Call for Papers
Theatres of Catastrophe
An
Interdisciplinary Colloquium for Postgraduate Students
30
May 2014
Goldsmiths,
University of London
How
can a catastrophe, or perceptions and intimations of catastrophe be said to
influence, shape or threaten societies and culture? The notion of ‘theatres’
here is metaphoric, referring to sites and places, nature, politics and
religion – anywhere and in any domain in which catastrophes occur, affect and
change lives, and are debated and recorded. Our term also necessarily includes
theatre as an artistic and social practice. How do theatre makers – and also
spectators – deal with catastrophes in their work?
This
student-led colloquium invites postgraduates from a wide range of disciplines
and working in interdisciplinary ways to examine theatres of catastrophe, and
the theatre that comes out of catastrophes. We invite responses to the
following areas, although our list is by no means exhaustive: political strife,
including wars and revolutions like the Arab Spring, and events in Ukraine and
Thailand; foreign affairs engagements; economic and monetary upheavals; social
misfortune; schisms of morality and ethics; religious dissension; scientific
and medical calamities, including epidemics; and natural calamities such as
earthquakes, Tsunamis, avalanches, landslides and floods. How are responses to
such events culturally enacted? Can culture itself be said to be in a
performative situation of calamity?
Theatres of Catastrophe
is the eighth annual postgraduate colloquium organised by the Sociology of
Theatre and Performance, Research Group (STPRG) at Goldsmiths, University of
London, under the direction of Professor Maria Shevtsova. We normally have
two-day meetings, but since logistics confine us to one day ( the case also of
last year) this colloquium follows on from Culture
in Crisis (2013): it seeks to pick up some earlier threads of investigation
and dialogical conversation, while expanding discussion within the remit of our new theme. Theatres of Catastrophe will provide an
opportunity for postgraduates to engage with their peers across disciplines in
a challenging and supportive environment. In addition to showcasing their own
research, delegates will be invited to participate in roundtable discussions.
The
STRPG is committed to facilitating opportunities for postgraduates from across
the globe to meet, interact and exchange ideas in a truly interdisciplinary
context. We warmly welcome submissions from postgraduate research students for
individual papers that do not exceed 15 minutes. Please submit your name,
department, university, conference paper title and a 250-word abstract to stpr.group@gmail.com.
Deadline
for the application is 12 April 2014.
Please
contact us on stpr.group@gmail.com
with any queries you may have. We look forward to hearing from you!
Kyoko
Iwaki and Geetha Creffield.
Postgraduate
Students in the Department of Theatre and Performance
Sociology
of Theatre and Performance Research Group
Goldsmiths,
University of London
