In recent years, the concept of “transition” has become one of the most important ideas on the agenda of film and television studies. Transitions seem particularly suitable to evoke a range of political, aesthetic and cultural factors that have shaped contemporary societies. The transitional processes experienced in European and Latin American countries, often marked by radical political changes, bring about a deep series of broad and ambiguous readings that illuminate these historical phenomena. Far from historical determinism, these transitions are reflected in the media through a complex body of subjects, forms of production, exhibition and consumption. Likewise, different film industries have contributed to these processes of change, becoming valuable tools for understanding the political, social and cultural changes experienced during and after the shifts.
At the same time, the so-called digital revolution has brought a growing awareness about media changes, which are indeed very representative of our time. Thus, these technological transitions have stimulated the proliferation of new and fruitful discussions on the possibilities raised by these emerging formats, helped by the Internet. Moreover, a new revisionist movement has emerged in order to account for the impact of technological transitions in media history.
The idea of transition as a place of debate therefore seems particularly appropriate to approach the changes taking place in the history of Hispanic media. At a time determined by the recession as global phenomenon, the study of transitions becomes a fundamental space to consider the failures, breaks and interruptions in Hispanic cinemas in a transnational context.
The themes of this conference are the various expressions and conceptualizations of "transition" in Hispanic cinemas.
Some areas of interest are:
• The transitional political processes from dictatorships to democracies and its filmic expressions
• Contemporary perspectives on transitions. Memory and historical recovery
• Transition and transnationalism. Models of transition and its impact on other nations
• Transitions and technology. The transition from old to new formats
• Recycling media. Adopting and adapting new formats and styles
Presentations should be no longer than 20-25 minutes and may be in Spanish, Portuguese or English. Those interested in participating in the conference should send a title and a communication proposal of 250 words to email@example.com, before April 15th, 2012 . Please send the abstract as an attachment to the e-mail. The file must include the title, name of the presenter (and co-presenters if any), institutional affiliation, contact address, phone and e-mail. Proposals for panels are welcome and must include a title, the names of the participants and a brief summary of both the panel and the individual proposals. The papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in Studies in Hispanic Cinemas.
Submission of the 250-word abstract April 15th, 2012
Acceptance of papers' announcement May 15th, 2012
Besides, the organization will offer the chance to submit the final written version of the paper after the conference. These papers will be published and distributed in a CD with ISBN. The deadline for sending in the final papers is November 20th, 2012