Re-creating Palestine: Trauma, Memory and Resistance in the Contemporary Artistic Production in/on Palestine (Bergame)
Re-creating Palestine:
Trauma, Memory and Resistance in the Contemporary Artistic Production in/on Palestine
International Conference
Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures
University of Bergamo (Italy)
21-22 April 2026
Conference organizers
Martina Censi (Università degli Studi di Bergamo – Italy; Cren)
Laurence Denooz (Université de Lorraine – Nancy, France; Crem)
Giuseppe Previtali (Università degli Studi di Bergamo – Italy ; Cren)
Arianna Tondi (Università degli Studi di Bergamo – Italy; Cren; IETT Université Jean Moulin Lyon III)
Elisabeth Vauthier (Université Jean Moulin Lyon III - CEFREPA, France)
Scientific committee
Rana Anani (Institute for Palestine Studies)
Isabelle Bernard (The University of Jordan)
Martina Censi (Università degli Studi di Bergamo)
Giulia Daniele (Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)
Laurence Denooz (Université de Lorraine-Nancy)
Sonja Mejcher-Atassi (American University of Beirut)
Najla Nakhlé-Cerruti (Ifpo/CNRS)
Aldo Nicosia (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro)
Maria Elena Paniconi (Università di Macerata)
Nadia Yaqub (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Elisabeth Vauthier (Université Jean Moulin Lyon III - CEFREPA, France)
Call for papers
ENG
Talking about Palestine, especially in the last two years, recalls a continuous process of destruction, violence and erasure. The indigenous Palestinian population – both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank – is exposed daily to various forms of trauma resulting from illegal practices of occupation, forced transfer, deliberate starvation and attacks on civilians. In the last two years, numerous studies have been devoted to the violence perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian population: some of the terms used to describe it are genocide, ecocide, and scholasticide (Giroux, 2025). However, these events are not recent, but must be interpreted in the context of what, since the 1990s, researchers from various fields have defined as “al-Nakba al-mustamirra” (continuing Nakba, Khoury, 2012), i.e. a repeated and planned process of destruction, illegal occupation and annexation carried out by the State of Israel against the Palestinians.
As a result of the numerous traumas they have suffered since 1948, Palestinians are often portrayed as victims par excellence. This type of representation can be exploited by colonial discourse to objectify individuals and deprive them of their agency. In contrast to this discourse, Palestinians in the occupied territories, and in particular those in the Gaza Strip, are the subject of another type of representation – strongly propagated by Israel and also widespread in Europe and the United States – which portrays them as “terrorists” directly involved in and responsible for violence and therefore legitimate targets of the elimination policies conducted by the State of Israel.
Faced with the polarization of discourse on Palestinians around these two terms – the victim and the terrorist – art, in its many forms and languages, can prove to be a powerful tool for reframing the debate in a more complex perspective, capable of reconnecting individuals with their own history. For Palestinians, both inside and outside Palestine, artistic production can become a real practice of resistance and a strategy for reclaiming history and memory: thus, for example, the artistic practices of displaced Palestinians or those in the diaspora become a means of transmitting history, taking the form of a diasporic object, transportable, but which allows them to maintain a link with their homeland (Mansour, 2017).
Based on these reflections, this international conference aims to explore the central role of culture and art in the reconstruction and regeneration of the social fabric, through a reinterpretation of trauma as a driver of creation and preservation of cultural memory (Erll and Nünning, 2008) and as a form of resistance to the politics of erasure. Art, in its many material and immaterial expressions, leads to a reappropriation of space – geographical and symbolic – and time, through a process of “reorganization” of an unspeakable present (Crone and Mollerup, 2024), constantly disrupted by trauma, but which, through its representation, can be “recreated” and pave the way for a different future.
We encourage papers dealing with the interconnections between trauma, memory and resistance in multiple artistic languages – literature, cinema, theatre, painting, photography, visual arts, sculpture, to name but a few – to highlight the role of art in reinterpreting trauma, making it a source of memory and thus a basis for social change. The focus will be on the artistic production, especially during the 21st century, created by Palestinian artists about Palestine, including those in the diaspora.
The conference ‘Re-creating Palestine’ is part of a series of international conferences dedicated to the response that contemporary artistic practice offers to the multiple traumas affecting contemporary Arab societies. The first conference on Trauma et création artistique. Artistes arabes et dynamiques de résilience took place at the Université de Lorraine - Nancy in April 2025 (https://cercle.univ-lorraine.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2025-Programme-colloque%20Trauma.pdf). The third conference will be held at the Université Jean Moulin Lyon III.
Considering the link between trauma, memory and resistance in artistic practices, some areas of research could be as follows:
• Art as an archive of the present: forms of lifewriting (testimonies, autobiographies, biographies, diaries) expressed through literature and other artistic languages (https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802074567) to rewrite history and preserve cultural memory; alternative forms of dematerialized and itinerant museum experiences, digital archives.
• Art and resistance: art as a strategy of resistance to the logic of violence of the colonial system, to suggest new ways of inhabiting the present; youth artistic practices.
• “Traumartivism”: art as a means of reinterpreting trauma in terms of political activism; forms of collaboration between artists, collective platforms.
ITA
Parlare di Palestina, soprattutto negli ultimi due anni, rinvia a un processo continuo di distruzione, violenza, cancellazione. La popolazione palestinese autoctona – sia nella Striscia di Gaza che in Cisgiordania – è quotidianamente esposta a diverse forme di trauma derivanti da pratiche illegali di occupazione, trasferimento forzato, affamamento volontario e attacchi contro i civili. Negli ultimi due anni, numerosi studi sono stati dedicati alle violenze perpetrate da Israele contro la popolazione palestinese: alcuni dei termini utilizzati per descriverle sono quelli di genocidio, ecocidio, scolasticidio (Giroux, 2025). Tuttavia, questi eventi non sono recenti, ma devono essere interpretati nel contesto di ciò che, a partire dagli anni Novanta, ricercatori afferenti a diversi ambiti definiscono come « al-Nakba al-mustamirra » (Nakba continua, Khoury, 2012), ovvero un processo ripetuto e pianificato di distruzione, occupazione illegale e annessione condotto dallo Stato di Israele contro i palestinesi.
A seguito dei numerosi traumi subiti, dal 1948 ad oggi, i Palestinesi vengono spesso rappresentati come le vittime per eccellenza. Questo tipo di rappresentazione può essere strumentalizzata dal discorso coloniale con l’obiettivo di oggettivare e privare gli individui della propria agency. In contrapposizione a questo discorso, i palestinesi dei territori occupati, e in particolare quelli della Striscia di Gaza, sono oggetto di un altro tipo di rappresentazione – fortemente propagandata da Israele e diffusa anche in Europa e negli Stati Uniti – che li dipinge come «terroristi» direttamente coinvolti e responsabili della violenza e quindi bersagli legittimi delle politiche di eliminazione condotte dallo Stato di Israele.
Di fronte alla polarizzazione del discorso sui palestinesi attorno a questi due termini – di vittima e terrorista – l’arte, nei suoi molteplici linguaggi, può rivelarsi uno strumento potente per ricollocare la riflessione in una prospettiva più complessa, capace di riconnettere gli individui alla propria storia. Per i palestinesi, sia all’interno che all’esterno della Palestina, la produzione artistica può diventare una vera e propria pratica di resistenza e una strategia di riappropriazione della storia e della memoria: così, ad esempio, le pratiche artistiche dei palestinesi sfollati o in diaspora diventano un mezzo di trasmissione della storia, configurandosi come un vero e proprio oggetto diasporico, trasportabile, ma che permette di mantenere un legame con la madrepatria (Mansour, 2017).
Basandosi su queste riflessioni, questo convegno internazionale intende esplorare il ruolo centrale della cultura e dell’arte nella ricostruzione e nella rigenerazione del tessuto sociale, attraverso una reinterpretazione del trauma come motore di creazione e preservazione della memoria culturale (Erll e Nünning 2008) e come forma di resistenza alla politica di cancellazione. L’arte, nelle sue molteplici espressioni materiali e immateriali, porta a una riappropriazione dello spazio – geografico e simbolico – e del tempo, attraverso un lavoro di “riorganizzazione” di un presente a volte indicibile (Crone e Mollerup, 2024), costantemente sconvolto dal trauma, ma che, attraverso la sua rappresentazione, permette di essere «ricreato» e di aprire la strada a un futuro diverso.
Si incoraggiano proposte di interventi sulle interconnessioni tra trauma, memoria e resistenza nei molteplici linguaggi artistici – letteratura, cinema, teatro, pittura, fotografia, arti visive, scultura, solo per citarne alcuni – con l’obiettivo di evidenziare il ruolo dell’arte nella reinterpretazione del trauma, rendendolo fonte di memoria e quindi base per un cambiamento sociale. In particolare, quello di esaminare la produzione artistica, in particolare nel corso del XXI secolo, realizzata da artisti palestinesi sulla Palestina, compresi quelli della diaspora.
Il convegno «Re-creating Palestine» fa parte di una serie di convegni internazionali dedicati alla risposta che la pratica artistica contemporanea offre ai molteplici traumi che coinvolgono le società arabe contemporanee. Il primo convegno su Trauma et création artistique. Artistes arabes et dynamiques de résilience si è svolto all’Université de Lorraine - Nancy nell’aprile 2025 (https://cercle.univ-lorraine.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2025-Programme-colloque%20Trauma.pdf). Il terzo convegno si terrà all’Università Jean Moulin Lyon III.
Considerando il legame tra trauma, memoria e resistenza nella pratica artistica, alcuni filoni di ricerca potrebbero essere i seguenti:
• L’arte come archivio del presente: forme di lifewriting (testimonianze, autobiografie, biografie) espresse attraverso la letteratura e altri linguaggi artistici (https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802074567) per riscrivere la storia e preservare la memoria culturale; forme alternative di esperienze museali dematerializzate e itineranti, archivi digitali.
• Arte e resistenza: l’arte come strategia di resistenza alle logiche di violenza del pensiero coloniale, per suggerire nuovi modi di abitare il presente; pratiche artistiche giovanili.
• “Traumartivismo”: l’arte come mezzo di reinterpretazione del trauma in termini di attivismo politico; forme di collaborazione tra artisti, piattaforme collettive.
FR
Parler de la Palestine, surtout ces deux dernières années, renvoie à un processus continu de destruction, de violence, d’effacement. La population palestinienne autochtone – tant dans la Bande de Gaza qu’en Cisjordanie – est quotidiennement exposée à plusieurs formes de traumatisme qui découlent de pratiques illégales d’occupation, de transfert forcé, d’affamement volontaire et d’attaques contre les civils. Au cours des deux dernières années, de nombreuses études ont été consacrées aux violences perpétrées par Israël contre la population palestinienne : certains des termes utilisés pour les désigner sont ceux de génocide, d’écocide, de scolasticide (Giroux, 2025). Ces violences ne sont pas des évènements récents, mais doivent être interprétés dans le contexte de ce que, depuis les années 1990, plusieurs chercheurs issus de différents domaines ont défini comme « al-Nakba al-mustamirra » (Nakba continue, Khoury, 2012), c’est-à-dire un processus répété et planifié de destruction, d’occupation illégale et d’annexion mené par l’État d’Israël contre les Palestiniens.
Ayant subi et portant les séquelles des nombreux traumatismes subis depuis 1948, les Palestiniens, qu’ils vivent en Palestine, en Israël ou en exil, peuvent être instrumentalisés par la logique coloniale et représentés comme les victimes par excellence, ce qui a pour conséquence de les priver ainsi de leur agentivité et de les désubjectiver. À l’opposé de ce discours, les Palestiniens des territoires occupés, et plus particulièrement ceux de la Bande de Gaza, font l’objet d’une représentation politique et militaire – fortement soutenue et propagée par Israël et diffusée en Europe et aux États-Unis – qui en fait des « terroristes » directement impliqués et responsables de la violence et donc cibles légitimes de politiques d’élimination menées par l’État d’Israël. Face à la polarisation des discours sur la Palestine autour des statuts de victime et de terroriste, l’art, dans ses multiples langages, peut constituer un outil puissant pour replacer la réflexion dans une perspective plus complexe, qui reconnecte les individus à leur histoire et à leur subjectivité. Pour les Palestiniens de l’intérieur comme de l’extérieur, la production artistique peut devenir une véritable pratique de résistance et une stratégie de réappropriation de l’histoire et de la mémoire : ainsi, par exemple, les pratiques artistiques des Palestiniens déplacés ou en exil se font moyen de transmission de l’histoire, se configurant comme un véritable objet diasporique, transportable, mais qui permet de maintenir un lien avec la mère patrie (Mansour, 2017).
En s’appuyant sur ces quelques réflexions, ce colloque international souhaite explorer le rôle central de la culture et de l’art dans la reconstruction et la régénération du tissu social, à travers une réinterprétation du traumatisme comme moteur de création de mémoire culturelle (Erll et Nünning, 2008) et comme forme de résistance à la politique d’effacement. L’art, dans ses multiples expressions matérielles et immatérielles, conduit à une réappropriation de l’espace – géographique et symbolique – et du temps, à travers un travail de « réorganisation » d’un présent parfois indicible (Crone et Mollerup, 2024), constamment bouleversé par le traumatisme, mais qui, à travers sa représentation, permet d’être « recréé » et d’ouvrir la voie à un avenir autre.
Les interventions se focaliseront sur les interconnexions entre traumatisme, mémoire et résistance dans les multiples langages artistiques – littérature, cinéma, théâtre, peinture, photographie, arts visuels, sculpture, pour n’en citer que quelques-uns – dans le but de mettre en évidence le rôle de l’art dans la réinterprétation du traumatisme, en le rendant source de mémoire et donc base d’un changement social. L’objectif est d’examiner la production artistique, en particulier au cours du XXIe siècle, réalisée par des artistes palestiniens sur la Palestine, y compris ceux/celles de la diaspora.
Le colloque international « Re-creating Palestine » s’inscrit dans le cycle de colloques internationaux consacrés aux réponses que la création artistique contemporaine apporte aux multiples traumatismes vécus par les sociétés arabes actuelles. Il vient dans la continuité du colloque Trauma et création artistique. Artistes arabes et dynamiques de résilience qui s’est tenu à l’Université de Lorraine – Nancy en avril 2025 (https://cercle.univ-lorraine.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2025-Programme-colloque%20Trauma.pdf). Un troisième portera sur l’écotraumatisme et aura lieu à l’Université Jean Moulin Lyon III.
Tout en considérant le lien entre traumatisme, mémoire et résistance dans la pratique artistique, plusieurs axes de recherche possibles sont suggérés :
L’art comme archive du présent : formes d’écritures biographiques (témoignages, autobiographies, biographies, journal) exprimées à travers la littérature et d’autres langages artistiques (https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10.3828/9781802074567) pour réécrire l’histoire et préserver la mémoire culturelle ; formes alternatives d’expériences muséales dématérialisées et itinérantes, archives numériques.
Art et résistance : l’art comme forme de remise en question des logiques de violence de la pensée coloniale, pour suggérer des nouveaux modes d’habiter le présent ; pratiques artistiques des jeunes.
« Traumartivisme » : l’art comme moyen de réinterprétation du traumatisme en termes d’activisme politique ; formes de collaboration entre artistes, plateformes collectives.
Suggested Readings
Albeik, S. (2025). Biography of Palestinian Cinema: Limitations of Spaces and Characters. Muʾassasat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya. (in Arabic)
Brehony, L. (2023). Palestinian Music in Exile: Voices of Resistance. AUC Press.
Charif, M. (2022). The Concept of Liberation in Palestinian Critical Culture (1948-1994). Muʾassasat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya. (in Arabic)
Crone, C. & Mollerup, N. G. (2024). From Uncanny to Sensible Pasts: Temporal Reorderings in Syrian Documentaries. History and Anthropology, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2024.2346888
Erll, A. & Nünning, A. (eds) (2008). Cultural Memory Studies. Walter de Gruyter.
Giroux, H. A. (2025). Scholasticide: Waging War on Education from Gaza to the West. Journal of Holy Land and Palestine Studies, 24(1), 1-16.
Jayyusi, L. “Iterability, Cumulativity and Presence: The Relational Figures of Palestinian Memory”, Sa’di, Ahmad H., & Abu-Lughod, Lila (eds.), Nakba: Palestine, 1948 and the Claims of Memory. New York: Columbia University Press, 107–37.
Y. Khajehi (ed.) (2024). Performance et politiques au Moyen-Orient au XXIe siècle : créations, documents et témoignages, Percées, 11, printemps.
Khoury, E. (2012). al-Nakba al-mustamirra (Ongoing Nakba). Majallat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya (MDF), 89, Winter, 37-50. (in Arabic)
Makhoul, B. & Hon, G. (2020). Contemporary Palestinian Art: Origins, Nationalism, Identity. Muʾassasat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya. (in Arabic)
Musallam, A. and Abu Shammaleh A.R. (eds). (2024). Gaza Narrates Its Genocide: Stories and Testimonies. Muʾassasat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya. (in Arabic)
Milich, S. (2025). Understanding political violence in culture: Critical reflections on trauma theory and contemporary Arabic literature. Kervan, 29, 209-242.
Mansour, C. (Director) (2017). Khuyūṭ al-sard (Stitching Palestine) [Film]. Forward Film Production (Lebanon).
Sayigh, R. (2013). On the Exclusion of the Palestinian Nakba from the “Trauma Genre”, Journal of Palestine Studies, 43 (1), 51–60.
Shammout, B. (2020). The Audiovisual Palestinian Heritage, Origin, Dispersion, and Digital Preservation: Preliminary Studies and Future Prospects. Muʾassasat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya. (In Arabic)
al-Zubaydi, Q. (2019). Palestine in the Cinema (2): Memory and Identity. Muʾassasat al-Dirāsāt al-Filasṭīniyya. (In Arabic)
Yaqub, N. (ed.) (2023). Gaza on Screen. Duke University Press.
Submission Guidelines
Please send a max. 200-word abstract (Times New Roman, Font size 12, double-spaced) including your name, email address, institutional affiliation and other contact details to Martina Censi (martina.censi@unibg.it), Laurence Denooz (laurence.denooz@univ-lorraine.fr), and Elisabeth Vauthier (elisabeth.vauthier@univ-lyon3.fr).
Papers in Arabic, English, French, and Italian are accepted.
· Deadline for submission of abstract: 15 January 2026
· Decision about acceptance: 15 February 2026