New Fascisms and New Resistances. Trajectories and Perspectives in Contemporary Culture (Bergame)
International Conference
"New Fascisms and New Resistances. Trajectories and Perspectives in Contemporary Culture"
University of Bergamo, Italy
22th-23th April 2021
During the last decade, the term ‘fascism’ has increasingly regained prominence within public debates and cultural discourses concerning contemporary society; these debates have focused on its different forms and a wide array of issues: from (1) the extreme right-wing drifting of many political parties worldwide, (2) the re-enactment of the totalitarian ideology of the Thirties and Forties in several, alarming incidents reported by the news, and (3) to the increasing adoption of aggressive and violent rhetoric in public discourse. In dialogue with what Umberto Eco affirmed when establishing that the fascist tendency represents “a synecdoche, that is, a word that could be used for different totalitarian movements”, the reality of daily reports, which grow progressively crueller, contributes to highlighting how “[f]reedom and liberation are an unending task.” (Eco 1997).
On the basis of this awareness, the conference aims to investigate the subject of new fascism(s) and new resistance(s) through a transdisciplinary angle which, by combining different methodologies and approaches, wishes to better examine and acknowledge the complexity of these topics: in this sense, it is relevant how academia should appear as a privileged place to enhance one’s civic, ethical and moral senses. The fact that the University of Bergamo assigned the honorary PhD in Transcultural Studies in Humanities to Senator Liliana Segre in 2019 further stresses the importance that present-day scholars do and should engage in this investigation of new fascism(s) and new resistance(s), particularly, in light of her commitment in educational activity against any form of discrimination.
The conference is addressed to both doctoral candidates and postgraduate researchers of any affiliation or nationality. The organizing committee is looking forward to reading proposals dedicated to – but not limited to – the following issues:
- Contemporary political rhetoric and social media;
- Extreme right-wing political movements in contemporary politics;
- Notions of “fascism/s”, “new fascism/s”, “resistance/s”, and “new resistance/s”;
- Relations between “fascism/s”, “new fascism/s”, “resistance/s”, and “new resistance/s”;
- Dialogue between the present and the past in regard to the notion of fascism/s and resistance/s;
- Fascist ideology and violence in the contemporary world;
- Ecofascism;
- Ways of contrasting new extremist political drifts in globalized society.
To apply to the conference, please send a max. 300-word abstract (in Italian or in English) with a short bio to resistenze2021@gmail.com by 15 December 2020.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 15 January 2021.
The conference will be held preferably in Italian, however contributions in English are also welcome.
Registration fees are not required for conference participation. Unfortunately, travel grants will not be available.