The Edward James Foundation, West Dean College, Chichester, West Sussex
We are pleased to announce that the 5th International Symposium on Surrealism will be held the weekend of 18-20 June 2010 at West Dean College, near Chichester, England. The theme of this year’s Symposium will be an assessment of Surrealism’s claim to emancipate human desire. In an effort to present and disseminate the most up-to-date research in this field, we are initiating a “Call for Papers” from individuals interested in presenting new scholarship pertaining to issues of sexuality.
Whilst lavish attention has been bestowed upon the broad topic of eroticism, and questions of gender, Surrealist scholars have tended to shy away from the more contentious issue of non-normative sexuality. Breton’s intolerance of homosexuality is well known. But what also demands to be recognised is the very considerable number of queer artists and writers, photographers, and filmmakers who were drawn to Surrealism. It is evident that, particularly as Surrealism moved away from France, it offered a milieu wherein a plurality of desires and identities could be affirmed. The issue of sexuality is relevant to Surrealism’s reception in England, the United States, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and elsewhere. Arguably, also, it is in work engaging a queer sensibility that some of the most radical legacies of Surrealism are to be found. Continuer la lecture de AC/CFP: Querying Surrealism / Queering Surrealism, “Surrealism Laid Bare,” Biennial Conference, 18th-20th June 2010