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LIEU : Split, CroatieDATE: 17-19 septembre 2015DEADLINE: 15 avril 2015Crossroads: East and West / Cultural contacts, transfers andinterchanges between East and West in the Mediterranean2nd International conference for PhD Students, Split, CroatiaThe theme of the conference addresses regions of Europe and Middle Eastwhich, in Classical Antiquity, made part of both “East” and “West”.Exoticism has been a fundamental part of western perception of “East”from the time of Herodot who in the Histories, for example, depictsScythians as bloodthirsty barbarians. This ambivalent relation towardsforeign and exotic nations has persisted from the Classical Antiquitythroughout Renaissance well into the Modern era.The East-West dichotomy can be recognized in cultural influencesbetween East and West through studying interdependence of East and Westin the Mediterranean, as well as through their standoffs in the historyof art practices. The conference will deal with cultural contacts,exchange, relocations and social trends that enabled creation ofcomplex concepts and idea-networks throughout history. The symposiumalso questions the ways in which “West” has exoticised “East” as wellas the ways in which “East” has perceived “West”, through the prism ofpostcolonial and cultural translation theories.The international conference is intended for PhD students and recentPhD graduates from different fields of humanities and social sciences,who are hereby invited to participate.The proposed topics for interdisciplinary discussions are:Orientalism in European art and culture• Europe and Byzantium: Ex Oriente lux et luxus• Venice and Constantinople: competition, emulation and/or imitation,mythography• Europe and Ottoman Empire in early Modern Age: between exoticism anddemonization• Orient in culture and art of European Romanticism: images and myth ofOrient (fine arts, archaeology, literature, philosophy and music)• The Middle East in European paintings, prints, book illustrations andcrafts from Romanticism to the beginning of 20th century• Oriental forms in 19th and 20th century western architecture• European travellers and artists in the East: exchange of ideas,concepts and art practices• Curating and exhibiting art from Eastern EuropeMeeting points: intersections, syncretisms, conflicts between East andWest in the Balkans• Byzantine Empire and foundations of regional art centres in theBalkans since Late Antiquity until the end of the Middle Ages• Struggle for ecclesiastical supremacy between Rome and Constantinople– interactions between Orthodox and Catholic Christianity, influence onarts, visual expression and iconography• Venice and the Balkans in the late Middle Ages and the early ModernAge: conflicts, coexistence, cultural and artistic dialogue• Ottoman invasion of the Balkans: impact on culture and art, Ottomandiscourse, establishment of transcultural forms in contact regions,assimilations and cultural hybrids• The twilight of political and cultural powers (Ottoman Empire,Habsburg Monarchy, Venetian Republic) and creation of new nationalstates: art as reflection of political and national interests(nationalization and ideologization of art)• The image of Turks in the art and culture of the Western Balkans andCentral Europe (visual, historical, literal, ethnographic andcultural-anthropological aspect)East and West in the age of globalization• Ideologies, ideological discourses, mythologemes and their artisticrepresentations and functions• Western stereotypes of Middle Eastern culture and arts: theirgenesis, influences and transformations• Artistic concepts and theories of art• Contemporary artistic and architectural trends: elements oftradition, modern and global• Contemporary perception of Islam in art: historical, political,religious, cultural; artist-audience interaction• Contemporary art practices, literature, cinematography and popularculture: East-West encounters, coexistence and antagonismsAbstracts in English of maximum 400 words should be sent, with thetitle of the paper, name and contact information (address, phonenumber, e-mail) until 15th of April 2015 by e-mail tophdconference2015@gmail.com or sent by post to Art History ModuleFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split, Hrvojeva 8, 21000Split, CROATIA (with the note "Conference for PhD students").For further information about the conference and the application pleasevisit:http://phdconference2014.wix.com/dmr-ljubljana