Announcements
CALL OF PAPER – DIFFERENCE, DIASPORA, AND THE NATION: THE POLITICS AND AESTHETICS OF MINORITARIAN PERFORMANCE IN 20th AND 21st CENTURY ITALY
7-8 February 2025
A two-day hybrid conference organized by the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Performance and Politics, Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage, University of Milan, Italy
Italy has long been home to rich and varied performance cultures. The live and digital performances created by its minoritarian cultural producers have served as a vibrant site for the negotiations of the politics of belonging, offering alternative personal and historical narratives regarding the self and the nation and developing new visions of the future. Often overshadowed by Italy’s powerful mainstream theatre, opera, film, and performance art scenes, these aesthetically innovative and politically significant performance worlds have failed to receive the level of scholarly attention they deserve. This conference addresses this gap by placing particular emphasis on performance’s capacity to intervene in politics—not only in the name of liberatory or progressive goals but across the political spectrum.
The conference will consider research papers addressing the role of theatre, dance, music, performance art, spoken word, and video art in building or challenging communities and fostering critical understandings of self, community, and nation at the margins in Italy. Possible themes include, but are not limited to:
- Staging the Nation
- Intersectional Perspectives on the Performance of Social Identities
- Performances of Gender and Sexuality
- Diasporic Performance: Memory, Heritage, and Cultural Transmission
- Performing Citizenship
- Community Building Through Performance
- Minoritarian Utopianism in Performance
The online day of the conference will be held on February 7 using Microsoft Teams. The in-person day will be held on February 8 at the University of Milan’s main campus Via Festa del Perdono 7, Ca’ Granda, Room 109. The conference will be conducted in English.
Submission Guidelines:
We welcome proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines—including but not limited to theatre and performance studies, dance, music, art history, visual and media studies, cultural and diaspora studies, anthropology, sociology and political science—and at all stages of their career.
Abstracts of between 200 and 250 words, along with a brief bio of no more than 100 words should be submitted to daniel.dilliplane@unimi.it by January 1, 2025. Please include “Difference, Diaspora, and the Nation” in the subject line of your email. Proposals should be written in English. Please also indicate whether you intend to participate online or in-person. Each participant will have 20 minutes for their presentation. Notification of acceptance will be sent by January 10, 2024.
The conference committee is planning to publish a special issue in a leading journal comprised of selected papers from the conference.
There is no fee for participation. The conference is supported by the Cariplo Foundation as part of the project “Negotiating Abjection: Performance and Politics among Turkey’s Diasporas in Lombardy,” Grant no. 2022-3538, PI Dr. Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay.
Please contact Dr. Christina Banalopoulou at christina.banalopoulou@unimi.it with any questions.
We look forward to your contributions and to an engaging and enriching conference.
Kadir Has University Faculty of Communication
BA, MA and PhD Student
BA and MA Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships
in the ERC-funded project
Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas
Application deadline: September 23, 2022
Start date: October 1, 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter
Duration: 12 months, subject to renewal for up to 24 months (max.) for BA and MA students; for up to 36 months (max.) for BA and MA graduates, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows
About the project
Conducted at Kadir Has University, Faculty of Communication under the direction of Dr. Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay, Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas (STAGING-ABJECTION) is a five-year research project funded by the European Research Council’s (ERC) Starting Grants Program with a 1.5 million Euro grant.
Combining the transdisciplinary approach of performance studies with a rigorous research program, the project aims to be one of the most comprehensive critical studies on minoritarian theatre practices in Turkey and its diasporas, and put Turkey on the map of global theatre studies.
The project offers research positions for BA, MA, and PhD students, BA and MA graduates, and postdoctoral fellows, beginning October 1, 2022.
Further information on the project is available at https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/852216 Website of the project: https://stagingabjection.com/
Eligibility
-
There are multiple positions available at each level in four categories and candidates may propose any topic related to the project. However, we also invite applicants specifically for:
1. Postdoctoral positions: At least one researcher working on Jewish theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Israel and Europe; at least one researcher working on Armenian theatre and/or theatre productions involving Armenians after 1915.
2. MA and PhD student positions: At least one student researcher working on Jewish theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Israel and Europe; at least one student researcher working on queer theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Europe; at least one researcher working on Armenian theatre and/or theatre productions involving Armenians after 1915.
3. MA and BA graduate positions: At least one researcher who will provide archival research support to the project, especially in the field of Ottoman Turkish documents and texts, or conduct ethnographic research on a subject related to the project, and produce public outreach outputs.
4. BA student positions: At least one student researcher who will provide support to the project in the fields of visual design, social media communication, activity organization, academic research, and produce public outreach outputs.
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The candidates applying for MA and PhD student and Postdoctoral positions are expected to present an original research proposal on a subject related to the project in their cover letter. The positions listed in the Categories 3 and 4 do not require a research proposal.
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Not all positions may be filled.
Main duties
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Conducting archival and ethnographic research on a specific topic relevant to the project (for all categories)
-
Contributing to the project’s public outreach program (for all categories)
-
Supporting the overall development of the project (for all categories)
-
Publishing articles in top-ranking international journals (for Categories 1 and 2)
-
Presenting research findings at selective academic conferences (for Categories 1 and 2)
Qualifications
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Proven academic excellence and dedication to academic research
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Excellent proficiency in English
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For Categories 1 and 2, proficiency in the specific language required by the applicant’s proposed research project (such as Armenian, Judeo-Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, Kurdish, German, French, Ottoman Turkish)
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Ability to work both in a team environment and independently
Benefits
-
Postdoctoral positions: The post-doctoral fellows will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 36 months.
They will receive a full-time monthly net stipend of 10.500 TL* with social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. All postdoctoral fellows working full-time on the project will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 4000 TL from Kadir Has University. -
PhD student positions: The PhD student researchers will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 36 months. They will work .75 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 8.000 TL* with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. If the student is enrolled in a PhD program at Kadir Has University, they will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 3000 TL.
-
MA graduate positions: The researchers with MA degrees will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 36 months. They will work full-time and receive a monthly net stipend of 8.500 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget.
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MA student positions: The MA student researchers will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 24 months. They will work .75 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 6.000 TL* with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. If the student is enrolled in an MA program at Kadir Has University, they will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 2000 TL.
-
BA graduate positions: Researchers with BA degrees will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 36 months. They will work full-time and receive a monthly net stipend of 7.500 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget.
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BA student positions: The BA student researchers will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 24 months.
They will work .30 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 1.650 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. If the student is enrolled in a BA program at Kadir Has University, they will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 500 TL.
*For legal reasons, the stipends of the researchers have to conform to the salary and scholarship scales determined by TÜBİTAK. The researchers working on the project will receive a raise whenever TÜBİTAK gives a raise.
Application Requirements
For MA and PhD Students and Postdoctoral Researchers (Categories 1 and 2)
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Cover letter in English describing the candidates’ academic experience and qualifications, and presenting an original research proposal on a subject related to the ERC project
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Curriculum Vitae
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One writing sample in English
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Three confidential letters of reference (at least two should be academic, one letter may be professional), to be sent directly to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr Application Requirements
For Researchers with BA and MA Degrees (Category 3)
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Cover letter in English describing the candidates’ academic experience and qualifications, and explaining why they would like to join the ERC team
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Curriculum Vitae
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Three confidential letters of reference (at least two should be academic, one letter may be professional), to be sent directly to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr Application Requirements
For BA Student Researchers (Category 4)
- Cover letter in English describing the candidates’ academic experience and qualifications and explaining why they would like to join the ERC team
-
Curriculum Vitae
-
Portfolio
- Two confidential letters of reference (at least one should be academic, one letter may be professional), to be sent directly to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr
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Please send all requested materials (except for the letters of reference) electronically in a single PDF file to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr by September 23, 2022. All letters of reference should also arrive by the same deadline. Zoom interviews with selected candidates will be on September 25 and 26, 2022.
Kadir Has University Faculty of Communication
MA, PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowships in the ERC-funded project Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas
Application deadline: May 13, 2022
Start date: July 1, 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter
Duration: 12 months, subject to renewal for up to 24 months (max.) for MA students; for up to 36 months (max.) for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows
About the project
Conducted at Kadir Has University, Faculty of Communication under the direction of Dr. Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay, Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas (STAGING-ABJECTION) is a five-year research project funded by the European Research Council’s (ERC) Starting Grants Program with a 1.5 million Euro grant. Combining the transdisciplinary approach of performance studies with a rigorous research program, the project aims to be one of the most comprehensive critical studies on minoritarian theatre practices in Turkey and its diasporas, and put Turkey on the map of global theatre studies. The project offers MA and PhD fellowships and postdoctoral positions, beginning July 1, 2022.
Further information on the project is available at https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/852216
Website of the project: https://stagingabjection.com/
Eligibility
- We invite applicants specifically for:
Postdoctoral positions: At least one researcher working on Islamic theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Europe; and at least one researcher working on Jewish theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Israel and Europe.
MA and PhD fellowships: At least one student researcher working on Jewish theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Israel and Europe.
- Every candidate (MA, PhD and Postdoc) is expected to propose a clearly defined individual research project related to the specific field.
- Not all positions may be filled.
Main duties
- Conducting archival and ethnographic research on a specific topic relevant to the project;
- Publishing articles in top-ranking international journals;
- Presenting research findings at selective academic conferences;
- Contributing to the project’s public outreach program;
- Supporting the overall development of the project.
Qualifications
For all candidates
- Proven academic excellence and dedication to academic research
- Excellent proficiency in English and any specific language skills required by the applicant’s proposed research project (such as Judeo-Spanish, Hebrew)
- Ability to work both in a team environment and independently
For postdoctoral researchers
- Experience in ethnographic research related to the field
- Publications or a thesis or dissertation related to the field is desirable
Benefits
- Postdoctoral fellowship: The post-doctoral fellows will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 36 months.
They will receive a full-time monthly net stipend of 8000 TL with social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. All postdoctoral fellows working full-time on the project will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 4000 TL from Kadir Has University.
- PhD fellowship: The PhD student researchers will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 36 months. They will work .75 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 6000 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. If the student is enrolled in a PhD program at Kadir Has University, they will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 3000 TL.
- MA fellowship: The MA student researchers will be employed for 12 months, subject to renewal. The maximum working time on the project is 24 months. They will work .75 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 4750 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an annual travel budget. If the student is enrolled in an MA program at Kadir Has University, they will also receive an additional living allowance and research support of 2000 TL.
How to apply
- Cover letter in English describing the candidates’ academic experience and
qualifications, and the research they would like to conduct under the ERC project.
- Curriculum Vitae
- One writing sample in English
- Three confidential letters of reference (at least two should be academic, one letter may be professional), to be sent directly to abjection@khas.edu.tr
Please send all requested materials (except for the letters of reference) electronically in a single PDF file to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr by May 13, 2022.
KHAS ERC PERFORMANCE AND POLITICS WEBINARS
The “Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and its Diasporas” research group at Kadir Has University continues its webinar series by bringing together leading scholars and emerging voices working on performance and politics.
The webinars will be in English.
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88677142380
Meeting ID: 886 7714 2380
Passcode: 234015
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
Staging the State: The Politics of Opera and its Architecture in Early Republican Turkey
Ayça Sancar
Moderator: İlhan Çamiçi
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
“Absolutely Vile” or “Powerful”: Immediate Memorialization and the Subject of “Empathy” in Art on Forced Migration
Danyel M. Ferrari
Moderator: Berkem Yanıkcan
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
Performing Public History
David Dean
Moderator: Rüya Kalıntaş
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
Theatre to Survive by Jewish Inmates in Terezin/Theresienstadt Concentration Camp and Ghetto
Bahar Akpınar
Moderator: Şeyda Nur Yıldırım
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
The Lines Between the Lines: How Stage Directions Affect Embodiment
Bess Rowen
Moderator: İlhan Çamiçi
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
New Silk Roads and Performance
Milija Gluhovic
Moderator: Berkem Yanıkcan
Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
What a Peasant Could Know: On the Path and Performance of Modernity in the Context of (Post-)Socialist (Ex-)Yugoslavia
Olivera Jokic and Christina Novakov-Ritchey
Moderator: Rüya Kalıntaş
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 7:30 pm Istanbul (GMT +3)
Linguicide and Kurdish Theatre in Turkey: Seeking the Voice
Bilal Akar
Moderator: Gamze Tosun
This webinar series and the “Staging National Abjection” research project are sponsored by a European Research Commission Starting Grant (ERC-2019-StG, Grant ID: 852216).
Website: https://stagingabjection.com/
Twitter: @StagingAbject
Instagram: @stagingabjection
Facebook Page: ERC Staging National Abjection/ERC Ulusal Abjeksiyonu Sahnelemek
Call for Webinar Proposals
KHAS ERC STAGING-ABJECTION: Emerging Voices in Theatre and Performance Studies
We are delighted to announce that the research group Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and its Diasporas is resuming its webinar series in Fall 2021.
This year, part of our webinar series will highlight the work of emerging scholars in the broader field of theatre and performance studies, particularly the scholarship on performance and politics.
We invite papers and works-in-progress by MA and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and independent scholars. The duration of the webinars will be approximately one hour. Participants can submit proposals for:
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a 30-minute presentation for individual papers
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a panel discussion composed of 15-minute presentations by two or three speakers
both followed by a Q&A session.
Please submit an abstract of 500 words and a CV to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr by September 20, 2021. Selected participants will be notified by the end of September.
The webinars will be held in English. Feel free to contact us at staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr for any questions.
About STAGING-ABJECTION: Conducted at Kadir Has University, Faculty of Communication under the direction of Dr. Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay, Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas is a five-year research project funded by the European Research Council’s Starting Grants Program with a 1.5 million Euro grant. Combining the transdisciplinary approach of performance studies with a rigorous research program, the project aims to be one of the most comprehensive critical studies on minoritarian theatre practices in Turkey and its diasporas, and put Turkey on the map of global theatre studies while asking questions of broader theoretical and methodological relevance.
Youtube: @stagingabjection
Twitter: @StagingAbject
Instagram: @StagingAbjection
Facebook: @StagingAbjection
Kadir Has University Faculty of Communication
Graduate and Post-Doctoral Fellowships in the ERC-funded project Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas
Application deadline: May 28, 2021
Start date: September 1, 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter
Duration: Post-doctoral fellowship for 36 months (max.) / PhD fellowship for 48 months (max.) / MA fellowship for 24 months (max.)
About the project
Conducted at Kadir Has University, Faculty of Communication under the direction of Dr. Rüstem Ertuğ Altınay, Staging National Abjection: Theatre and Politics in Turkey and Its Diasporas (STAGING-ABJECTION) is a five-year research project funded by the European Research Council’s (ERC) Starting Grants Program with a 1.5 million Euro grant. Combining the transdisciplinary approach of performance studies with a rigorous research program, the project aims to be one of the most comprehensive critical studies on minoritarian theatre practices in Turkey and its diasporas, and put Turkey on the map of global theatre studies. The project offers graduate fellowships (MA and PhD) and post- doctoral positions, beginning September 1, 2021. Further information on the project is available at https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/852216
Eligibility
-
Every candidate (MA, PhD or Post-doc) is expected to propose an individual research project related to the project.
-
There are multiple positions available at each level and candidates may propose any topic related to the project. However, we also invite applicants specifically for:
Post-doctoral positions: At least one researcher working on Armenian theatre and/or theatre productions involving Armenians after 1915; and at least one researcher working on Jewish theatre in Turkey and/or diasporic productions in Israel and Europe.
PhD fellowships: At least one student researcher working on Alevi theatre in Turkey and/or Europe.
- All graduate student fellows need to be registered in an MA program (with a thesis requirement) or a PhD program at Kadir Has University. They will write their theses or dissertations on topics related to the project under the supervision of Dr. Altınay.
Graduate student candidates who are not currently enrolled in a graduate program at Kadir Has University can receive conditional offers. To be eligible for employment, the candidate must be admitted to and enrolled in Kadir Has University by Fall 2021 (Kadir Has University graduate school application deadline: June 11, 2021). Information on the programs and application processes available at https://sgs.khas.edu.tr/en/homepage
Main duties
-
Conducting archival or ethnographic research on a specific topic relevant to the project;
-
Publishing articles in top-ranking international journals;
-
Presenting research findings at selective academic conferences.
-
Contributing to the project’s public outreach program;
-
Supporting the overall development of the project.
Qualifications
-
Proven academic excellence and dedication to academic research.
-
Excellent proficiency in English and any specific language skills required by the applicant’s proposed research project (such as Armenian, Judeo-Spanish, Hebrew, Greek, Kurdish, German, French).
-
Ability to work both in a team environment and independently.
Benefits*
-
Post-doctoral fellowship: The post-doctoral fellows will be employed for a maximum of 36 months. They will receive a full-time monthly net stipend of 6000 TL with social security benefits (SGK) as well as an additional living allowance and research support of 2000 TL and an annual travel budget.
-
PhD fellowship: The PhD student researchers will be employed for a maximum of 48 months. They will work .75 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 5000 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an additional living allowance and research support of 1500 TL and an annual travel budget.
-
MA fellowship: The MA student researchers will be employed for a maximum of 24 months. They will work .75 FTE and receive a monthly net stipend of 3500 TL with full social security benefits (SGK) as well as an additional living allowance and research support of 1000 TL and an annual travel budget.
*All contracts are annual and renewal is contingent on performance reviews conducted at the end of each academic year.
How to apply
-
Cover letter in English describing the candidates’ academic experience and qualifications, and the research they would like to conduct under the ERC project.
-
Curriculum Vitae.
-
One writing sample in English.
-
Three confidential letters of reference (at least two should be academic, one letter maybe professional), to be sent directly to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr
Please send all requested materials (except for the letters of reference) electronically in a single PDF file to staging.abjection@khas.edu.tr by May 28, 2021. Selected candidates will be invited for Zoom interviews conducted on May 30 and 31, 2021.