International Interdisciplinary Scientific Conference titled "Culture of Inclusion versus Culture of Exclusion. The Work – The Function. The Creator – The Recipient" will be held in Cracow from December 4–6, 2025. The issue raised in the conference title is intended to spark a broad discussion on the concept of exclusion culture or cancel culture, which has recently become prevalent in the humanities. The deadline for submission of proposals is May 1.
The opposite concept of inclusion can be understood as an attitude of openness and acceptance of artistic phenomena, regardless of aesthetic preferences, education level, or beliefs. The organizers encourage reflection on the artwork and its function in culture, as well as on the role of the creator in confrontation with the contemporary recipient, with particular attention to aspects of inclusion and exclusion in art, such as:
- Theoretical – regarding compositional, visual, and theatrical techniques, the creative material, forms, and genres;
- Aesthetic – addressing stylistic transformations, movements, trends, and prevailing aesthetic criteria;
- Ultracontemporary – considering contemporary "hyper-inclusionary" tendencies in art: combining various styles and media, mixing different forms of expression, engaging various senses, integrating art with ideological messages and technology, as well as creating fully immersive experiences for recipients (trans-avantgardism, polystylistics, polysensory experiences, activism, objectophonicity, immersivity, virtuality, audiality, transaudiality, etc.);
- Evaluative – the preferences of recipients, as well as those of artists and performers;
- Identity-related – issues of self-exclusion, alienation, the feeling of a lack of belonging, or artistic identity.
Because the semantic nature of music remains ambiguous and non-literal, it readily enters into relationships with other cultural artifacts: literary texts, theater, film, visual arts, performance, as well as with philosophy and aesthetics of art. Music is thus particularly predisposed to play a mediating role in relationships between the arts, acting as a center for interdisciplinary inclusion processes.
The organizers invite researchers to present papers in a broad interdisciplinary context, combining fields such as music theory/musicology, media studies, film studies, performance studies, cultural studies, literary studies, sociology, visual arts, and theater arts. The conference language will be English.
Abstracts for 20-minute presentations in English should be submitted to
1. A proposal containing only the title of the paper and the abstract (300 words). This file should not contain any identifying information.
2. A short document containing the following details: author’s name, affiliation, a brief biography (100 words), paper title, keywords, and any audiovisual equipment requirements.
All abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee, and authors will be notified of acceptance by May 30, 2025. Decisions will be sent via email, along with registration information.
Selected papers will be included in the planned post-conference publication.
Conference Fees:
- Academics and non-affiliated participants: 190 EUR (full fee)
- Doctoral students: 80 EUR (50% discount)
The fee does not cover travel and accommodation costs. The organizers offer assistance with booking affordable accommodations in Cracow. Participants representing the organizing institutions will be eligible for an 80% discount on the conference fee.
Program Committee:
- Iwona Sowińska-Fruhtrunk (AMKP, project manager)
- Prof. Małgorzata Janicka-Słysz,
- Prof. Agnieszka Draus,
- Dr. Andrzej Mądro
- Dr. Marcin Strzelecki
- Prof. Agata Kwiatkowska-Lubańska
- Dr. Olga Katafiasz
- Dr. Ksenia Olkusz (Facta Ficta)
Organizers:
Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow, JanMatejko Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, Stnisław Wyspiański Academy of Theater Arts in Cracow, Facta Ficta Research Center.
Additional information: https://www.amuz.krakow.pl/konferencja-uncancel-culture/
