Now that the first decade of the 21st century has come to an end, questions about the concept of the border and concerning the future of Europe seem more open and relevant than ever. Since the final days of modernity, some of the boldest intellectuals and creators have situated art and thought in uncomfortable liminal areas in order to explore the borderlines of entities, categories, disciplines, dogmas and motherlands. In this context, the performing arts - hybrids by nature - work on the constant desecration of borders and the appropriation of techniques and languages to make them their own, and seek to acclimatise themselves to the new global ecosystem of communication and digital media.
Above and beyond forms and procedures, the questions raised at a time of rapid change, the collapse of ideologies and the erosion of hopes have a radical cultural and political meaning: can we talk about a European drama? What are the relationships between the best-known traditions and those built out of the minority, stateless languages? How does the European stage incorporate other performing traditions? Should the stage serve to break down geographical borders or to embed national identities? Does it make sense to talk about borders in theatre? Do they exist in genre drama? Or among adult and child audiences? Do translations break down cultural borders or strengthen them?
The GRAE (Grup de Recerca en Arts Escèniques / Research Group in Performing Arts) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona invites researchers in all areas of theatre studies and similar, related or allied fields (anthropology, history, cultural studies, philosophy, sociology and so on) to take part in its first international conference, entitled La frontera: un concepte ineludible? (The Border, An Unavoidable Concept?), to be held in Barcelona from 1st to 3rd March 2012. We propose to reflect in depth on the numerous issues which might exist within the conceptual triangle of Europe, borders and the performing parts.
Consult the call for papers to find out about submission requirements:
- Call for papers in English
Image credits: A Whimsical Sketch of Europe (1806), published in London by Laurie & Whittle, British Museum. Satirische Europa Karte Weltkrieg 1914, by E. Zimmerman, Hamburg, W. Nölting [pub.]