Hello,
I take part in the organization of a symposium about “Dictatorship and
State music” that will be celebrated in Paris on May 15 and 16, 2009.
It would be possible to spread the following call for papers?
Yours sincerely,
Igor Contreras
Conference
Dictatorship and "State music"
CRAL/EHESS, Paris, on May 15th and 16th, 2009
Call for papers
Long time considered a propaganda tool, the music of dictatorial
regimes might reveal important aspects in the relationship between art
and politics. Recent works have underlined the complex ways in which
musicians engaged with power under dictatorships, deemed as
monolithic. Thus, the description of censorship, allegiance and
dissension mechanisms, and of the breaks and continuities produced
between regimes, will show the multiplicity of negotiation and
consensus-seeking processes. In the absence of political freedom,
these processes guaranteed the continuity of an often intense and
creative musical life. Even in the darkest hours of 20th century
history, music never ceased to sound.
This conference will focus on the works inspired and promoted by
dictatorial state apparatuses. Even when not imposing aesthetic
standards, dictatorships favoured certain kinds of music: occasional
commemorative or celebrative works, patriotic or militant hymns,
military marches, etc. In addition, modern dictatorial states have
devised and implemented prize-awarding and commissioning policies
aimed at consolidating the status of certain genres as
institutionalised forms of political and social order.
Leaning on specific case studies, we will also discuss different
approaches to this repertoire: can we broadly label it "State music"?
Are there any similarities or constants in music production across
different dictatorships? What have been the discourses and practices
implemented and how did listeners react to them? Can we agree a set of
stylistic features, or are they context-contingent?
The conference will encourage multidisciplinary approaches (cultural
history, sociology of music, music analysis) and comparative research,
and will welcome contributions on diverse historical and geographical
locales, particularly Interwar Europe, Eastern bloc and Maoist China,
or Latin American dictatorships of the 60s and 70s.
Papers (in French or in English) should last 20 minutes. Abstracts
(300 words) and CVs must be submitted by 31 January 2009.
Contacts: Esteban Buch ([log in to unmask]), Igor Contreras ([log in to unmask]
), Manuel Deniz Silva ([log in to unmask])
Centre de Recherches sur les Arts et le Langage (CRAL)
96 bd Raspail
75006 Paris
|