FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SEMIOTICS OF CULTURE AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION-26TH TO THE 28TH OF JUNE 2024

CYPRUS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, LEMESOS, CYPRUS

In the post-modern context of social, political and cultural discourse, the concept of Otherness-The Other has emerged as a critical and universal subject of research. While it encapsulates a fundamental recognition of individuals or groups, who are perceived as different or distinct from oneself or from the dominant societal norms and identities, the idea of Otherness concerns the practices of othering in the areas of race, gender, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, nationality and, more generally, everyday social action and interaction. The binary structure of the sign itself builds on difference, on the One and the Other, the Being and non-Being, the Real and the Fake, the Accepted and the Rejected etc. Consequently, when Kristeva introduces the concept of the “abject”, she examines how the “rejected” disturbs boundaries of binarism and plays a significant role in shaping subjectivity. While marginalisation stems from a complex interplay of societal norms, power structures, and deeply ingrained prejudices that perpetuate the rejected of “the invalid”, we consider the role of Semiotics is vital in exploring and interrogating the mechanisms involved in constructing Otherness and The Other.

We invite papers that approach the conference’s theme through either macro and/or micro examples, during a quite socio-politically unstable era, where comprehending these phenomena and providing effective readings not only becomes increasingly important, but sometimes, vital for survival. The conference seeks to bring together scholars, researchers and practitioners who share a common interest in Semiotics, Culture and Visual Communication. The conference will take place with physical presence and accepts papers in the English and Greek languages. Accepted authors with presentation at the conference will be eligible to publish their work in the selected proceedings.

THEMES

We welcome proposals for individual papers (approximately 20 minutes long, plus 10 minutes for discussion), exploring the notion of Otherness-The Other through, but not limited to, one of the following themes:

1. Applied Arts (Graphic Design, Typography Design, Editorial Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Architecture etc.)
2. Visual Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Photography etc.)
3. Identity (National, Political, Cultural, Gender, Sexual etc.)
4. Literature, Narratives, Modes of Translation
5. Philosophy and the rhetoric of Otherness/The Other
6. Social Constructs and Stereotypes
7. Conspiracy Theories
8. Popular Culture and Mass Media (Newspaper, Advertising, Magazines, Television, Cinema)
9. Digital Culture, Interactive Media, Social Networks
10. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
11. Political Communication
12. Tourism, National/City Branding

https://cyprus-semiotics.org/call-for-papers/: FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SEMIOTICS OF CULTURE AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION-26TH TO THE 28TH OF JUNE 2024