This is a call for papers from the section LANGUAGE & MEDIA of the German Association for Semiotic Studies (DGS)
Call for Papers: “Discourse and Delineation / Discourse on the Border: Constructing and Breaking Taboos” at the 14th International Congress of the German Association for Semiotic Studies (DGS) Tübingen, Germany
Heads of the section: Ellen Fricke (TU Chemnitz, Germany), Ernest W.B. Hess-Lüttich (University of Bern, Switzerland), Roland Posner (TU Berlin, Germany), Daniel Rellstab (University of Vaasa, Finland)
Important semiotic approaches to the analysis of culture conceive of culture as a system of separated spheres, so called “symbolic forms” (Cassirer), or “discourses” (Foucault), respectively. A prerequisite of understanding between individuals and different groups of people is the observation of specific delineations which, e.g., mark status and membership, or often constitute them. The construction and the breaking of taboos as a specific form of delineation takes center stage in our section: Taboos secure the stability of a society and are important means in the constitution of the identity of the individual and the group (cf. Karjewski & Schroeder 2010). Examples abound: Everyday discourses where the broaching of taboo topics causes discomfort, political discourses in and about Europe where, e.g., the use of specific metaphors causes irritations, pop-cultural discourses where taboo breaking functions, at least at first sight, as a critique of traditional religious or sexual norms, and, of course, media discourses where the showing and breaking of taboos have become the new normal since reality TV-shows have become ubiquitous.
These examples lead to questions as the following ones:
• How are taboos recognized? How are taboos communicated, or not communicated, respectively? How are taboos established and broken? Which techniques of delineations are used in different discourses?
• To what extend can taboos be understood as specific forms of delineations? How are they related to other forms of delineations?
• How are delineations and taboos staged in the media?
• What roles do conceptual metaphors and metonymies play in the elaboration and the staging of taboos and their breakings?
• What are culture-specific differences? Are there intercultural discourses?
• What linguistic and other signs are used to save the communication in cases of breakings of taboos? Or how are they used to trigger a failure of communication?
• How are discourse analyses and cultural analyses related?
The section intends to discuss terminological suggestions, theory fragments and specific analyses in order to tackle these (and similar) questions.
Length of presentation: 30 min plus 10 min discussion.
Please send your abstract in English or German (about 300 words) plus 5 keywords plus the title of your presentation until March 1, 2014 to the following address:
Further information can be found here: http://www.semiotik.eu/index.php?id=740,30