Art History Graduate Symposium
Art, Politics, and Social Justice in Times of Crisis

This call for papers invites graduate students in art history, museum studies, art education, and studio arts to share their research in the first annual University of Memphis Art History Graduate Studies Symposium. The intention of this symposium is to invite emerging scholars in the arts to participate in an interdisciplinary discussion that demonstrates the innovative work occurring in their fields. This symposium will be held online via Zoom with the keynote address on Thursday, April 22nd and panel presentations on Friday, April 23rd. The symposium will conclude with a roundtable discussion by local scholars in the fields of arts and social justice.

This year’s symposium invites scholarly papers that examine the role of art in addressing issues related to politics and social justice in times of crisis in the global world from antiquity to the present day. Proposals may address, but are not limited to, the following thematic areas:

· Black Lives Matter
· Plagues and epidemics
· Climate change and environmental injustice
· Revolutions
· Protest and activism
· Globalism and the refugee crisis
· Inequities of class, race, gender, sexuality, and ability
· Colonialist histories
· Propaganda
· Art histories, museums, and race

Proposal Format and Submission
Please submit abstracts of 300 words maximum
Brief CV (2 pages maximum)

Submit proposals by 11:59pm on December 31, 2020 to the symposium coordinators, Rebecca Howard (rmhward2memphis.edu) and Lucienne Auz (ldauzmemphis.edu).

Important Dates
Submission deadline December 31, 2020
Notification of acceptance February 1, 2021
Registration will open: March 1, 2021

Contact Information
All inquiries regarding the symposium can be directed to the symposium coordinators, Rebecca Howard (rmhward2memphis.edu) and Lucienne Auz (ldauzmemphis.edu).