23 May 2008
Call for papers
Classical Empires in Contemporary Culture
University College London
A conference sponsored by University College London and the Classical
Reception Studies Network
The nineteenth century was the century of empires, the twentieth saw their
demise. At the start of the twenty-first century, according to Eric
Hobsbawm in his most recent work Globalisation, Democracy and Terrorism
(2008), the old era of empires is beyond revival and there is no prospect
of a return to the imperial worlds of the past. Yet, in popular political
debate, the empires of the ancient world have a vital place as parallels
and warnings about contemporary political formations – most notably the
United States of America has widely been perceived as a modern Roman
empire. Classical empires also surface regularly in media such as
historical fiction, Hollywood cinema, or computer games. Documentaries
reconstructing these ancient worlds routinely appear on European and
American television networks.
This conference aims to explore the rich presence of the classical empires
in contemporary culture, across a broad range of media (such as
scholarship, education, fiction, art, theatre, film, television,
advertising and the internet) and for a wide variety of purposes
(education, entertainment, political argument, consumer pleasure).
The Classical Reception Studies Network, the main sponsor of the
conference, is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK). A
small amount of funding is available from the CRSN to provide graduate
students who wish to attend with bursaries to help cover travel- and
subsistence-related expenses.
The conference will be run according to a workshop format, with papers
limited to 20 minutes each to allow for ample discussion. Please send
abstracts of about 350 words to Maria Wyke at [log in to unmask] by 3rd
December 2007.
There is no registration fee, and the conference is open to all.
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