19th to 19th May 2018
Coventry, United Kingdom
Contact person: Mary Jane Dempsey
This conference seeks to create a new understanding of 1968, highlighting common themes that emerge by analysing intersections of various academic disciplines and presenting global perspectives of this year.
Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 31st January 2018 A one-day interdisciplinary conference, Saturday 19th May 2018
2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of 1968, when social unrest and desire to change the status quo struck the world. Our interdisciplinary conference, titled “Unveiling Hidden Discourses: 1968 Fifty Years Later,” looks at this year and to evaluate its lasting consequences, in both negative and positive senses. The conference’s aim is twofold. First, the conference will demonstrate what happens when unacceptable discourses refuse to remain unacceptable on a global scale and social implications that follow accordingly. Second, the conference will analyse 1968’s legacy and how social movements were manifested in different expressions, such as cultural production, policy and ontological understanding. Examples of such expressions were illustrated through theatre, the Civil Rights Act and pro-feminist demonstrations. It will also consider failures of 1968 movements and how this allowed for the establishment of extreme right-wing parties, such as the Front National in France following “mai 68.” Critical questions include: How can this year’s impact be considered through a transnational lens? Has this global movement been translated into social developments? Do different disciplines demonstrate ways social movements can inspire change? We ultimately intend to showcase how social movements associated with 1968 impacted citizens’ lives on a transnational level.
This conference seeks to create a new understanding of 1968, highlighting common themes that emerge by analysing intersections of various academic disciplines and presenting global perspectives of this year, which is mostly viewed as a European phenomenon. We intend to collaborate with scholars from diverse fields, such as History, Theatre Studies and Modern Languages, in order to deepen our comprehension of this key date. Our motive as researchers to organize this conference is to commemorate the anniversary of 1968 as well as to connect with other researchers to identify cultural, social and political implications that have developed in response to events in 1968. This project’s originality lies in its use of a transnational and interdisciplinary lens to view this year’s historic impact, thus providing a new framework to consider the resonance of 1968 and the first fifty years afterwards.
Call for Papers
Unveiling Hidden Discourses: 1968 Fifty Years Later
An interdisciplinary conference at the University of Warwick
Keynote speakers: Professor Anne Etienne (UCC) and Professor Maud Anne Bracke (University of Glasgow)
Saturday, 19th May 2018
2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of 1968, when social unrest and desire to change the status quo struck the world. Our interdisciplinary conference, titled “Unveiling Hidden Discourses: 1968 Fifty Years Later,” looks at this year and evaluates its lasting consequences, in both negative and positive senses.
The conference’s aim is twofold:
To demonstrate what happens when unacceptable discourses refuse to remain unacceptable on a global scale and social implications that follow accordingly.
To analyse 1968’s legacy and how social movements were manifested in different expressions, such as cultural production, policy and ontological understanding. Examples of such expressions were illustrated through theatre, the Civil Rights Act and pro-feminist demonstrations.
Paper proposals that intend to showcase how social movements associated with 1968 impacted citizens’ lives on a transnational level. As a guide to submissions, we would ask that you consider the following questions:
How can this year’s impact be considered through a transnational lens?
Has this global movement been translated into social developments?
Do different disciplines demonstrate ways social movements can inspire change?
We welcome papers from all disciplines including but not limited to:
Gender studies
Political Science
Comparative Literature
History
Modern Languages
Law
Sociology
Philosophy
Submissions should consist of an abstract (up to 300 words), including a title and a short biography. They are to be sent to Mary Jane Dempsey and Rebecca Infield via Hiddendiscourses1968@gmail.com by 31 January 2018.
