Du 14 au 16 juin 2024, Université de Bucarest (Roumanie)
Clôture de l’appel : 01 avril 2024
The subject matter of inexhaustible debates and, most importantly, disputes between philosophers and scholars from diverse backgrounds, space and time have been perceived, despite their infinite or limited dimension, as inextricably connected categories underlying the existence of matter and various processes unfolding in the universe, on the one hand, and the human existence in all its aspects, on the other. Whether normatively or symbolically represented by disciplines such as physics and mathematics or employed as (visual) narrative modes by literature and the arts, space and time have been scrutinized not only as conventional abstractions, but also as concepts that can be expanded or reconfigured. From Einstein’s theory of relativity, which stands solid proof of the latter perspective, to Paul Ricoeur’s view of the narrative set in a temporal frame, it has become evident today that both categories can no longer be interpreted separately, a perspective also endorsed by Mikhail Bakhtin’s “chronotope”, a concept referring to both spatial and temporal relationships that are expressed in literature.
Now more than ever, in a world in which science and technology have shrunk spatial distances and bridged temporal gaps, this topic could not come at a more timely moment. Our conference seeks to explore questions related, but not limited, to:
- the history of human life in space and time, with particular emphasis on the impact of past, present and future events upon individuals;
- space and time in relation to memory, trauma, personal and collective identity;
- space and time as visible or hidden layers of meaning, belonging, dis-/re-location, exilic/nomadic/(post)colonial identities, etc.
- philosophical interpretations of space and time – ontological and epistemological approaches;
- the relationship between space/time and literature and the arts in various cultural and historical periods;
- the relationship between science and literature: time machine and time travel tropes;
- unshackling time-honoured dichotomies: the literary discourse/narrative as temporal vs. the visual narrative as spatial;
- space and time as producers of meaning and identity;
- allegorizing space and time (utopias, dystopias, eutopias, si-fi fiction and movies, painting, etc.)
- heterotopias in literature;
- urban humanities: new policies and practices for configuring the urban/rural dyad (post-metropolitan identity, gender, race, etc.);
- the reenactment of sacred time (rituals, holy days, processions, etc.);
- historical monuments and their role in preserving temporal and spatial identity;
- deconstructing linear time and normative space; or, alternative temporalities: the impact of the Anthropocene, climate change, exploitation of resources, eco-critical activism, inclusion of marginal groups, queering the space, etc.;
- alternative cultural geographies and temporalities;
- reconfigurations of space in architecture and their evolution in time;
- recapturing and retrieving lost time and space;
- reinventing the past in literature, cinematography or psychology;
- resurrecting past cultures, civilisations and customs through archaeological and anthropological endeavours;
- stage space and time: stage direction, scenography, light design, costume design and choreography;
- time and space in the process of adaptation;
- spatiality, trompe-l’oeil, and mirage in visual arts;
- the global village – a shortcut in time and space;
- private space vs. public space and their perception in time.
As of this year, our conference will also offer a number of thematic panel streams that will allow participants to group around their main fields of research and for which potential participants are asked to send their proposals both to the conference email address (listed below) and to the panel stream organizer:
Expectation, Nostalgia and Regret in Literary and Artistic Space/Time (panel stream keynote speaker and organiser: Nicolas Tredell, University of Sussex, nicolastredell@hotmail.com).
Fluid Temporalities and Identities in Indian Ocean Spaces (panel stream organiser: Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru, University of Bucharest, sabina.draga.alexandru@lls.unibuc.ro).
Space and Time in Romanian / Romanian American Culture, sponsored by the Romanian Studies Association of America (panel stream keynote speaker and organiser: Letiția Guran, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, lguran@email.unc.edu).
Time and Space in Early Modern Culture (panel stream organiser: Alina Bottez, University of Bucharest, alina.bottez@lls.unibuc.ro).
Panel proposals on any other topics connected to the conference theme are welcome. Potential panel organizers are welcome to submit full panel proposals to the conference email listed below.
A round table organized by Alina Bottez, University of Bucharest (alina.bottez@lls.unibuc.ro) will be held in memoriam Professor emeritus Adrian Nicolescu. People who are interested in contributing are welcome to contact her directly.
Conference presentations should be in English and will be allocated 20 minutes each, plus 10 minutes for discussion. Prospective participants are invited to submit abstracts of up to 200 words. Proposals should be in .doc or .docx format and should also include (within the same document): name and institutional affiliation, a short bio note (no more than 100 words), 5 keywords and the participant’s e-mail address. Proposals for full panels and round tables (to be organised by the participants) will also be considered. Please submit all proposals to our email address: conf.eng.litcult@lls.unibuc.ro.
Deadline for proposals: 1 April 2024.
Conference fee:
Early bird: 100 Euro (by 1 May)
Regular: 120 Euro (after 1 May)
MA students and PhD Candidates: 50 Euro
Payment details will be communicated to the participants upon acceptance.
A selection of papers from the conference will be published in the University of Bucharest Review (ISSN 2069– 8658) – listed on SCOPUS, EBSCO, ERIH PLUS and DOAJ. See the guidelines for contributors at https://ubr.rev.unibuc.ro/.
For further details and updates, see: https://engleza.lls.unibuc.ro/conferinte/. Enquiries regarding the Theoretical and Applied Linguistics section of the conference, which will be running at the same time, should be sent to aiced.2024@gmail.com.
OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Marie Lucie Bougon (4 mars 2024). Appel à communications : Space and Time in Literature and Arts . LPCM. Consulté le 9 décembre 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/vy6x