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Circulated on behalf of Sonja de Leeuw please send abstracts to: [log in to unmask]
International Conference
January 17-18, 2013
Utrecht University, The Netherlands
On January 17 and 18, 2013 the research group The Power of Satire will host the
international conference Satire Across Borders, at Utrecht University.
Satire has the ability to contest cultural boundaries in several ways. By addressing
political topics or touching upon sensitive issues within a society (e.g. religious and
sexual taboos), satirical works intervene in on going cultural debates. This is but one
of the reasons why these works can be considered as interculturally charged. By
mixing multiple media within one work, or by creatively transposing styles and
techniques from one medium to another, satire shows that it can also contest medial
boundaries, i.e. that it can be considered as intermedially charged as well. These two
conditions, interculturality and intermediality, have framed the functioning of satire in
the past and continue to do so in the present. They turn satire into a rather
ambiguous phenomenon, for both its producers and its consumers. This assumed
ambiguity of satire forms the point of departure of the international conference Satire
Across Borders.
Satire’s ability to cross borders will be addressed from five different perspectives:
1) Time
In a historical perspective, satire seems to manifest itself at very specific
occasions, for example during officially sanctioned festive activities (carnival,
harvest rituals) or in moments of political crisis (during revolts, civil wars, religious
upheavals etc.). How do these temporal conditions influence and define the
functioning of satire? Is satire bound by such conditions, or does it also contest
them?
2) Space
Although western society today seems to be rather tolerant towards satire,
controversies still occur every now and then and censorship is sometimes called
for. This suggests that the freedom of satirical expression is limited to certain
zones, like the ritual context of carnival or the performative space of the television
screen or, more generally, the (ideal) public space as one which establishes
reciprocal understanding between its participants. What happens if satire crosses
the borders of these zones? And can the establishment of these zones also lead
to the inclusion or exclusion of certain audiences?
3) Target
One characteristic of satire is that it is always aimed at someone or something,
i.e. that it has one or several targets. These can vary from royal figures and
political/religious authorities to social taboos, cultural practices and moral values.
Are there any general patterns to be discerned in the qualities of these targets
themselves, and in the manner in which they are approached by satire? Does
satire always contest its targets, or can it also legitimize them in one way or
another?
4) Media
Satire is not bound to one medium or genre. On the contrary, it often combines
multiple media or refers to the conventions of several styles or genres at the
same time. How does this intermediality influence satire’s functioning in society?
Does it limit or instead extend the potential audiences of satire? And what role do
the material forms (manuscript, printing press, television, internet) of specific
satirical works play in all this?
5) Rhetoric
Certain techniques, tactics and rhetorical figures recur time and again in satire,
such as humour, irony, parody, burlesque and caricature. Such rhetorical
techniques seem to play a pivotal role in the production and reception of satire.
Historically speaking, to what extent can the use of them be called cyclical? And
in what way do they contribute to satire’s ability to contest cultural boundaries?
The conference language will be English.
The organizers of this conference invite all potential contributors to submit a proposal
of 200-250 words for a conference paper.
To be eligible for acceptance, the proposal should meet the following conditions:
• The topic of the proposed paper fits within one of the five perspectives listed
above; this perspective is specified in the proposal
• If modern/recent satire is the focus, the proposed paper also contains a
historical component and vice versa
• The proposed paper should take up no more than 20 minutes to present
Please attach to your proposal
• A short CV (including your current affiliation)
• A (small) list of relevant and recent publications
• A recent photo of yourself
Proposals should be submitted by June 1, 2012 at the latest to
By July 1, 2012 you will receive a message of confirmation or dismissal of your
proposal from the organizers of the conference.
As a contributor you will not be charged for your participation. The organizers will
invite you cordially to the conference dinner on the first day (January 17), but they
are sorry to inform you that it is only possible to cover the costs of travel and
accommodation for the invited four keynote speakers.
For more information about the research programme The Power of Satire. Cultural
boundaries contested: http://www.powerofsatire.org/ As from July 2012 the
conference schedule, confirmed keynote speakers and regular updates with other
information about the conference will be announced there as well.
The Power of Satire is hosted by Utrecht University and the University of
Amsterdam, and funded by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research
(NWO).
Conference organizers
Lars Kloet (Utrecht University; conference assistant)
Sonja de Leeuw (Utrecht University)
Marijke Meijer Drees (University of Groningen)
Ivo Nieuwenhuis (University of Amsterdam)