seen on the Classicists list (extended deadline)
Conference: Call for Papers
The Reception of Greek and Roman Culture in East Asia:
Texts & Artefacts, Institutions & Practices
Thursday, 4 July 2013 – Saturday, 6 July 2013
Venue: Freie Universität Berlin
Over the past decade, scholars have examined the reception of the ancient
Greek and Roman cultures around the globe. This has been done by analyzing
the role of ancient Mediterranean culture in a variety of cultural
instances; for example post-antique texts and images, ideology and
institutions, as well as rituals and practices. The research has been
wide-ranging, including examinations, for instance, of Greek tragedy in
20th-century African theatre and Latin poetry in colonial Mexico. Still
there has not yet been a project dedicated solely to the reception of Greece
and Rome in East Asia, despite tantalizing clues concerning the wealth of
material available for investigation: from the Isopo Monogatari (伊曾保物
語), a 16th-century Japanese edition of Aesop’s Fables, to a theatrical
season in Beijing in July 2012 directed by the famed Li Liuyi that included
both Sophocles’ Antigone (安提戈涅) and the Tibetan epic King Gesar (格萨尔王).
This conference will explore the reception(s) of Greek and Roman culture in
East Asia from antiquity to the present. In particular, we are interested in
the question of how and why ancient Greek and Roman texts, images, and
material cultures and the knowledge and ideas contained within them have
been adapted and refigured in East Asian texts, imagery, and cultural
artefacts. We are also, however, eager for papers on the teaching of Greek
and Latin in schools and the history of ancient studies at universities as
well as other institutions. In addition, we welcome papers on historical
examples of intercultural contact from the early precursors of the Silk Road
to the arrival of Jesuit missionaries; as well as on the impact of ancient
beliefs and ideas on cultural practices in East Asia including, for example,
religious communities of recent origin which incorporate ancient gods and
heroes. The conference will seek to further the dialogue of Reception
Studies to include not only past and present but also “East” and “West.”
The ever-growing complexity of the relationship (economically, politically,
and culturally) between East Asia and the “West” makes the study of the
reception of Greco-Roman antiquity in East Asian cultures particularly
relevant and timely. Since “Western” culture’s self-conception begins in
Europe with ancient Greece and ancient Rome, the reception of ancient
Greco-Roman cultures in East Asia provides an excellent point of reference
for current intercultural and interdisciplinary dialogues in an increasingly
globalizing world. This conference aims to explore this point of reference
by bringing together an international and interdisciplinary group of
scholars and practitioners (performing artists, writers, visual artists, and
those working in theatres and museums) to analyze the many diverse aspects
of the reception of Greek and Roman culture in East Asia.
We invite papers from a variety of disciplines, especially: • Ancient and
Modern History and Philology; • Literary Studies, Cultural Studies,
Religious Studies; • Theatre, Film and Media Studies, Art History; •
Philosophy, Theology, and Political Science.
In addition to papers from scholars, we welcome contributions by those
working in the arts and cultural sector. Papers are expected to be 20-25
minutes in length with 5-10 minutes for questions immediately following. The
conference will be held in English. We aim to publish selected papers from
the conference in an anthology.
To be considered, please submit a proposal of no more than 300 words and a
biography of no more than 50 words to the below email address by 15 February
2013 (Please note extended deadline). Please note that text in non-Latin
script should be accompanied by a transliteration alongside in the body of
the proposal. Any further questions can be directed to the following email
address: greeceandromeinasia AT gmail.com.
We are looking forward to an inspiring conference and lively discussion!
Almut-Barbara Renger (Freie Universität Berlin) & Katie Billotte
rogueclassicism 