In our modern world, which some have argued to be disjointed while immersing itself ever deeper in crisis, the turning back towards “the olden days” and the ensuing nostalgia constitute a noticeable phenomenon, both individually (the memory of biography) and collectively (the memory of History). Another important – and seemingly also quite noticeable – phenomenon is the longing for something vague, indefinite or never existent.

Hence, during our second interdisciplinary conference we would like to concentrate again on the phenomena of nostalgia and melancholy. We are interested in all expressions of longing for the past, from the reassuring and action-propelling ones to those which paralyze us, bringing despair and utter dejection.

Our first conference on memory, melancholy and nostalgia took place in September 2015. We hosted about 100 scholars representing universities and research institutions from all over the world.

This year, we want to describe the experience of nostalgia and melancholy in its multifarious manifestations: psychological, social, historical, cultural, philosophical, religious, economic, political, artistic, and many others. We will also devote considerable attention to how these phenomena appear and transform in artistic practices: literature, film, theatre, and visual arts. This is why we invite researchers representing various academic disciplines: anthropology, history, psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, politics, philosophy, economics, law, literary studies, theatre studies, film studies, memory studies, migration studies, consciousness studies, dream studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, medical sciences, psychiatry, cognitive sciences, design, project management et al.

Different forms of presentations are encouraged, including case studies, theoretical investigations, problem-oriented arguments, and comparative analyses.

We will be happy to hear from both experienced scholars and young academics at the start of their careers, as well as students. We also invite all persons interested in participating in the conference as listeners, without giving a presentation.

We hope that due to its interdisciplinary nature, the conference will bring many interesting observations on and discussions about the role of memory, melancholy and nostalgia in the past and in the present-day world.

Our repertoire of suggested topics includes but is not restricted to:
Memory and Affects
unwanted memory
nostalgia or melancholy?
non-melancholic nostalgia
nostalgia and longing
the healing power of nostalgia
nostalgia as an illness
nostalgia and depression
nostalgia and psychoanalysis 

Common Experiences
nostalgic epochs
nostalgic nations
nostalgic generations
nostalgia and the myth of eternal return
nostalgia, melancholy and totalitarianisms
nostalgia and war
nostalgia and melancholy of the expelled
nostalgic patriotism
nostalgia and nationalism
nostalgia and gender
nostalgia and religion
nostalgia and language
nostalgia and melancholy in the postmodern world
nostalgia and post-memory

Individual Experiences
return to childhood
nostalgia for something indefinite
nostalgia for the future
nostalgia for a traumatic experience
nostalgia, melancholy and old age
nostalgia, melancholy and death
nostalgia, melancholy and mourning
nostalgia, melancholy and love
nostalgia, melancholy and imagination
nostalgic phantasms
nostalgic dreams

The Arts
nostalgia and melancholy as a theme in literature, film, and theatre
nostalgic literature
nostalgic cinema
literature and the arts as a vehicle of memory
literature, theatre and film in search of lost time
nostalgic literary genres
melancholic artists

Society
nostalgia and political movements
nostalgia, melancholy and memory places
nostalgia, melancholy and memorials
nostalgia, melancholy and incentives
nostalgia, melancholy and community development
nostalgia, melancholy and migration
nostalgia, melancholy and meaning-making
nostalgia, melancholy and drive to change
nostalgia and product development
nostalgia and melancholy in the work environment
nostalgia and melancholy in international development
nostalgia and melancholy in leadership
nostalgia and melancholy in policy

Please submit abstracts (no longer than 300 words) of your proposed 20-minute presentations, together with a short biographical note, by 31 October 2017 to:

conferencenostalgia@gmail.com
The conference language is English.


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