10th Congress of the IASS-AIS

Presentation

In September 2009, the City of A Coruña and the Autonomous Community of Galicia will host the 10th World Congress of Semiotics, which aims to discuss about the general topic of Culture of Communication, Communication of Culture.

We would like to invite all scholars and researchers to undertake with rigor and critical capacity the natural field of semiotics, i.e. the field of all significant phenomena regarding communication processes. From a semiotic perspective, the main aim is to analyse and interpret all social and cultural phenomena which make up the nowadays communication society.

This important Congress will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the foundation of the International Association for Semiotic Studies/Association Internationale de Sémiotique (IASS/AIS), founded in Paris in 1969 by Roman Jakobson, André Martinet, Roland Barthes, Algirdas Julien Greimas and Umberto Eco, among others. In addition, it will turn the city of A Coruña into a great World Forum, not only on the subject of Semiotics, but also on Communication and Culture. 2500 specialists in semiotics are expected to come along with one hundred international scholars and sociologists and a dozen figures of the highest level in this scientific researching field, and all of them have been called up by the International Association for Semiotic Studies (IASS/AIS).

Presidential Address:

Dear friends,

Two years ago at the splendid 9th IASS/AIS Congress in Helsinki and Imatra, nobody could have imagined the global financial recession that today has the postcontemporary world firmly in its grip. As you know, this systemic crisis of neocapitalist society – perhaps necessary to correct certain unfair and even perverse behaviour – has also had an effect on the 10th World Congress, both economically and intellectually and scientifically. We have had to face up to serious financing problems, and it is no secret that the crisis, as semiosis, will be present during our discussions in the coming days.

We have been forced to take some drastic steps, such as changing the venue of the Congress. We have had to leave the Congress Centre (PALEXCO) in the city centre and move to the University Campus of Elviña, in the outskirts. This entails some disadvantages, such as the distance from some of the hotels – this will be solved by buses – and other advantages like more economical cafeterias and restaurants right in the heart and atmosphere of the campus. The congress will be held in two neighbouring faculties: Sociology for plenary sessions and the technical secretariat, and Law for some of the plenary sessions and the thematic sessions.

With everybody’s effort and hard work we have tried to overcome the various different problems for the 10th World Congress to be a great success. Optimistically, but avoiding triumphalism, we are preparing intense work days for semiotics, contrasting ideas and theories, but also for being together and enjoying ourselves.

All that is left is for me to welcome you and wish you a pleasant and productive stay. All the members of the Organising Committee have worked with enthusiasm for the 10th IASS/AIS Congress to be truly excellent, both professionally and scientifically and also on a human level, although we will need your patience and understanding all along the way.

José María Paz Gago.

Secretary General IASS/AIS. Scientific Director.

Organising Board

President: FRANCISCO GUTIÉRREZ CARBAJO (President of the Spanish Semiotics Association).

Scientific Director: JOSÉ MARÍA PAZ GAGO (Secretary General of the International Association for Semiotic Studies).

Technical Director: CÉSAR L. WONENBURGER (Journalist and Cultural Manager).

Secretary General:

ESPERANZA ACÍN VILLA (Universidad de A Coruña).

PILAR COUTO CANTERO (Universidad de A Coruña).

Assistant Secretary General:

ÓSCAR LOUREDA LAMAS (Universidad de A Coruña).

SUSANA PÉREZ PICOS (Universidad de Vigo).

VERÓNICA F. PEEBLES (Universidad de A Coruña)

Organising Committee Members:

RAMÓN NÚÑEZ CENTELLA (Director of Museo Nacional de la Ciencia de A Coruña).

ÁLVARO PORTO DAPENA (Professor of Spanish Language. Universidade da Coruña)

XOSÉ MARÍA DOBARRO PAZ (Professor of Galician Literature. Universidade da Coruña)

JOSÉ ANTONIO FERNÁNDEZ DE ROTA (Professor of Anthropology. Universidade da Coruña)

FERNANDO CABO ASEGUINOLAZA (Professor of Theory of Literature and Comparative Literature. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela)

MARCELINO AGÍS VILLAVERDE (Professor of Philosophy. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)

VICENTE GONZÁLEZ RADÍO (Professor of Sociology. Universidad de A Coruña)

ANTONIO ÁLVAREZ SOUSA (Professor of Sociology. Universidad de A Coruña)

JOSÉ IGNACIO PÉREZ PASCUAL (Professor of Spanish Language. Universidad de A Coruña)

ANTONIO RAÚL DE TORO SANTOS (Professor of English. Universidad de A Coruña)

Assistants:

Patricia Antón

Noemí Pereira

María Bonilla

María Mónaco

Berta Dávila

Saleta de Salvador

Alberta Passeri

Scientific Committee

President: EERO TARASTI (Finland)

Co-assistants:

RICHARD L. LANIGAN (USA)

ADRIÁN GIMATE-WELS (México)

YOUZHENG LI (China)

JEAN CLAUDE MBARGA (Cameroon)

GORAN SONESSON (Sweden)

SUSAN PETRILLI (Australia- Italy)

MARCEL DANESI (Canada)

HISASHI MUROI (Japan)

ROLAND POSNER (Germany)

PAUL COBLEY (United Kingdom)

TATIANA V. CHERNIGOVSKAYA (Russia)

ANNE HENAULT (France)

EUFRASIO PRATES (Brazil)

OSCAR STEIMBERG (Argentina)

ALFREDO CID JURADO (México)

JOSÉ ENRIQUE FINOL (Venezuela)

KRISTIAN BANKOV (Bulgaria)

KALEVI KULL (Estonia)