[Conference] Violence: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference at Italy on 15-16 July 2019

Theme- Violence: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference
When- 15th to 16th July 2019
Where- Verona, Italy

About Conference

From ancient gladiators battling to the death in front of cheering crowds to the modern-day journalistic maxim that 'if it bleeds, it leads', violence has occupied a prominent place in the human imagination. It is common to see animals in the wild fighting to establish dominance and eliminate potential predators. But when humans engage in similar behaviour, it raises a host of questions about the nature and implications of violence. Why has our capacity for reason, compassion and empathy been insufficient to circumvent our primal urge to use physical force to cause injury, death or other forms of harm? Why has violence exerted an irresistible hold on the human psyche throughout history? How have cultural practices and language shaped our understanding of violence in terms of either enabling or discouraging violent behaviour? What, if any, circumstances make violence acceptable? What factors cause people to be violent? What can be done by individuals and communities to prevent violence?

This inclusive interdisciplinary meeting starts from the premise that violence is a complex, multi-faceted concept. It can affect anyone personally or professionally, either directly or indirectly. There is scarcely an occupation or practice that has not in some way contributed to the way violence is understood, experienced or addressed in society. Accordingly, the event seeks to provide a space for inclusive inter-disciplinary dialogues that facilitate a better understanding of violence and strategies for dealing with it in our communities with a view to forming a publication to engender further collaboration and discussion.

Consistent with its interdisciplinary ethos, the event proposes to step outside the traditional conference setting and offer opportunities for artists, photographers, practitioners, theorists, independent scholars, academics, performers, writers, and others to intermingle, providing platforms for interdisciplinary interactions that are fruitful and conducive to broadening horizons and sparking future projects, collaborations, and connections.

Sub-Themes

The organisers welcome proposals for presentations, displays, exhibits, round tables, panels, interactive workshops and other activities to stimulate engagement and discussion on any aspect of violence; potential topics for exploration include:

Philosophical perspectives
Violence and the law
Violence in religious/sacred traditions
Psychological and medical perspectives on causes and effects of violence
Strategies for stopping/reducing violent behaviour in individuals or groups
Case studies of perpetrators and victims
Treatment of violence in education curriculum development practices
Economics of violence (munitions business, arms deals, etc.)
Promotion of violence through language and cultural cues
Media coverage of violence
Representations of violence in film, television, video, games, art, literature, mythology, poetry, theatre, music and other creative practices
Weapons and technologies that enable/prevent violence
Activism, grassroots, NGOs
Types of violence
Hate crimes
Mass shootings/bombings
Domestic abuse
Child abuse
Institutional violence
State-sanctioned violence (war, genocide, torture, capital punishment, etc.)
Violence in the workplace
Violence in medical/scientific testing
Violence toward non-humans (animals, the environment)

What to Send

300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation.

Important Dates

Abstract Submission- Friday 22nd February 2019. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chair.

All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.
E-mails should be entitled: Violence Submission.

Panel's decision- Friday 8th March 2019.

Full draft Submission- Friday 31st May 2019.

Early Bird Submission and Discount

Submissions received on or before Friday 18th January 2019 will be eligible for a 10% registration fee discount.

Where to Send

Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:

Teresa Cutler-Broyles: [email protected]

Project Administrator: [email protected]

Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.

Enquiries: [email protected]

Conference Website