-----Original Message-----
From: ESRCs East West Programme [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Serguei A. Oushakine
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 3:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: CFP: Ulbandus XIII -- The Wound and the Imagination

Call For Papers: Ulbandus XIII

The Wound and the Imagination -- Aesthetics of Violence in Slavic Art

For the upcoming issue of "Ulbandus - The Slavic Review of Columbia
University" we are seeking submissions that relate to the problem of
violence and the artistic medium.  As early as the Russian chronicles, one
is confronted with numerous instances of violence in the Slavic canon.  From
early representations of violence as a facilitator of assiduous martyrdom to
its later renderings as a phenomenon that haunts and traumatizes communities
and individuals alike, the wounded, battered body has occupied the center of
many an artistic imagination.
Slavic artists have extensively focused their gaze on violence and have used
their art both as a last resort for rendering the horrors of history and as
means of shocking the public into awareness of the systemic violence of
reality.

When it comes to violence, artists have opted for diverse methods of
representation that have both been influenced by the medium in which they
were creating and the pervading styles of their period.  At times, however,
violence invites a defiance of normative aesthetics.
At times, violent crimes can be seen rendered to the tiniest most terrifying
details; at other times, the artist is overpowered by the violent
dismemberment of the individual and presents a blank, distorted canvas.  In
this issue, we are hoping to capture some of these variations and invite
article submissions that address some of the following questions, though
this is by no means an exhaustive list:

Does the violent moment create a rupture in the overall texture of an
artwork?  Does an artist mask a violent act through representation or does
s/he project it realistically or sensationally?  Does art crouch before
certain types of violence?  What does the post-traumatic narrative look
like?  What are the ethical implications of treating violence?  Does
violence in art strive to provoke a particular affective response?  Does an
artist condition the reader's response; does s/he seek to shield the reader
from the brutality?  How do representations of violence compare between
different artistic mediums?  Can art, wittingly or unwittingly, propagate
violence?  Can it create cultural mythologies about violence and grant it
the sort of weight that it would not otherwise have?  Is representation
itself self-consciously presented as a form of violence?

Submissions can treat texts from any period and inter-disciplinary essays
that treat film, music and the visual arts are encouraged.

In addition to scholarly articles, Ulbandus encourages submission of
original poetry, fiction, translations, photography and artwork.
Contributions from outside of the Slavic field are warmly invited.
The deadline for submissions is JUNE 1, 2009.

Manuscripts should be in MLA format, double-spaced and not exceed 25 pages
in length.  Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged and may be sent
to [log in to unmask] in .doc or .rtf format.

Interested applicants may also submit 2 hard copies of the paper to:

ULBANDUS (attn: Submissions)
Columbia University
1130 Amsterdam Avenue,
Mail code 2839
New York, NY
10027

After acknowledging receipt of your paper, we will prompt you to also send
an electronic copy.  For inquiries or questions, see our website at
www.columbia.edu/cu/slavic/ulbandus/, or write to: [log in to unmask] for
more information. Ulbandus is a peer-reviewed journal.