Call for Papers: "Moscow: A Global City" Interdisciplinary Conference at The University of Leeds

Submitted by moderator on Wed, 01/09/2010 - 23:20.

"Moscow: A Global City": Interdisciplinary conference
University of Leeds
26 November 2010

Call for papers deadline: 20 September 2010

Moscow has always held a special significance in Russian consciousness, not only as a political, historical, and cultural centre, but also as a talisman of Russia’s messianic role in the global arena. Today, both despite and because of dramatically transformed circumstances, Moscow’s image continues to dominate the country’s identity. Indeed, under Putin/Medvedev as president and Luzhkov as mayor, Russia’s promoted self-image and Western portrayals of the city implicitly equate Moscow with Russia.

The purpose of the conference is to bring together leading academics in anthropology, art, film, history, literature, and sociology, as well as art and media curators, to examine the phenomenon of ‘Moscow as A Global City’-specifically, its role as manifested in high and popular culture across a variety of media, including architecture and the internet. Focusing on Moscow as a representation of Russia both within the post-communist space and in the West, the conference will explore issues of city and nation branding, globalisation, mediation, and everyday practices.

Keynote speaker: Vasilii Tsereteli (Director, Moscow Museum of Modern Art)
Round table chaired by Prof. Helena Goscilo (Chair, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Ohio State University, and Visiting Leverhulme Professor, University of Leeds).

Proposals for talks (20 minutes) are welcome from a range of cultural, historical, and social studies disciplines and may include such themes as cultural and national identity; gender, ethnic and sexual identity; transition; postmodernism; the organisation of space; Moscow as symbolic capital; Moscow in the consciousness of the Russian diaspora.

Please send short abstracts (250 words) to Sarah Hudspith: s.f.hudspith@leeds.ac.uk by 20 September 2010.

Our intention is to publish the conference proceedings. Therefore those unable to attend the conference but interested in contributing to the volume should submit abstracts (500 words) for articles of approximately 8000 words to Sarah Hudspith: s.f.hudspith@leeds.ac.uk by 1 October 2010.