mythstoday
The notion of myth as defined by Roland Barthes in the late 1950’s, provided a theoretical framework under which daily habits, as well as consumer practices can be examined as socially constructed signs, idealized through verbal narratives. While ‘myth is a type of speech’, it is also a type of image, typeface, cinema, photography, sports, online network, cyber space, politics, TV show, sound, fashion, since all these can serve as a groundwork to mythical discourses. Myth is a mode of signification that is ‘not defined by the object of its message, but by the way in which it utters this message…’ Whether verbal or nonverbal, when signs become meaningful they enter the mythical sphere and communicate culturally constructed messages. Under this framework, the current conference builds on the enduring significance of this concept, and aims to explore myths today, in the context of global networks, globalisation, visual and mass communication.
What types of myths are constructed and chosen, nowadays? How does official culture, oppositional and/or popular culture, constructs powerful new myths? How are these myths communicated through, or symbolically reflected, verbally as well as audio-visually, for example on advertisements, social networks, logos, tourism campaigns, multimedia, the internet, films, or mass media? Whilst these are macro-examples, we might also look at micro-examples, such as music co-opted into myth; the meaning of tourism memorabilia; the sub-texts of advertisements drawing on nostalgic images of the past; branding; the typography on holiday brochures; political speeches and gestures (for example how Presidents wave from planes, their guiding hand on a fellow leader’s back as they step into a summit); social networking; self-branding ideologies; the significance of a Monarch’s headwear, the myths of the fashion system, celebrity, gaming and entertainment culture, popularity and online recognition, typo-myths, etc.
Under the scope of uncovering and investigating myths today, we invite papers that examine the Conference’s theme through macro and/or micro examples, during a quite socio-politically unstable era where comprehending these phenomena and providing effective readings becomes not only increasingly important, but sometimes vital for survival. The Conference seeks to bring together scholars, researchers and practitioners who share a common interest in Semiotics and Visual Communication.
The Conference accepts papers in English and Greek language. Only accepted authors with physical presence at the conference will be legible to publish their work in the selected proceedings. We welcome proposals for individual papers (approximately 20 minutes long plus 10 minutes for discussion), related (but not limited) to one of the following main themes:
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