Illusion is commonly defined as a false idea or belief, often the product of misperception or deception, intentional or otherwise. Its etymological basis in the Latin verb illudere reveals an element of mockery that is evidently lost in the modern connotation of illusion and yet remains, arguably, in that intriguing phase of disillusion that often follows it. How does one distinguish illusion from reality? How do our evolving perceptions of the world around us affect our understanding of self and the human condition? Is disillusion a necessary evil, or an essential part of this understanding as it leads to new possibilities for development and discovery?

This symposium aims to explore the interrelationship between illusion and disillusion in all their various forms and the role they play in the perpetually symbiotic contact between art and human experience.

We welcome submissions from any related fields (e.g. Modern and Classical Languages, Anthropology, Sociology, History, Comparative Literature, Theater, Gender and Women's Studies, Religious Studies, Film Studies, Art History, etc.). We invite abstracts in English of between 200-250 words that touch or enlarge upon possible topics not limited to:

• Migration
• Identity
• Gender
• Tricksters
• Memory and Narrative
• (Pipe)Dreams, Visions or Reveries
• Costumes and Disguise
• Politics
• Propaganda and the Media
• Satire and Parody
• Utopia and Dystopia
• The Supernatural

Papers will be limited to 20 minutes and must be presented in English. In your abstract, please include your name, email address, academic affiliation, and AV requests.

Keynote Spaker: Keynote Speaker: Prof. Russ Castronovo, Jean Wall Bennet Professor of English and American Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Symposium Website: http://frit.lss.wisc.edu/gafis2013/

Please address inquiries and abstracts to Hilary Heffley and Carlo Annelli at gafis2013@gmail.com. Abstracts must be received no later than January 18th, 2013.