Call for Papers:  

Rendering Violence in Textual and Visual Media 
24-25 April, 2026
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 

Keynote Speakers: 
Seth Kim, Assistant Professor of Cinema Studies, Colby College 
Pedro Inock, Filmmaker and PhD candidate, NOVA University of Lisbon 

Description 
Violence as a bodily and socially imperiling force enjoys a near ubiquitous presence in our fictional and 
nonfictional media, and it comes to us determined with political valence, moral weight, or as evidence of 
structural, as well as internalized, injustices. What we risk losing in our mundane and scholarly 
encounters with violence in texts and media, however, is the possibility that violence and its attendant 
expressions might have more to offer than mere medium of an already comprehended message. Rather 
than reducing violence to metaphor or instrumentalizing it as something to overcome, move past, or 
eradicate, this conference instead investigates the role that violence performs in shaping the aesthetic, 
ethical, political, critical, and conceptual spaces of media production and reception. Through this 
approach, we interrogate the limits and the dimensions of representing violence, paying close attention to 
the discourses, aesthetics and forms that it produces. Some of the key questions that we raise in the 
conference are: What are the methodologies of violence and what epistemes do these not simply serve but 
(im)possibly bring into being; and do distinct expressions of violence vary in their functions regarding the 
categories above, or does a narrative consistency attend all its forms? 
Conference Details 

The Liberal Arts Collective invites graduate students, scholars, and artists to submit abstracts for the 
Rendering Violence in Textual and Visual Media Conference at the Pennsylvania State University on 
April 24-25, 2026. Under the theme of “Rendering Violence,” the conference seeks to explore work that 
engages with the presentation, representation, and deployment of violence in all forms of media (film, 
novels, short stories, graphic novels, television, video, video games, etc.). We invite abstracts that address, 
but are not limited to, the following topics: 

●  Violence as aesthetic or the aesthetics of violence
●  Ethical violence
●  Political violence
●  Identitarian violence (gendered, racial, religious, etc.)
●  Violence as an interrogation of the (forms of) media
●  Historical changes in the (re)presentation of violence
●  Technical changes in the (re)presentation of violence
●  Creative and destructive potentials of violence
●  Visibility and Invisibility of violence
●  Generic Violence (Film: Action, Horror, etc) (Literature: Memoir, Historical Fiction, etc.)
●  Temporalities of Violence

Presentations may include traditional papers as well as creative projects such as video essays, short films, 
or other modes of performance. Creative projects must include a critical/analytical component and still 
require abstracts. 

Abstract Submission 
The deadline for the submission of paper, project, and panel abstracts will be Friday, December 5th, 2025 
at 11:59pm EST. 
The Organizing Committee will respond to potential presenters by Friday, January 16th, 2026 at 5pm 
EST. 

Coffee and pastries will be provided in the morning, and lunch in the afternoon for all attendees on both 
Friday and Saturday. Travel and accommodation information will be provided once abstracts are 
accepted. Should funding allow, we may be able to offer some support to a limited number of graduate 
students in order to defray travel costs. If you wish to be considered for a travel stipend, please include 
this request in your email along with your application materials. We are unable to accommodate requests 
for specific presentation dates and times. 

The Rendering Violence Conference Committee will be accepting two types of submissions: 
●  Individual Paper and Creative Project Submissions: The individual paper and creative
project submission will consist of a 250-word abstract and five keywords. The submission will
have a cover page that consists of name, affiliation, email, and phone number.
●  Pre-organized Panel Submissions: Panel submissions will consist of a document including:
panel title, up to a 500-word abstract, a list of individual presentation titles and abstracts (250
words), and a list of participants (with affiliation and contact information).

Proposed panels will have three to four presenters, or three presenters and a discussant, with a 
recommended 15-20 minute limit per presenter. The inclusion of a chair will not count towards the total 
number of presenters. Diversity within panels in terms of gender, institution, and seniority is encouraged 
but not required. If you are the chair/organizer of the panel, please note that you will become the main 
point of communication between the Organizing Committee and your panel, and you will be responsible 
for relaying information to the members of your panel in a timely fashion. 

All presentations will be in person only. There will be no remote or hybrid presentations. 
Conference registration is free. 
Please submit all abstracts and direct any inquiries to the Liberal Arts Collective at libarts.co@gmail.com.

Contact Emaillibarts.co@gmail.com