12th World Congress of the International American Studies Association
Visual Americas Image, Text, Performance
Where: Hacettepe University, Beytepe Campus, Ankara, Türkiye
When: May 14th – May 16th, 2025
Description: As we approach the end of the twenty-first century’s first quarter, we find ourselves in an era that W.J.T. Mitchell famously termed the “pictorial turn”—a period marked by the abundance and explosion of visual imagery. Indeed, the phenomenon is by no means new; our species has always relied on its visual perception, in combination with other senses, creating a hybridity of perception expressed through cultural and artistic products. Visuals and visuality have become the expected and primary end-points of human experience and are key in our interpretation of the world. Moreover, what Mitchell described as a “postlinguistic, postsemiotic rediscovery,” a novel burgeoning of the visual, is placing the image, regardless of the form in which it is created and presented, at the center of our social and cultural interactions.
Recognizing the crucial role of visuality in shaping our everyday experiences, we invite scholars and practitioners to contribute to a vibrant dialogue on the role and impact of visuality in the American context. The congress venue, Ankara, located in Anatolia, a bridge between two continents, offers a distinct blend of cultural visuality. The figurative and nonfigurative art forms of multiple Anatolian civilizations over the centuries provide a fitting backdrop for discussions on visual narratives and cross-cultural exchange.
The congress will delve into the multifaceted aspects of the visual culture of the Americas, exploring how visual narratives, from ancient cave drawings to contemporary digital forms, have evolved and continue to shape our understanding of the Americas and/in the world. It will also investigate how contemporary visual practices, empowered by digital technologies, are redefining the ways we produce, circulate, and contextualize images in the translocal, hemispheric, and transoceanic contexts.
Institution: IASA (International American Studies Association) and Hacettepe University
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