*** with apologies for cross-posting ***

  
Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
<http://www.socialsciencesandhumanities.com>
Interdisciplinary conference on Music studies
Vienna, Austria
28-29.06.2014
Call for Papers for Panel Music in post-Communist Europe


Contemporary media often include content on love and relationships; however, it is difficult to determine how media see love and relationships. In that, media sometimes show love and relationships in a way that makes it difficult to determine where love stops, and erotica and pornography begin. Violence in relationships, as well as loneliness and impossibility to find an appropriate person seem to dominate media content. Media also significantly engage into famous break ups that are often subject of extensive media content where intimacy of the couple that is separating is being exposed to local or global audiences. Nonetheless, TV shows such as Ally McBeal introduced the concept of ‘quirkyalone’ that seems to dominate the media content when it comes to relationships.

Divisions between the West and the East are very often heard in the public sphere, and this particularly applies to post-Communist Europe that has been excluded from exchange of experiences and interaction with peers during the Communist rule. Even though this does not mean that Communist countries did not have developed music scene nor does it mean that Communist countries only allowed pro-regime lyrics in music, this is one of typical prejudices about Communist regimes. These prejudices have been further deepened with events surrounding North Korea where international media published stories on singers and bands that are singing about the regime, and participate in state-designed propaganda.

Even though Communist regimes in Europe enforced dictatorships and limitation of the freedom of speech, it was not always the case that singers had to sing to the regime and about the regime. A good example for this practice is former Yugoslavia that had very developed music and film production. In that, many films and songs were about general themes of love, relationships, or local customaries and local patriotism (so long as the local patriotism was not an obstacle to the official doctrine of brotherhood and unity between all peoples in former Yugoslavia). During the 1980s, music and film scene flourished with the arrival of New Wave that expressed certain criticism of the regime and films expressed more courage in picturing some of the taboo topics such as LGBT problematic, feminism and promiscuity.

During the events surrounding the fall of Communism, music also played a role where in some instances musicians engaged in nationalism by playing nationally toned songs and by influencing the change of identity in post-Communist countries. Change of regimes also brought changes in music scene, and post-Communist societies became more exposed to influences from the West.

Nonetheless, even though it has been more than 20 years since the fall of Communism, there is still little understanding of the events surrounding Communist regimes in Europe and events after the fall of Communism, and particularly when it comes to popular culture and music in particular.

Papers are invited (but not limited to) for the following topics:

Music during the Communist rule in general
Music in Communist countries during the 1980s
Music and the change of regimes
Music and nationalism during the change of regimes
Music after the fall of Communism
New Wave in the West and in the East
Music and LGBT rights in post-Communist Europe
Music and feminism in post-Communist Europe
Americanization of post-Communist Europe


Submissions of abstracts (up to 500 words), short bios (up to 100 words), and email contact should be sent to
<[log in to unmask]>by 1st June 2014.

The Centre has established a peer review journal, and a working paper series. Conference papers will be considered.

We welcome paper proposals from scholars, NGO activists, Master and PhD students, and independent researchers and practitioners.

Conference fee is EUR 290, and it includes

The registration fee
Conference bag and folder with materials
Conference publication
Access to the newsletter, and electronic editions of the Centre
Opportunity for participating in future activities of the Centre (research & co-editing proceedings)
Discount towards participation fee for future conferences
Meals and drinks during both days of the conference
WLAN during the conference
Certificate of attendance

Centre for Research in Humanities and Social Sciences is a private institution founded in December 2013 in Croatia (EU). We selected Austria as a place for hosting conferences due to Austria’s favourable geographic position, and liberal Visa regime for conference participants with EU Visa requirements.
Unfortunately, the Centre has no available funds for covering transport and accommodation in Austria. Participants are responsible for finding funding to cover transportation and accommodation costs during the whole period of the conference.
The Centre will not discriminate based on the origin and/or methodological/paradigmatic approach of prospective conference participants.









______________________________________________Dr Martina Topić
Research associate

Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
Zagreb, Croatia

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