Call for Papers: Periodicals and Visual Culture (11-13 September 2019, Athens)
8th ESPRit CONFERENCE 2019, ATHENS, GREECE
National Library of Greece
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
11-13 September 2019
PERIODICALS AND VISUAL CULTURE
The subject of the 2019 European Society for Periodical Research (ESPRit) Conference will be the visual culture of periodical literature, viewed in its broadest sense and in a comparative context. This approach is intended to encompass all visual aspects of periodicals, including typography, covers, format, illustration, fine and avant garde art, cartoons, advertising copy, photojournalism, fashion, portraiture, illustrated travel accounts and ethnographic studies, religious imagery, propaganda and all other dimensions of the visual culture of the printed page. Of particular interest are the development and use of new print technologies for the reproduction of images, the juxtapositions or interactions of imagery and text (at the level of the page or the opening, the issue or the series), the evolution of visual tropes/memes (for example in propaganda and advertising), innovation in design, the emergence of new markets, studies of reader reception of and engagement with visual cultures, the formal (legal) or informal (editorial) regulation of the printed image, and the influence of periodical illustration on art and photography more broadly and on the use of imagery in the daily press in particular.
The conference will draw on and enhance the current Greek Press History Workshop (ETMIET)/ Research Centre for Modern Greece (KENI), Panteion University research project on Greek twentieth-century popular print that seeks to establish the first fully-comprehensive archive of periodicals in Greece, in collaboration with the Journalists’ Union of Periodical and Electronic Press (ESPIT), and the National Library of Greece. Further dimensions that arise from the particular Greek experience, and which invite broader international comparative perspectives, include: (a) the relationships between the uses of imagery in the periodical literature of metropoles and diasporas; and (b) an exploration of the methodologies and the political economies of periodicals research, particularly under the current global circumstances of austerity for the Humanities in general.
The Conference theme itself will be illustrated with appropriate exhibitions and pop-up displays, for which a wider audience is also under consideration, including schools, in order to leave a more lasting legacy for the people of Greece.
Proposals for 20-minute papers on any aspect of the visual culture of periodicals, of any period or region, are invited for the 8th Conference of European Society for Periodical Research (ESPRit), which will be held in Athens in September 2019. Accepted proposals will be grouped into broadly congruent thematic panels, normally with three speakers in each.
Subjects may include the following:
- illustrations
- cartoons
- formats
- title and font design
- advertising
- photojournalism
- fashion
- portraiture
- travel accounts
- ethnographic studies
- religious imagery
- propaganda
- the presence of periodicals (production, distribution or consumption) in visual culture more broadly
- and other dimensions of the printed image
- of particular interest are juxtapositions or interactions of imagery and text – either at the level of the page or the opening, the issue or the series.
In addition, we intend to organise specific workshop sessions on Greek periodicals and visual culture, consisting of panels and group proposals relating to, for example, covers, advertisements, layout etc. We also invite proposals for two atelier sessions, one for MA and PhD candidates, the other focused on a regionally-based ‘state of the discipline’ panel.
The conference will draw on and enhance the current Greek Press History Workshop (ETMIET)/ Research Centre for Modern Greece (KENI), Panteion University research project on Greek twentieth-century popular print that seeks to establish the first fully-comprehensive archive of periodicals in Greece, in collaboration with the Journalists’ Union of Periodical and Electronic Press (ESPIT), and the National Library of Greece.
The working language of the conference is English and Greek. We welcome proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers.
Proposals of around 250 words (references not included) for 20-minute papers and a short CV (no more than 200 words) should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 31 March 2019.
We also welcome proposals for joint panels of three papers. Please include a brief rationale for the panel along with an abstract and CV for each presenter.
Updates can be found on the 8th ESPRit Conference website which will soon be available.
Call for proposals: Periodical Studies: the state of the discipline. A plenary panel (Athens, 13 September 2019)
8th ESPRit CONFERENCE 2019, ATHENS, GREECE
National Library of Greece
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
11-13 September 2019
Periodical Studies: the state of the discipline. A plenary panel.
We also invite proposals for a concluding plenary panel to focus on the current ‘state of the discipline’ of periodical studies in a continent where its development has been strikingly uneven. The panel will seek to identify the main current research dynamics driving periodical studies in general, and will consider any obstacles to its further development - such as gaps in collections, higher education priorities, and the need to develop new forms of interdisciplinarity - and ways in which they may be addressed. Proposals that highlight efforts to develop periodical studies in states or regions where, hitherto, little interest has been shown in the field are particularly welcome. The working language of the conference is English and Greek. We welcome proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers.
Proposals of around 250 words (references not included) for 20 minute papers and a short CV (no more than 200 words) should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 31 March 2019.
Call for Applications: 8th ESPRit Postgraduate Workshop on Periodical Studies (Athens, 11 September 2019)
8th ESPRit Postgraduate Workshop on Periodical Studies
National Library of Greece
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
11 September 2019
Applications are invited for a day-long postgraduate workshop on periodical studies in Athens, at the National Library of Greece, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, on 11 September 2019 as part of ESPRit’s Eighth Annual International Conference, ‘Periodicals and Visual Culture’ (Athens, 12-13 September 2019 at the National Library of Greece, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, see the corresponding CFP at http://www.espr-it.eu/).
About ESPRit
The European Society for Periodical Research is an international scholarly organisation that promotes, fosters and disseminates research on all aspects of European periodical cultures from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century. It has a thoroughly interdisciplinary agenda and multilingual approach, and transcends specific thematic interests. Though its emphasis is on European periodical research, it also welcomes research extended to other related cultural areas (the Americas, East Mediterranean, Maghreb, etc.) ESPRit’s core publication, the Journal of European Periodical Studies (http://ojs.ugent.be/jeps), a biannual peer-reviewed online journal, publishes research from a broad range of critical, theoretical and methodological perspectives, including, but not limited to, cultural history, literary studies, art history, gender studies, media studies, history of science, and digital humanities. As the official journal of ESPRit, the Journal of European Periodical Studies offers scholars a forum for sharing their
research and exchanging ideas across disciplinary borders.
About the Workshop
The Workshop is for Masters and PhD candidates. Sessions will focus on: (1) the development or application of innovative research methodologies, (2) the benefits of applying digital humanities approaches to periodical and journalism studies, (3) examples of recent research on visual culture in the periodical press; and (4) papers that explore the many meanings of ‘the popular’ in relation to the periodical press.
Selected candidates will have the opportunity to present their work and may benefit from helpful feedback on their presentations during the sessions. Workshop moderators may include leading periodical scholars. The workshop will offer the opportunity to connect with people who are at a similar stage in their career as well as support and advice from later stage scholars and experts in the field.
Application Process
Please forward the following in English and/or in Greek via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 April 2019:
- a cover letter explaining your reasons for applying to the workshop (max. two pages)
- a brief CV (max. two pages, min. 11 point)
- an abstract of your major research project (max. 500 words)
- a paper on the role of periodical studies in your research (max. 1000 words).
We regret that we are not in a position to offer travel bursaries at this point but the conference fee will be waived for selected participants to the workshop. Participants will be selected by a specific scientific committee with the agreement of the ESPRit Steering Committee. Their decision will be communicated to all applicants by 15 May 2019.
We very much look forward to hearing from you.