as an opportunity to strengthen collaborations with 
research centers, project teams, and networks pursuing similar 
objectives with social, political, artistic, and cultural impacts.
The conference welcomes international contributions that broaden the 
discussion of these themes, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue across 
different geographic and methodological approaches. Selected proposals 
will contribute to a critical overview of Italian feminist photography 
and its dialogue with global feminisms.

Thematic Areas for Contributions
Original contributions are invited in the following areas:
1. Historicizing and Promoting Feminist Photography in Italy
Places, networks, archives, and exhibitions that have highlighted the 
works of Italian female photographers and artists from the beginnings of 
photography to 1980.
2. Historicizing and Promoting Italian Female Photographers Abroad
The physical and virtual contexts that have facilitated exchanges 
between Italian photographers and the international landscape, with 
particular attention to critical reception of their works produced up to 
1980 beyond national borders.
3. Research Groups, Networks, and International Projects on Feminist 
Photography
International initiatives promoting the rediscovery and celebration of 
photography and feminist themes, aimed at fostering discussions on 
shared methodologies, practices, and strategies.
4. Perspectives on Contemporary Feminist Thought
Theoretical and critical studies on contemporary feminism in its diverse 
paradigms, with a focus on ethical, political, and aesthetic issues, 
including its influences on the global artistic context.

Submission Guidelines
Proposals must include:

  * An abstract of no more than 500 words.
  * A brief biography of the author (maximum 200 words).

Speakers are required to submit the full text of their presentation and 
accompanying slides by September 7, 2025. Based on these materials and 
the discussions during the conference, the scientific committee will 
select the most significant contributions for inclusion in a 
publication, further disseminating the knowledge and perspectives shared 
at the conference.
Conference languages: Italian and English.
No registration fee is required.
Project Website: https://site.unibo.it/fotografia-femminista-italiana/it 
<https://site.unibo.it/fotografia-femminista-italiana/it>
Deadlines

  * Submission of abstracts: April 15, 2025
  * Notification of acceptance: May 15, 2025
  * Submission of presentation texts and slides: September 7, 2025

For further information and to submit proposals, please contact: 
(fotofemminista /at/ unibo.it) <mailto:(fotofemminista /at/ unibo.it)>with the email 
subject: CFP_2025
Scientific Committee
Federica Muzzarelli (University of Bologna, PI of the project), 
Alessandra Acocella (University of Parma), Cristina Casero (University 
of Parma), Lara Conte (Roma Tre University), Sergio Cortesini 
(University of Pisa), Patrizia Di Bello (Birkbeck, University of 
London), Elena Di Raddo (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Massimo 
Giovanardi (University of Bologna), Nicole Hudgins (University of 
Baltimore), Laura Iamurri (Roma Tre University), Luce Lebart (Archive of 
Modern Conflict), Gustavo Marfia (University of Bologna), Stefano Marino 
(University of Bologna), Maite Méndez Baiges (University of Málaga), 
Raffaella Perna (Sapienza University of Rome), Lucia Pesapane (AWARE. 
Archives of Women Artists), Chiara Pompa (University of Bologna), 
Francesca Romana Recchia Luciani (University of Bari), Marie Robert 
(Musée d’Orsay), Carla Subrizi (Sapienza University of Rome), Mariko 
Takeuchi (Kyoto University), Claudio Zambianchi (Sapienza University of 
Rome).

Organizing Committee
Lorenzo Aimo (University of Bologna), Giulia Brandinelli (University of 
Bologna), Giorgia Ravaioli (University of Bologna), Benedetta Susi 
(University of Bologna), Chiara Tessariol (University of Bologna).
The event is promoted within the framework of PRIN 2020 /Italian 
Feminist Photography/

University of Bologna
Principal Investigator and Head of Research Unit: Prof. Federica Muzzarelli
University of Parma
Head of Research Unit: Prof. Cristina Casero
Sapienza University of Rome
Head of Research Unit: Prof. Raffaella Perna

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