[spectre] CFP: Reading Urban Strata: Semiotics of Post-Communist Spaces (Bucharest, 11-14 Jun 25)

[Andreas Broeckmann LEU]

From: Cristina Albu
Date: Feb 1, 2025
Subject: CFP: Semiotics of Post-Communist Spaces (Bucharest, 11-14 Jun 25)

University of Bucharest, Romania, Jun 11–14, 2025
Deadline: Apr 14, 2025

Reading Urban Strata: Semiotics of Post-Communist Spaces.

This conference seeks to examine the relationship between time, 
architecture, and society by adopting a durational perspective on the 
construction and interpretation of post-communist urban spaces. How can 
architecture be read in depth? How can we deconstruct the ways in which 
different layers of history and materialities intertwine while also 
accounting for the complex tensions and interconnections between them?

Doreen Massey proposes thinking of space as dynamic and inextricably 
connected to time. Building on Henri Bergson’s concept of duration and 
continuity, while challenging the separation of space and time, Massey 
advances three key propositions: that space is constituted through 
interrelations, from the global to the intimate; that it is the sphere 
of multiplicity, where distinct trajectories coexist; and that it is 
always under construction, perpetually open to change. Drawing from 
these ideas, the conference will explore the plurality of experiences 
and narratives fostered by post-communist spaces, focusing on the 
intersection between the material, the personal, and the political.

Post-communist cities, in which architecture has often strategically 
been employed by the communist regime to reshape concepts of heritage 
and identity, provide a unique context for thinking about the 
interconnectedness of time and space. Many of them bear jarringly 
visible marks of power struggles, economic shifts, political and 
environmental changes. The architecture of Bucharest offers an ideal 
setting for investigating the dynamic and conflicting production of city 
spaces, being marked by striking discrepancies in terms of style and 
urban signage.

We invite researchers and PhD students to submit papers that explore the 
intersection of architecture, memory, and society in post-communist 
spaces. We encourage submissions that engage with the following themes: 
- The Layering of Time and Memory in Urban Spaces: What visual and 
material traces of past political regimes are encapsulated in 
architecture? How does their presence influence contemporary perceptions 
of the present and the past? - The Semiotics of Post-Communist 
Architecture: What meanings do architectural forms carry? How do people 
living in and around them make sense of their histories? - The Social 
Life of Architecture: What new layers of meaning do people add to 
post-communist spaces through their affective and cognitive engagement 
with them? How does the everyday life of these spaces (re)define them? - 
The Role of Architecture in Shaping Collective Identity: How do urban 
spaces reflect, challenge, or reshape national and local identities in 
post-communist contexts? - Comparative Studies: What shared codes of 
signification can be noted across different cultural spaces which carry 
the imprint of communist ideology? What are the differences between them 
in terms of urban planning, architectural discourse, and lived 
experience?  While the conference focuses on East European 
post-communist spaces, we are open to submissions addressing other 
geopolitical contexts which offer insightful points of comparison.

We are particularly interested in creative and alternative forms of 
presenting and sharing research on the multilayered history of urban 
spaces. In addition to traditional paper presentations, we welcome 
performance talks, site-specific interventions, and other innovative 
formats that engage audiences in interactive and experiential ways.

Submission Guidelines
- Abstracts (300 words) should be submitted along with a brief biography 
(150 words).
- Please indicate if you are proposing an alternative format of 
presentation (e.g., performance talk, intervention, etc.).
- The submission deadline is Monday, April 14.
- Submissions should be sent to: eliza-cristina.patrascu at s.unibuc.ro

Reference / Quellennachweis:
CFP: Semiotics of Post-Communist Spaces (Bucharest, 11-14 Jun 25). In: 
ArtHist.net, Feb 1, 2025. <https://arthist.net/archive/43842>.

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