Call for Papers Open! Section on Archives of Literature and Art: Virtual Symposium November 2024

The English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton is credited with the well-known phrase, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” This sentiment on the power of literature and art can be found across cultures. Those in the arts are uniquely poised to provide social commentary, to speak truth to power, and to provide an unflinching portrayal of our shared humanity. Literary and artistic archives include archives created by journalists, poets, novelists, painters, sculptors, and other writers and artists, as well as arts organizations, galleries, publishers, editors, and all of those involved in arts creation and dissemination. These archives – like the creators and works they document – are bestowed with a unique and resonant power.     

The International Council on Archives’ Section on Archives of Literature and Art welcomes proposals for a 2024 virtual symposium celebrating and interrogating the power of the arts and cultural archives. 

The Programme Committee encourages proposals on the following themes.       

• The intersection of human rights, archives, and the arts, such as the archives of dissident artists and writers, journalists, and other creatives and arts organizations who have challenged injustice.
• Born digital archives and the unique challenges of preserving and providing access to archives of artists and writers.
• Ensuring the enduring preservation of arts archives during times of political unrest and turmoil.
• Approaches to decolonizing archives with particular focus on arts and cultural archives.
• The role of cultural archives in truth and reconciliation and fostering cultural resilience.

Note: Proposals on other themes related to archives of literature and art will also be considered:   

Session Formats

The symposium will be held online over two days (20 and 21 November) to accommodate various time zones. The conference will take place in English, however, speakers are invited to present in their language of choice, and translation into English will be provided.

You do not need to be a member of ICA to submit a proposal, however, we ask that presenters consider joining the ICA.

Single Paper: Submissions of single presentations, of no more than 15 minutes, are welcome, and will be coordinated into panels by the programme committee.   

Roundtable Talks: These sessions are comprised of 5-6 speakers providing short presentations which are thematically related, and which may include a more informal discussion in response to questions organized in advance by the session moderator.  The moderator is responsible for organizing speakers and distributing questions in advance. Please include the name of the moderator and speakers.   

Panels: Panels are comprised of 3 speakers, each providing a 15 minute talk on a related topic. These sessions are 60 minutes (inclusive of time for questions). These can be pre-arranged between groups (please include an abstract and title for each paper), or submitted individually.  

Symposium Language

The symposium seeks to foster a global exchange of perspectives and ideas. While the symposium will largely take place in English, proposals for presentations in any language are welcome and a limited number of translators will be available to provide live translation into English.

Submission Process

Proposals are due on Sunday, 30 June 2024. Submissions will be reviewed by the Programme Committee starting the first week of July and decisions will be shared by July 31.