Transcultural Framing(s): Materials and Metaphors
International Conference

Call for Papers

The ubiquity, diversity and dynamics of frames have been studied from
a diverse array of disciplinary angles: during the past decades,
sociologists, philosophers, linguists, art historians as well as
students of literature and media have all contributed to a vibrant and
by now truly interdisciplinary field of research. Yet, to date, very
few studies have examined the role of frames and framing in
transcultural interactions. This conference is designed to fill this
lacuna. It will explore the multiple ways in which material, textual,
rhetorical, conceptual, linguistic, digital, and other framing devices
were mobilized in circulations of objects, images, texts, and ideas
between Asia and Europe since the early modern period.

Focusing on the forms and functions of concrete acts of transcultural
engineering, it will ask questions such as the following:

- To what extent do transcultural frames and framing practices differ
from their intracultural counterparts?
- What role do patterns of mobility and hybridity as well as techniques
of nesting play in the making of transcultural frames and framings?
- What are the specific tools and strategies based on which material
frames and literary devices such as paratexts are constructed?
- What do frames reveal about differing epistemic and aesthetic
assumptions?
- How do epistemic ruptures caused by colonialism or modernity
manifest themselves in genres and practices of framing?

Moving flexibly between frame and framework, object and text, case
study and theoretical reflection, our aim is to probe the extent to
which transcultural perspectives can alter our understanding of frames
and framings.

In addition to invited speakers, which include Paul Duro (University
of Rochester), Miura Atsushi (Tokyo University) and Christine Guth
(Royal College of Art and Design, London), we would like to encourage
applications for a limited number of further contributions. Those
interested in presenting a paper are invited to send a 300 word
abstract accompanied by a half-page résumé (in one document) as an
e-mail attachment to frames.conferenceasia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de.

Proposal deadline: April 15, 2014.
Selected participants will be notified by May 30, 2014.
Travel to Heidelberg and lodging for all accepted speakers will be
covered.
An edited volume documenting the main results of this conference is
anticipated.

The conference is part of the interdisciplinary research project
“Frames and Framings in Transcultural Interactions” conducted within
the Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” at
Heidelberg University. For more information on our research program
and an overview of previous activities, please refer to our website:
http://www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de/en/frames.