Call for Papers

French and Italian Annual Symposium

The University of Texas at Austin

November 13-14, 2025

Theme: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Power

The Department of French and Italian at the University of Texas at Austin invites submissions

for our annual symposium, to be held on November 14th, 2025. This year’s theme, Interdisciplinary

Perspectives on Power, seeks to explore the dynamics of hegemony, oppression, and resistance

across various fields of study.

We follow Stuart Hall's definition of power, bringing together Gramsci, Foucault, and Said’s

perspectives to argue that power takes many forms, from coercion to consent, and “ cannot be

thought of in terms of one group having a monopoly of power [...] It includes the dominant and

the dominated within its circuits.” Power is constrictive yet productive, creating new discourses

as easily as it restricts existing ones. Power is not the sole dominion of oppressive apparatuses, as

Foucault reminds us, “Where there is power, there is resistance.”

For our inaugural symposium, we welcome papers or interventions from a variety of

methodological and theoretical perspectives. As we hope to promote transdisciplinary

conversations, we especially encourage contributions that engage with multiple disciplines or

resist disciplinary convention.

We welcome papers that engage with this theme from a variety of disciplinary angles, including but not limited to:

Social Movements and Activism

Literary Studies

Film and Drama

Linguistics and Language Hegemony

Postcolonialism and Subaltern Studies

Identity Formation and Marginalized Voices

Environmental Humanities and Ecocriticism

Religious Perspectives on Resistance

Pedagogy and Resistance in Education

Visual Arts, Art History, and Art Practices

Creative Writing and Performance-Based Resistance

Feminist and Queer Studies

Submissions may come from any discipline and any time period. Presentations and abstracts

must be submitted in English. We especially encourage papers that draw upon French and Italian

traditions related to these themes. The symposium also welcomes creative presentations,

including short film screenings, end-of-the-day performance presentations, and discussions

involving community activists and educators.

Submission Guidelines:

- Abstract length: 250–500 words

- Languages: Abstracts may be submitted in English, and presentations must be in English

- Deadline for submission: June 11th, 2025

- Notification of acceptance: On a rolling basis

- Presentation format: 15–20 minute presentations, followed by discussion

Please submit your abstract along with a short bio (100 words) to utfritas@gmail.com by June 11th, 2025

For any inquiries, please contact utfritas@gmail.com

We look forward to your submissions and to an engaging symposium!