The editorial board of the book series, European Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies (Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter) calls for contributions to the ninth volume.

At War: The Avant-Garde and Modernism in Times of Conflict.
Deadline: 15 November 2024.

Conflict and destruction have been the substrate of the avant-gardes. On the one hand, a guiding principle of avant-garde and modernist thought and practice throughout the twentieth century and beyond has been to build and create on the ruins of the past. The term avant-garde—“advance guard” or “vanguard”—suggests military language and contexts related to violence, demolition, rebellion, and revolution. Accounts of the historical avant-gardes as artistic and ideological formations accordingly often emphasise not only the destructive potential of certain ideas but also the underlying sense of conflict: the turn against tradition, the revolt against stagnant categories, and the constant attempts to transgress, often violently, established boundaries in art. On the other hand, the projects of the avant-garde and modernism have also been decisively shaped by physical warfare and bloodshed—be it world wars, cold war, civil wars, terror, revolutions, totalitarianism, occupation, or liberation struggles—so much so that some scholars see these events, especially the destructive power of the war machine, as the “tragic defeat of modernity.” Yet the relationship of the avant-gardes and modernism to war is far from straightforward. Our models of avant-garde and modernist practices up until the present day should not be limited to the self-image of the avant-gardes as revolutionaries, rebels and demolitionists; neither should they privilege an uncomplicated opposition to or criticism of violence and conflict. Wars have also ushered in new beginnings, offering opportunities for avant-gardes and modernists to further their missions, or prompting them to re-appraise and adapt to changed circumstances. How, then, do the avant-gardes inhabit war—and how does war inhabit the avant-gardes?

The ninth volume of the EAM book series will address the myriad ways in which the avant-garde and modernism in Europe relate to war. The editors invite innovative and freshly researched proposals for creative and critical presentations that frame and re-frame our thinking about avant-gardism/modernism and war, across all areas of artistic activity.

We invite proposals for contributions of 6000 words in English, German or French. Potential authors should first submit an abstract (max. 700 words) of their proposal, as well as details of their institutional affiliation and biography (max. 200 words) and a list of no more than ten recent and relevant publications. Abstracts must be sent by 15 November 2024 and will not be accepted after this date. The editorial team will reply to proposals by 15 January 2025. The deadline for finished contributions will be 15 June 2025. Abstracts by non-members of EAM and Ph.D. students will be considered. Authors writing in a second language are strongly advised to have their texts proofread by a native speaker before submission.

Please send your abstracts in MS Word format to the following address: EAMvolume9gmail.com