[spectre] CFP: Conf. Crossroads: East and West (Split, 17-19 Sep 15)

[Andreas Broeckmann]

From: Art History Modul, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 
University of Split & Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, 
University of Ljubljana & Center for Iconographic Studies, University of 
Rijeka <phdconference2015 at gmail.com>
Date: Jan 27, 2015
Subject: CFP: Crossroads: East and West (Split, 17-19 Sep 15)

Split, Croatia, September 17 - 19, 2015
Deadline: Apr 15, 2015

Crossroads: East and West / Cultural contacts, transfers and 
interchanges between East and West in the Mediterranean 2nd 
International conference for PhD Students, Split, Croatia

The theme of the conference addresses regions of Europe and Middle East 
which, in Classical Antiquity, made part of both “East” and “West”. 
Exoticism has been a fundamental part of western perception of “East” 
from the time of Herodot who in the Histories, for example, depicts 
Scythians as bloodthirsty barbarians. This ambivalent relation towards 
foreign and exotic nations has persisted from the Classical Antiquity 
throughout Renaissance well into the Modern era.

The East-West dichotomy can be recognized in cultural influences between 
East and West through studying interdependence of East and West in the 
Mediterranean, as well as through their standoffs in the history of art 
practices. The conference will deal with cultural contacts, exchange, 
relocations and social trends that enabled creation of complex concepts 
and idea-networks throughout history. The symposium also questions the 
ways in which “West” has exoticised “East” as well as the ways in which 
“East” has perceived “West”, through the prism of postcolonial and 
cultural translation theories.

The international conference is intended for PhD students and recent PhD 
graduates from different fields of humanities and social sciences, who 
are hereby invited to participate.

The proposed topics for interdisciplinary discussions are:
  Orientalism in European art and culture
• Europe and Byzantium: Ex Oriente lux et luxus
• Venice and Constantinople: competition, emulation and/or imitation, 
mythography
• Europe and Ottoman Empire in early Modern Age: between exoticism and 
demonization
• Orient in culture and art of European Romanticism: images and myth of 
Orient (fine arts, archaeology, literature, philosophy and music)
• The Middle East in European paintings, prints, book illustrations and 
crafts from Romanticism to the beginning of 20th century
• Oriental forms in 19th and 20th century western architecture
• European travellers and artists in the East: exchange of ideas, 
concepts and art practices
• Curating and exhibiting art from Eastern Europe
  Meeting points: intersections, syncretisms, conflicts between East and 
West in the Balkans
• Byzantine Empire and foundations of regional art centres in the 
Balkans since Late Antiquity until the end of the Middle Ages
• Struggle for ecclesiastical supremacy between Rome and Constantinople 
– interactions between Orthodox and Catholic Christianity, influence on 
arts, visual expression and iconography
• Venice and the Balkans in the late Middle Ages and the early Modern 
Age: conflicts, coexistence, cultural and artistic dialogue
• Ottoman invasion of the Balkans: impact on culture and art, Ottoman 
discourse, establishment of transcultural forms in contact regions, 
assimilations and cultural hybrids
• The twilight of political and cultural powers (Ottoman Empire, 
Habsburg Monarchy, Venetian Republic) and creation of new national 
states: art as reflection of political and national interests 
(nationalization and ideologization of art)
• The image of Turks in the art and culture of the Western Balkans and 
Central Europe (visual, historical, literal, ethnographic and 
cultural-anthropological aspect)

East and West in the age of globalization
• Ideologies, ideological discourses, mythologemes and their artistic 
representations and functions
• Western stereotypes of Middle Eastern culture and arts: their genesis, 
influences and transformations
• Artistic concepts and theories of art
• Contemporary artistic and architectural trends: elements of tradition, 
modern and global
• Contemporary perception of Islam in art: historical, political, 
religious, cultural; artist-audience interaction
• Contemporary art practices, literature, cinematography and popular 
culture: East-West encounters, coexistence and antagonisms

Abstracts in English of maximum 400 words should be sent, with the title 
of the paper, name and contact information (address, phone number, 
e-mail) until 15th of April 2015 by e-mail to 
phdconference2015 at gmail.com or sent by post to Art History Module
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split, Hrvojeva 8, 21000 
Split, CROATIA (with the note "Conference for PhD students").

For further information about the conference and the application please 
visit:
http://phdconference2014.wix.com/dmr-ljubljana

Reference / Quellennachweis:
CFP: Crossroads: East and West (Split, 17-19 Sep 15). In: H-ArtHist, Jan 
27, 2015. <http://arthist.net/archive/9348>.