CFP: Visions of Tomorrow: Science and Utopia in German Culture
Workshop to be held at the 11th International Conference of ISSEI, the
International Society for the Study of European Ideas, from 28 July – 2
August 2008 at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Conference theme:
Language and the Scientific Imagination.
This workshop aims to explore intersections between cultural and scientific
discourses in German-speaking Europe from the 18th century to the present.
It will examine ways in which texts from the whole spectrum of cultural
production (e.g. literature, film, music, architecture, photography)
articulate the tensions between the perceived credibility and reliability
of science and the subjective intervention of the artist. The workshop will
investigate how cultural discourses over the last three centuries have
mediated and commented on scientific ideas and advances, and whether and
how cultural representations of these ideas impacted scientific discourses
themselves.
Within this thematic framework, we are especially interested in ways in
which artists use(d) the scientific discourse of their time to imagine the
future and to formulate utopian or dystopian visions of society. We invite
papers which explore texts reflecting interconnections between scientific
and cultural discourses and their utopian/ dystopian visions.
Possible aspects to examine include (but are not restricted to) utopian
thinking on
- society’s changing social structure
- racial, ethnic, and gender differences
- generational relationships
- urban spaces
- natural environment
- education and knowledge
While the workshop will focus primarily on the cultural discourse of German-
speaking Europe, papers exploring cross-cultural influences on utopian
thought are also very welcome.
Please email proposals of max 500 words to Gabriele Mueller or Diana
Spokiene, or send them by letter to the address below. Please submit
proposals by 14 December 2007. More detailed information about the
conference is available at http://issei2008.haifa.ac.il/.
Gabriele Mueller
Department of Lang., Lit. and Ling.
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON
M3J 1P3
CANADA
Tel: 416.736.2100, x20078
Fax: 416.736.5483
Email: [log in to unmask]
Diana Spokiene
Department of Lang., Lit. and Ling
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON
M3J 1P3
CANADA
Tel: 416.736.2100, x88745
Fax: 416.736.5483
Email: [log in to unmask]
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