We invite abstracts for essays that address diverse cultural representations of totalitarianism, broadly defined and encompassing a wide variety of historical, geographical, and political contexts. This volume will explore how totalitarian regimes have been propagated, promoted, and resisted culturally through the visual arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, etc.), literature (including resistance writing), and popular culture (music, radio, comic books, theater, films, etc.).
Besides documenting and contextualizing a variety of historical artifacts, the volume will also feature essays on manifestations of totalitarianism – or resistance to totalitarian impulses – in contemporary cultural representations. How are totalitarian and authoritarian aesthetics, symbols, and ideologies appropriated or subverted in current cultural productions? In what ways do contemporary works of art, literature, and media engage with the legacies of totalitarianism, whether as a critique or a form of cultural inheritance?
We encourage essays that engage with these questions across a broad geopolitical spectrum, focusing on both historical and modern intersections of art, politics, and ideology.
Submissions might address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The role of totalitarian aesthetics and symbols in visual arts, architecture, and propaganda
- Resistance literature, including novels, poetry, pamphlets and political writings
- Representations of authoritarianism in popular culture, such as films, comics, and music
- The intersection of nationalism, totalitarianism, and cultural production
- Totalitarianism’s legacies in contemporary art and media, from social media to blockbuster films
- Case studies of particular cultural figures, movements, or artifacts that have either endorsed or challenged authoritarian ideologies
- The ethical and political responsibilities of cultural producers in contexts shaped by authoritarian politics
We welcome submissions that explore these themes through a variety of critical methodologies, including cultural studies, gender studies, history, art history, urban studies, literary analysis, and media studies. The language of the volume will be English.
Abstracts of 300 words can be submitted through March 24, 2025 to ecoda@purdue.edu and jmwilliam@purdue.edu. Please include a full CV with your submission.
Posted by: Hongjian Wang <wang2512@purdue.edu>