Abstracts and papers may be submitted under the following topics.
From narrative to poetry, children’s texts and ecothrillers, literature remains a crucial domain of ecocriticism. Topics of interest would be: 1. How did a literary movement which emerged in the early 1990’s has evolved? 2. What is the most challenging issue regarding Ecocriticism being discussed nowadays? 3.What are the major ecocritical approaches that have arose in different national literatures, from Latin America to the European context? 4. What is an ecocritical novel? And what is an ecothriller? 5. How did Ecopoetics develop in recent decades? 6. Is Ecocriticism a fruitful or even legitimate current of thought? Does it make sense to have an approach focused on the connection between female writing and Nature? 7. How does children’s literature incorporate ecological discourses? 8. What is the value of animal ethics in ecocritical fictions? 9. Is it possible to talk about ecocriticism in other arts, namely visual arts? 10. Does media contribute to rise environmental awareness? How?
Ecosophy is a philosophy of ecological harmony or equilibrium, i.e., nota aiming at a simple ecology, but to be a sort of [re]new[ed] wisdom for a new balance between Man and Earth. Topics of interest would be: 1. Is there an ecological wisdom knowledge? If so what is it and what are its limits? 2. How can ecological wisdom knowledge be applied? 3. How can ecological wisdom knowledge be taught? 4. Do we need today, more than ever, an ecological practical wisdom as Ecophronesis? 5. Are there paradigmatic instructive cases of Ecophronesis? 6. To what extent is theoretical and practical ecological wisdom knowledge shaped by the diverse cultural traditions? 7. Can we think of a transcultural ecological wisdom (theoretical and practical) knowledge? If so, what would be its implications and consequences?
Political discourse is often marked with ecological concerns, in different levels of “quantity” and “quality”. Furthermore, different approaches are in place more to the right or left-wing of the political spectrum. 1. Why is ecology part of the contemporaneous political discourse? 2. What kind of political approaches can be identified in political discourse? 3. Is there a sceptical and non-sceptical discourse on ecology matters? 4. And what about political practices? Are they coherent with the different discourses? 5. Is (still) ecology a major flag in contemporaneous politics? 6. What is the face of ecology in political text (programs of political parties, governmental programs, etc.)?
Journalistic text also addresses ecological issues, as news, opinion and public disputes. Under this topic Author are invited to analyse the journalistic text on ecology issues, under many different perspectives, such as: 1. What is the role of ecology in journalistic text today? 2. Is there an increasing/decreasing amount of ecological thematics in journalistic text in a way linked to political scenarios? 3. Is there an objective fact report in ecology journalism? 4. What kind of role for the readers in “journalism 2.0” when readers can interact with journalists? 5. Are we under propaganda on what ecology is concerned? 6. Do journalists have an ecological responsibility towards the public?
The interdependence between governmental decisions and environmental issues has an increasingly important place in political debate. Topics of interest would be: 1. How environmental laws are to be applied? 2. Ought governmental policies to be committed to nature preservation? And if so, to what extent? 3. How political decisions affect the environment and human welfare? 4. What is environmental justice? 5. To what extent current decisions being made about environmental issues are supposed to affect future generations?
Children’s education in ecological matters uses various forms of communication, including educative texts addressing major ecological issues under (apparently) simple approaches. This is the case of 1. educative campaigns on water use (and waste), 2. animal care (and abuse), 3. importance of forest (and its preservation), 4. value of biodiversity (and human interferance), 5. sustainable agriculture (and other forms of using the soil), among many others. Under this topic Authors are encourage to submit papers analysing this specific area of education, both in developed and developing countries.
07- SPECIAL CHAPTER: ECOARTS
Ecocriticism stricto sensu does not include the analysis of ecological thematics in other arts (cinema, decorative arts, theater, music, among many others). However this is an area of increasing and remarkable studies that deserves a special place in this event. Papers covering various subjects under this thematic are welcome. Topics of interest would be: 1. Where and how to find ecology in cinema? 2. Is there a place for ecological concerns in theatre? 3. What about decorative arts? are there subliminal ecological issues to be found? 4. Music and nature, music and ecology: what are the interconnections in classical, popular and modern forms of music? 5. Can one identify and understand ecology in dance? 6. What about all other forms of art – photography, painting, sculpture, etc.? is there ecology in those?