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Call for Papers "Europe of Nations. Myths of Origin: Modern and Postmodern Discourses" International Conference University of Aveiro Aveiro (Portugal) 9-11 May 2011 __________________________________________________ Presentation Nations are always the result of the human desire to design a life in common and project it into the future in the hope of gaining temporal continuity, or even eternity. But to ensure this lasting future, or even a simple existence in the present, an identity must be forged in the land of sacred time and space, in other words, in the mythical time of origins. So it is not surprising that all nations and/or nationalities invest their imaginaries with myths of origin, whose symbolic and practical usefulness frequently equals their aesthetic and literary character. We are also aware of the extent to which these myths of origin are intimately connected to the symbolic production of collective identities, without which peoples and communities would not survive as units. But the quest for such identities has frequently been the cause of the most varied conflicts in the European (and extra-European) space, feeding on mutual ignorance and the absence of comparative and dialogic approaches which could bring together European peoples rather than pull them apart. At this international conference, Europe of Nations – Myths of Origin: Modern and Postmodern Discourses, we aim to create an analytical and critical archive of the most important myths of origin of European nations, and promote a contemporary and challenging debate around the principle themes involved: from literature to communication, from history to the arts, from anthropology to sociology, from politics to philosophy. In this context we are interested in understanding the ways in which discourses of Modernity have (re)invested, transformed and/or reinforced the narratives of origin of Europe’s nations, and what is or are the meaning(s) attributed to them in Post-modernity, by appropriating them in increasingly intense and recurrent forms. Knowing how widely the myths of origin of European nations have spread and how strong their impact has been outside Europe, mingling with myths of origin of non-European nations, we are particularly interested in learning about the way in which the non-European Other lives or lived our myths, how in certain cases they appropriated these myths, adapting them to their own circumstances and also how the contemporary communication and culture industries have facilitated the globalisation of these myths of origin (we are thinking, for example, of the ways in which the film industry has appropriated the oldest myths of Europe and returned them to us in hollywoodesque form). Finally, and inversely, we are particularly interested in the register, knowledge and understanding, of the rich mythological reserve of insular geographical spaces where the imaginary of origins acquires very particular configurations, of rare beauty and depth. The main objective of this conference is to contribute to the vast source of reflection about the future of a Europe which is united precisely because it is diverse and multiple in its Myths of origin, in turn related to the diverse nationalities which constitute it. Researchers and national and international experts, recognised in the field of the arts and the human and social sciences, will contribute to the deepening of the debate surrounding the conference theme and the fundamental lines which configure the eternal search for identity, between the narrative legitimating and the many metamorphoses of the myths of origin. The international conference will take place at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, on the 9th, 10th and 11th of May, 2011. The conference is jointly organised by the Centre of Languages and Cultures of the University of Aveiro (CLC), the Centre of Lusophone and European Literatures and Cultures of the University of Lisbon (CLEPUL) and the International Society for Iberian-Slavonic Studies (CompaRes). Already confirmed as plenary speakers are Professors Eduardo Lourenço, Michel Maffesoli, Moisés Martins, Wolfgang Mackiewicz, Zygmunt Bauman and the conference is privileged to have a vast and reputable national and international Scientific Committee and the support of many other cultural and academic institutions from Portugal, Europe and beyond. Submissions We would like to inform that besides the individual communications, we will accept organized proposals for roundtables/organized panels concerning the Congress issues. Every member of the roundtable/panel should therefore fill in the application form for the purpose [the same as for Free Comunication Presentation]. Please indicate that you are participating in a Roundtable/Organized Panel. All Roundtable/ Panel participants should indicate the same title, the same key-words, and a common first part of the abstract. In the second part, please do indicate your particular contribution for the roundtable in question. Free Communications have a maximum duration of 20 minutes and organized roundtables/panels a maximum duration of 60 minutes. Abstracts of Free Communications and the proposals for organized Roundtables/Panels can be sent by email to <[email protected]> until December 20th 2010. Once received, the texts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee on the basis of quality, originality and relevance. Once accepted, the full papers for publication in the Congress Proceedings must be submitted until March 31st, 2011. The organization intends to launch the publication of Congress Proceedings on CD-ROM during the Congress and, later, a paper version (containing the changes submitted by the authors) as long as the papers correspond to the required standards and are sent to the Congress Executive Commission days until June 30th, 2011. The Congress main communication languages will be Portuguese and English, although all languages and cultures are welcome and can be used to communicate. However, if you want to communicate in a language other than English, in addition to the original text, you must send to the Executive Committee of the Congress, not later than March 31th 2011, the translation of your communication into English, or at least an extensive summary. You may download the template for submission of abstracts and, later, of full texts for publication. Dates Deadline for for submission of papers and organized roundtables/ panels proposals: 20 December 2010. Final date for confirmation to authors of acceptance of papers: 10 January 2011. Deadline for authors to register: 25 January 2011. Early bird congress fees close: 31 January 2011. Deadline for authors to submit full papers for the Proceedings of Congress: 31 March 2011. Congress: 9-11 May 2011. Authors can supplement or expand some aspects of their texts until 30 June 2011. Contact: Maria Manuel Baptista, Coordinator Organizing Committee Email: [email protected] Web: http://europe-nations.web.ua.pt/apresentacaoEN.htm __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
