The English Department and the Laboratory on Approaches to Discourse at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Sfax, Tunisia, organize
The 2nd International Symposium on Media and Cultural Studies (SMCS): Populism and National Identities
on 11-12-13 November 2021
Venue: Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sfax, Tunisia
The symposium is the second interdisciplinary event that aims to bring together scholars from all over the world to share their experiences and research on different areas related to media and cultural studies, with particular attention to populism and national identities. It is an opportunity for researchers at different stages and levels of their academic careers to exchange views and thoughts about recent trends and perspectives from various disciplines on such a controversial topic.
In their seminal book, entitled Populism: Its National Characteristics published in 1969, Ghita Ionesca and Ernest Gellner focus on the complexity of the term in the sense that it is neither a unitary concept nor related to similar contexts. For example, they point out that the term, used in English (populism), Spanish (populismo), and French (populisme), is not synonymous with the Russian word Narodnichestvo. One of the questions they raise is on the nature and scope of the concept, wondering whether it is “primarily an ideology (or ideologies) or a movement (or movements) or both;” they suggest that the term is a kind of “recurring mentality appearing in different historical and geographic contexts as the result of a special social situation faced by societies in which, as the French sociologist, Alain Touraine, described it, the middle social factors were either missing or too weak” (Ionesca and Gellner 3).
The implication is that populism could have different shapes at different periods of time. Such an argument is reinforced by Cas Mudde and Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser in their book entitled Populism: A Very Short Introduction, published in 2017. In their view, populism, one of “the main political buzzwords of the 21st century,” is used “to describe left-wing presidents in Latin America, right-wing challenger parties in Europe, and both left-wing and right-wing presidential candidates in the United States” (Mudde and Kaltwasser 1).
Thus, populism has become more and more controversial, calling for further research, which is the main purpose of the symposium. The intention is to shed more light on the topic in order to gain a better understanding of its nature and scope, as well as related issues, from various angles and perspectives. Proposals for sessions or individual papers pertaining to the following themes and areas are welcome, but any other suggested issues that match with the main theme of the symposium will be appreciated.
Populism and Nationalism Populism and Democratic Regimes Populism and Discourse Populism and Radicalism Immigration and the DiasporaAbstracts for panels or individual papers of no more than 250 words, with the name of the participant, institutional affiliation, and email address, along with a 100-word biography, should be sent no later than 1st July 2021. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 15th August 2021.
A selection of papers will be published following the event after blind-peer review by the scientific committee.
Coordinators: Sadok Damak and Fathi Bourmeche
Scientific Committee: Prof. Henda Ammar (University of Sfax); Dr. Nadia Abid (University of Sfax); Dr. Mohamed Agrebi (University of Sfax); Dr. Mohamed Chabchoub (University of Sfax); Prof. John Champagne (Penn State University); Dr. Isadora Dullaert (University of Edinburgh); Prof. Mounir Guirat (University of Sfax); Dr. Andi Haxhiu (University of Edinburgh); Dr. Sofiene Mallouli (University of Sfax); Dr. Laurence Michalak (University of California/Berkeley); Dr. Asma Moalla (University of Sfax); Prof. Valentina Pricopie (Institute of Sociology/Romanian Academy); Prof. Rachele Raus (University of Turin); Prof. Akila Sellami-Baklouti (University of Sfax); Prof. Chokri Smaoui (University of Sfax); Prof. Mounir Triki (University of Sfax)
Two international guest speakers are expected to take part in the symposium (TBA).
Registration fees
- Tunisian scholars: 100 TND
- International scholars: 100 USD/Euros
- Ph.D. students: 50 TND/Euros
NB: Abstracts should be sent to the following email address no later than 1st July 2021: smcs2021flshs@gmail.com