Conference online (via Zoom)
CFP:
Affects, emotions and perceptions have always been at the center of philosophical discussion. Yet the so called “Affective turn” in social studies and humanities is relatively a new phenomenon inspired by Deleuze and Guattari´s influential works among others. Affective turn challenges the still dominant representational approach in semiotics, discourse analysis and text analyses of all kind.
Its goal is to overcome human exceptionalism together with the domination of the word-based language over the other forms of expression in the process of creating meaning and knowledge altogether. Brian Massumi in The Politics of Affect (2015) defines affect as “being right where you are – more intensely” based on the bodily experiences of the relations with the world.
He compares affect with hope that can motivate one´s contribution to formation of a just and more inclusive society, the urgent transformation that has to start with the changes in ontology.
The aim of the present conference is to create an academically challenging and productive space for discussion of affect based research practices throughout disciplines. We are particularly interested in exploring the potential of affective turn in the memory studies. As an interdisciplinary conference, we consider it important to discuss possible differences and similarities in the definitions of the affects as well as in the approaches to their studies and their application in research practice.
We encourage researchers from various academic fields to join the discussion: anthropology, history, psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry, sociology, politics, philosophy, economics, law, memory studies, consciousness studies, literary studies, theatre studies, film studies, migration studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, medical sciences, cognitive sciences and urban studies, to name but a few.
We will be happy to hear from both experienced scholars and young academics at the start of their careers, as well as doctoral and graduate students. We also invite all persons interested in participating in the conference as listeners, without giving a presentation.
The topics for the conference include but are not limited to the following suggestions:
Affects, emotions and memory
Corporeal experiences in memory studies
New materialist and feminist approach to memory studies
Materiality of memory
Corporeal experiences of everyday life
Affects and health
Affects, consciousness and dreams
Affects, emotions and trauma
Creativity as corporeal experience
Affects and crime
Affective turn in the discourse studies
Emotions and political thought
Affective turn in visual analysis
Affects in literature
Affects in film
Theatre as emotion and bodily practice
Affects and embodiment in science
Please submit abstracts (no longer than 300 words) of your proposed 20-minute presentations, together with a short biographical note, by 27 March 2026 to: conferencememory@gmail.com
For all details please visit our website.