[UPDATE] SHAKESPEARE AND TYRANNY: International Symposium. 16-18 January 2012

NEW DATES & EXTENDED DEADLINE

Work on the reception of Shakespeare under different types of tyrannical government (absolutist, dictatorial, etc.) has reached remarkably similar conclusions as to how that reception came about. Carefully regulated attitudes to, and practices in, Shakespeare criticism, performance, translation and adaptation, and of course the aesthetico-ideological structures of centralized, all-seeing state apparatuses, have been shown to follow analogous patterns and to pursue similar, if often unachievable, goals. The symposium, which is organized by Murcia University’s research team “Shakespeare’s presence in Spain within the framework of his reception in Europe” (https://www.um.es/shakespeare), invites contributions from scholars, translators and theatre practitioners with an interest in the appropriation of Shakespeare’s work in different tyrannical contexts. Among the many topics that might be usefully pursued are:

- The role of censorship and self-censorship in the revision and production of Shakespearean material
- Institutional controls on the dissemination and publication of Shakespeare’s work
- Assumptions and techniques in the staging of Shakespeare’s plays
- State intervention in the elaboration of a Shakespeare ‘canon’
- The role of Shakespeare in the construction of identity under tyranny
- Overcoming the subversion/containment paradigm

If you are interested in taking part in this symposium, please send a brief abstract of the paper you intend to give (250-300 words) and an even briefer biog indicating institution and country of origin, line of work, chief research interests, etc., to shakespeare@um.es. The new deadline for the receipt of abstracts is 31 July 2011.