International Conference for PhD Students and Young Researchers
UNIVERSITY OF CAGLIARI
6-7 OCTOBER 2026
«Maligno animo et lingua detractoria»:
the Art of Slander from Antiquity to the Contemporary Age

In the context of the PhD Programme in Philological and Literary, Historical and Cultural Studies of the University of Cagliari, the Department of Humanities, Languages and Cultural Heritage is hosting the International Conference for PhD Students and Young Researchers Maligno animo et lingua detractoria»: the Art of Slander from Antiquity to the Contemporary Age. The conference aims to stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue between PhD students and young researchers in the humanities from Italian and foreign universities, in keeping with the international profile of Cagliari’s Doctoral Program and its Academic Board. The art of slander (maldicenza), rooted in the realm of polemical writing, pervades the history of literary production, resurfacing periodically and manifesting in a multiplicity of expressive forms. These range from codified forms traceable to controversiae—ascribable to the genus
demonstrativum—and invective, to freer, hybrid expressions that resist taxonomic systematization. The conference intends to explore the concept of slander in a broad sense: as an expressive form that redefines the boundaries of literary space. Within this space, polemical conflict is configured as a mode of intellectual confrontation and/or clash, manifesting sometimes as an opportunity for dialogue between opposing positions, and at other times as a mere stylistic exercise. Through the presentation of methodologies and case studies from the various fields constituting the Cagliari Doctoral Program, the initiative aims to create a fruitful exchange of ideas and promote constructive dialogue. We invite contributions that reflect on the ways in which slander has represented—in ancient, modern, and contemporary literatures—a powerful instrument for persuading the audience, deriding enemies and reflecting on society.
The following lines of research are suggested as non-binding guidelines:

Genres and forms of slander

• Invective, vituperatio and ad personam attacks in different literary traditions: strategies of denigration, construction of the polemical target, and management of address and audience.
• Enunciative ambiguity, parody and the subversion of codes: disguised invective (including in encomiastic forms) and the ironic or deforming use of eulogistic registers.
• Derision, mockery and aggressive comedy in satirical and comic genres: spanning verbal violence, scurrility (turpiloquio), caricature and rhetorical-stylistic deformation.
• Tensons, poetic contests and forms of literary agonism: rhetorical competitions and spaces for stylistic experimentation. Social and political uses of slander
• Slander and persuasion in political and forensic oratory: construction of the speaker’s ethos, delegitimization of the adversary and orientation of the audience.
• Calumny, infamy and defamation as forms of social control and public sanction: the destruction of reputation and dynamics of honor and shame in communities founded on collective judgment.
• Slander and power: literary polemics, historiographical rereadings and practices of political legitimation, with attention also to colonial and post-colonial contexts.
• Slander and curses: the performative as well as magical-ritual dimension of the word, from ancient defixiones to writings conceived to propitiate misfortune upon an enemy through the force of language.
• Women’s writing and slander as a space for unveiling, criticism and vindication: construction of discursive authority and the articulation of alternative positions.

Comparative perspectives

• Comparative and intercultural perspectives, including non-European traditions (e.g., Ancient Indian literature), investigating cultural convergences, divergences, and specificities in practices of denigration and verbal conflict.
• Genealogies and rewritings of polemics: the persistence of classical models, theological and doctrinal disputes, rhetorical awareness of invective, and forms of literary modernity.
• Lateral or non-canonical texts, genres and practices: peripheral spaces, historically marginalized subjectivities and archival documents.

Authors are encouraged to propose reflections on the theme declined in their research areas, offering specific case studies that promote comparison, shared reflection, and exchange among peers about the methodologies used. The conference will cover the following areas: Classical Philology, Germanic Philology, Romance Philology, Early Christian Literature, Greek Language and Literature, Latin Language and Literature, Sanskrit Language and Literature, Greek History, Comparative Literature, Anglo-American Literature, French Literature, English Literature, Italian Literature, Contemporary Italian Literature, Spanish Literature, German Literature, Spanish-
American Literature and Languages, Slavic Studies, Theatre and Performance Studies.

Date and Venue of the Conference

The conference will be held in person on 6-7 october 2026 at the Department of Humanities, Languages and Cultural Heritage of the University of Cagliari (Campus Sa Duchessa, Via Is Mirrionis 1, 09123 Cagliari CA) and, at the same time, in telematic mode through the MS Teams platform.

Submission of Proposals

Proposals from PhD Students and Young Researchers should be sent to convegnomaldicenza@gmail.com by 30 June 2026. The exceptional participation of Master’s graduates will also be evaluated. The file (in .pdf format) must contain an abstract (maximum 500 words), a reference bibliography and a brief biographical note on the author. The Scientific Committee will evaluate the proposals and announce their selection by 31 July 2026. Presentations (preferably in English or Italian) will last 20 minutes and be framed within thematic panels. Selected speakers will be required to present in person, but participation in telematic mode will be evaluated based on the proven needs communicated when sending the proposal.

Publication of the Proceedings
The conference proceedings are scheduled to be published in a collected volume.

Organising Committee
PhD Students: Carmen Ammendola (carmen.ammendola@unica.it), Pier Luigi Di Cunzolo
(pierluigi.dicunzolo@unica.it) and Luca Melis (luca.melis4@unica.it)

Scientific Committee
Profs. Alessandro Achilli, Riccardo Badini, Francesco Cotticelli, Donato De Gianni, Maria Grazia
Dongu, Jürgen Hammerstaedt, Fiorenzo Iuliano, Stefania Lucamante, Giulia Murgia,
Mauro Pala, Francesca Piccioni, Antonio Piras, Elisabetta Poddighe, Tiziana Pontillo, Roberto
Puggioni, Patrizia Serra, Valentina Serra, Veronka Szőke, Fabio Vasarri.
Phd Students. Carmen Ammendola, Pier Luigi di Cunzolo, Luca Melis.