Call for Papers

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. This burgeoning of the visual, a “postlinguistic, postsemiotic rediscovery,” as Mitchell describes it, places images 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 East and West, offers a unique perspective on visual culture in a globalized, yet also heavily Americanized, world. Ankara’s rich history and Türkiye’s distinct blend of cultural visuality, including the nonfigurative art of Islam, provide a fitting backdrop for discussions on visual narratives and cross-cultural exchange.

Congress Theme

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.

Key Questions

• How do past or contemporary visual practices inform and influence societies?
• What is the role of digitalization in shaping our perception and experience of imagery?
• How does visuality contribute to and alter meaning-making processes?
• In what ways do ideologies influence the creation and interpretation of visual objects and texts?
• How do visual components enhance literary works and other textual forms?
• How does visuality contribute, shape, and change performance and/or theatrical space?

Suggested Topics

• The text as image, the image as text; i.e., the narrative function of visuality and the image within the text
• Visual storytelling in its various forms (e.g., drawing, painting, television, film, illustrations, graphic novels, comics, video or computer games, social media)
• The interplay of visualities in the performing arts and media
• The aesthetics and politics of visuality
• The impact of digital visual culture in modern society
• Visuality and the concept of visibility as a matter of equality and/or representation in society, politics, culture, and the arts
• Analyses, ideologies, and the ethics of visuality including looking, seeing, making in/visible, showing, or withholding an image
• Policing, or a refusal to regulate, visuality and visibility

Submission Guidelines

We welcome proposals for 20-minute presentations. Submissions are open to academics, early-career researchers, and creative practitioners. Please send submissions as an attached Word document to: congress@iasa-world.org

Submissions MUST include the Author’s:

1) First and last names

2) Institutional affiliation

3) ORCID number

4) Email address

5) Academic disciplines

6) Presentation title

7) 250-300 word abstract

8) 200-250 word biographical note

9) Keywords

Congress Language: English

Important Dates (Updated)

December 15, 2024: Abstract submission deadline

January 17, 2024: Notification of acceptance

February 24, 2025: Registration deadline

March 21, 2025: Final payment deadline for presenters

May 14-16, 2025: Congress

Congress Fee

1) Congress Participation On-Site Fees:

– Tenured Faculty Members (IASA Members) On-Site: 120 EUROS

– Non–tenured Faculty Members and PhD Candidates (IASA Members) On-site: 80 EUROS

– Tenured Faculty (Non-IASA Members) On-site: 160 EUROS

– Non–tenured Faculty Members and PhD Candidates (Non-IASA Members) on site: 100  

   EUROS

2) Congress Participation Online Fees:

– IASA Member Participants: 30 EUROS

– Non-IASA Member Participants: 60 EUROS

3) Congress Participation for IASA Early Career Fellows:

– Online Participation: 20 EUROS

– On-Site Participation: 50 EUROS

The On-Site Congress Fee covers:

– Congress materials

– Coffee breaks

– Congress Participation Certificates

– Administrative costs (including the usage of conference halls, multimedia, and invoicing)

The Online Congress Fee covers:

– Congress Participation Certificate

– Administrative costs (including the usage of conference halls, multimedia, and invoicing)

The Congress Fee does NOT include:

– Transportation

– Accommodation and meals

– Insurance

– Visas

– Gala dinner

– Tours

Publication Opportunity

Review of International American Studies (RIAS), the title of the University of Silesia Press, is the peer-reviewed, electronic/print-on-demand, Open Access journal of the International American Studies Association. Articles must be submitted through the RIAS website: https://www.journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/RIAS  

Post-Congress Tour – May 16-18, 2025

Join us for a two-night tour to the Cappadocia region in Anatolia, 300 kms from Ankara, known for its unique geological formations and historical significance. The tour is contingent upon a minimum of 15 participants.

The Emory Elliott Award at the 12th IASA World Congress

IASA announces a special award to honor the memory of Professor Emory Elliott (1942-2009) in recognition of his contribution to American Studies. He supported an international outlook and encouraged young scholars and professionals both in North America and in other countries around the world, and served for many years on the Executive Council of IASA.

As in the past, the award will be given to an outstanding paper submitted for an IASA conference. It will carry a special citation and an honorarium to help partially recoup the expenses of travel to the IASA conference. The award recipient will present their paper at a special session of the conference. The award-winning paper and up to two other highly commended papers from the competition will be published in the proceedings of the conference, or in other resulting publications in print, or in RIAS: The Review of

International American Studies, which is IASA’s refereed journal.

Eligibility

Keeping in view how Prof. Elliott went out of his way to encourage young scholars and faculty in the early and middle stages of their careers, the eligibility for the award is restricted to junior or mid-level professionals (within 10 years of obtaining their terminal degree) regardless of nationality, academic affiliation, or discipline.

For more details on the Application Procedure, Eligibility, and other particulars of the Award, visit:

https://iasa-world.org/12th-iasa-world-congress-2025 / https://iasa-world.org/award-bylaws/

The Emory Elliott Prize Competition Deadline: January 31, 2025 (Abstract) / March 17, 2025 (Full Paper)

Organized by: International American Studies Association (IASA)

CONGRESS WEBPAGE: https://iasa-world.org/12th-iasa-world-congress-2025

IASA WEBSITE: https://iasa-world.org/

Congress Organizing Committee

Congress Organizer

• Prof. S. Bilge Mutluay Çetintaş, IASA President, Hacettepe University, Türkiye

International Organizing Team (in alphabetical order)

• Dr. Justin Battin, RMIT University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• Prof. Stefan L. Brandt, IASA Executive Director, University of Graz, Austria

• Ms. Mariya Doğan, MA, IASA Secretary, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Prof. Paweł Jędrzejko, RIAS Co-editor, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland

• Prof. Manpreet Kaur Kang, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India

• Prof. Elisabetta Marino, IASA Treasurer, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Italy

• Dr. Nathaniel R. Racine, RIAS Co-Editor, Texas A&M International University, Laredo,

  USA

• Dr. György “George” Tóth, IASA Emerging Scholars Forum Coordinator, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK

• Prof. Gabriela Vargas-Cetina, IASA Vice-President, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán,

  Mexico

• Mr. Ahmad Ishtiaque Tapadar, IASA Media Officer, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha

  University, New Delhi, India

Local Organizing Team (in alphabetical order)

• Prof. Ayça Germen, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Dr. Ezgi İlimen, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Prof. Cem Kılıçarslan, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Prof. Ceylan Özcan, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Dr. Duygu Beste Başer Özcan, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Prof. Merve Özman, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

• Prof. Tanfer Emin Tunç, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye