In Canto 17 of Dante’s Paradiso, the poet coins the verb infuturarsi: to extend oneself into the future (“s’infutura la tua vita” 17.98). This neologism is a fitting encapsulation of the essential achievement of Dante’s work, a representation of humanity’s unique capacity to reach beyond our immediate circumstances and project ourselves into the imaginary. From the inventive cinematic visions of Alice Guy-Blaché and Georges Méliès to the formal experimentation of the nouveau roman, humanity has always used media as a space to imagine and negotiate new possibilities for life—not only to reflect on what is, but also to envision what could be. Through art, we question and refigure reality, seeking new futures for ourselves and our world.

The Department of French and Italian Graduate Conference Committee at the University of Pittsburgh invites submissions exploring the place of futures in the humanities, conceived broadly, from any and all domains of French and Italian studies. We welcome proposals for paper presentations, panel discussions, video essays, showcases of original public or digital humanities projects, and original creative works within Francophone and Italian/Italian diaspora studies that engage with this theme.

Specific topics might include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Imagined futures, including futures now past

• Utopia and dystopia

• Alternate histories

• Ecofuturity, the changing relationship between humanity and the environment, or between humanity and nature

• Climate fiction and climate change

• Depictions of new forms and orderings of life

• Posthumanism and transhumanism

• Technology and its social and historical effects

• Transformations and manipulations of cultural forms, conventions, and practices, both past and present

• Experimentation and innovation in language and representation

• Emergent media forms, including digital narrative, social media, video games, and interactive fiction

• Artificial intelligence in media and in the discipline

• The role of the digital in art, education, and society

• Virtual reality in theory and practice

• Reconsiderations around identity and its expressions, whether through race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, or otherwise

• Reconceptions of nationality and community, including (but not limited to) considerations of postcolonialism, anticolonialism, decolonialism, transnationalism.

By examining how French and Italian cultures have imagined and depicted the future across various time periods and media forms, this conference seeks to contribute to our understanding of how societies conceptualize change, progress, and new possibilities. 

TIMELINE:

Applicants are required to submit the following to university.of.pitt.gradconf@gmail.com by the 15th of January:

• an abstract and title of approximately 250 words

• 5-9 keywords

• a brief biography of no more than 150 words (per individual, in the case of group panel or creative work submissions)

• contact/personal information, including name, institution, program, level of study, and email

The committee will send out responses by the beginning of February.