Overview

Approaching the end of the ‘decade of centenaries’ in Ireland, and marking a century since the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 and the beginnings of partition, the theme of this conference is self-determination. This conference is focusing in particular on the role of art and artists in the formation of both Irish states that emerged in the aftermath of the First World War, situating this work within the global context of artistic responses to emerging nation states and independence movements in this period.

One of the many consequences of the First World War was the reconfiguration of the map of Europe and its colonies. With the fall of the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires, many states were created including Turkey, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Yugoslavia, and Poland, and also Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen, Armenia and Lebanon. Some of these polities emerged after a reconfiguration of the now former colonial territories of the vanquished nations, often in abeyance of the democracy that Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points had heralded. For colonies in Europe and further afield, including Ireland, what became known as the ‘Wilsonian moment’ also entailed unfulfilled expectations of self-determination.

This conference seeks to examine the artistic responses to these events over time and across a range of territories, to generate new thinking and understanding about the cultural manifestations in response to these events, and to consider their significance in a contemporary context.

Scope

Timeframe: artistic and cultural production addressing the theme of self-determination over the past 100 years.
Geographic reach: countries seeking or realising self-determination post World War I

This interdisciplinary conference aims to provide a forum for artists, art historians, historians, literary scholars, geographers, political theorists, and writers to present new work as it relates to the themes of self-determination and cultural production over the past 100 years.

We welcome proposals from all related disciplines; however, the emphasis of the conference will be on visual culture and the role of art and artists and we are interested in presentations which foreground the relationships between art and notions of self-determination.

While all proposals will be considered, the organisers would encourage applicants to take account of one or more of the themes listed below:

• Cultural production during the period 1920-1955 (Ireland and International)
• The emergence of nation states from the demise of the Ottoman, Austro- Hungarian and Russian empires post World War I
• Movements towards self-determination before and after the establishment of totalitarian regimes
• The rise of nationalism and its relationship to self-determination
• The influence of the Irish experiences of self-determination on other emerging states
• Artists and artworks addressing the subject of self-determination in relation to Ireland and/or within an international context
• Emerging practice and new responses and modes of representation post WWI reflecting the imperative for self-determination in art, architecture, craft and design
• The influence of early 20th century movements towards self-determination on the emergence of identity politics and colonial/postcolonial studies.

• The role of art and artists:
o in the formation of the Irish partition states
o in the formation of new and pre-existing states post WWI
o in mobilising public and political opinion in relation to self-determination
o in reimagining/mapping new territories and communities
o within Irish diasporas

We welcome proposals for papers, and also presentations drawing on practice-based research and/or other artistic responses such as workshops, screenings or performances.

Paper and other contributions should be 20 minutes maximum.

We expect the conference to comprise a combination of online and in-person presentations, details of which will be confirmed at a later date and will be influenced by prevailing guidelines.

IMMA will provide a fee of €300 for each selected paper however we cannot cover costs relating to travel or accommodation to present in-person at the conference. Selected candidates can state a preference for online or in-person presentation, subject to prevailing conditions allowing for both.

A selection of papers will be compiled into an IMMA publication. To make a proposal please include:
• a 400-word abstract with title – for a 20-minute paper or other presentation
• including presenter’s name, institutional affiliation (if appropriate) and email
• a short description of research project (one paragraph)
• a short biography – max 150 words

The deadline for submitting abstracts and proposals is 25 April 2022.
The deadline for final papers is 1 September 2022.

Please send your abstracts to:
IMMA International Conference 2022: self-determination
e: [email protected]