CALL FOR PAPERS
Contemporary Rome: Changing Faces of the Eternal City Bilingual Conference (English and Italian)
The American University of Rome
26–27 November 2010
Keynote Speaker: Michael Herzfeld

The city of Rome, the Caput Mundi of Antiquity, has been studied predominantly as a historical monument. But what of contemporary Rome; its people, its politics and economy, its environment, the challenges of globalization? The fast-changing urban realities of Italy's biggest city and capital are the focus of this two-day conference which will bring together Italian and English-speaking scholars from a variety of disciplines.

Papers will be selected on the basis of empirical or theoretical originality and should focus on contemporary Rome. Historical approaches are also welcome as long as they deal with the issue of change and offer perspectives that directly relate to the contemporary scene. The organizers will subsequently present a selection of papers from the conference to put forward a book proposal to a British or American publisher.

Rationale
Both within and outside Rome's historic centre, a variety of transformations are currently underway. Recent decades have seen the arrival of large numbers of immigrants, many of whom are becoming permanent residents and are changing the outlook of the city. This new multicultural reality is affecting the arts, Rome's nightlife, its economy, and neighborhoods. It has also become a highly contested issue in local politics. Mobility is not restricted to Rome's newcomers and the city is undergoing gentrification, labor market transformations, geographic expansion. Conditions in its peripheries are now the subject of intense study and urban planners are seeking new approaches to developing the city for a sustainable future. The issues of pollution, congestion and calls for decentralization are more urgent than ever. Rome's identity as national capital is also an issue for debate as moves for increased regional autonomy and questions concerning the role of the nation state itself develop. The many ways in which the city of Rome is changing its faces deserve critical attention and analysis. The conference intends to create a forum for such a multidisciplinary dialogue.

Themes
The organizers welcome papers across the subject disciplines of the arts, humanities and social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, geography, urban planning and any other relevant discipline or background. There are no limitations to research methodologies used: survey analysis, interviews, demography, life history analysis, discourse analysis etc. Comparisons with other cities are acceptable as long as the primary focus is on Rome. We particularly welcome contributions that relate to one or more of the following thematic areas:

1. Practices of space and place
2. Dwelling practices and the stretching of the city (the 'sprawl city')
3. Segregation, ghettoization, homelessness, gated communities
4. Conflict and cooperation
5. Spaces of social and political resistance
6. Gentrification and changing neighborhood identities
7. Rome as a global city
8. Minorities, civil society, and political representation
9. Encounters between 'old' and 'new' Romans
10. Religions and inter-faith relations
11. Evolving labor markets
12. Formal, informal and ethnic economies
13. Legality and illegality
14. Post-industrial renewal and regeneration
15. Urban and environmental policies and planning
16. Changing political identities, political activism, and mobilization
17. Memory politics
18. Contemporary museums, art galleries, and architecture
19. Popular culture and new media

Deadline
Deadline for submitting an Abstract (max 300 words) and a brief biography (max 150 words) is 1 June 2010.
Abstracts should be in the language in which the proposed paper will be presented

EVENTS

DEPARTMENT OF ITALIAN STUDIES FILM FESTIVAL

“ROME IN THE MOVIES”
October - December 2009

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1
ROMA CITTA’ APERTA (Open City) - 1946 by ROBERTO ROSSELLINI

WEDNSDAY OCTOBER 14
CARO DIARIO (Dear Diary) - 1993 by NANNI MORETTI

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10
LADRI DI BICICLETTE (Bicycle Thieves) - 1948 by VITTORIO DE SICA

TUESDAY DECEMBER 1
CATERINA VA IN CITTA’ (Caterina in the Big City) - 2003
by PAOLO VIRZI’

Screenings will be in Italian with English subtitles.

Click here to download program of "ROME IN THE MOVIES"

TRIPS

ITL/SOC 250 SICILY AGAINST THE MAFIA - click here for syllabus

• Come discover a different side of Sicily!
• October 8 (evening departure) –11
• Take it as a 1-credit course or just come along for fun!
• 425 euros – includes airfare, lodging, local transportation, meals and all entrance fees
• Visits to Palermo and surrounding areas