CALL FOR PAPERS: 19th ISFNR Congress

“Folk Narratives in the Changing World”

International Society for Folk Narrative Research (ISFNR) and Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia (ILFA) are delighted to announce the call for papers for the 19th ISFNR Congress “Folk Narratives in the Changing World” to be held from June 17 to 21, 2024 in Riga, Latvia.

Over the past decade, the world has undergone constant transformation due to a multitude of social, economic, geopolitical, technological, and environmental processes. The COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-induced war in Ukraine, the revolution of artificial intelligence, and the increasingly noticeable impact of climate change are some of the factors that have significantly changed our lifestyle, daily behaviour, thoughts and communication in recent years. These profound changes have influenced society, encompassing migration and urbanisation, polarisation and radicalisation, digitalisation and virtualisation, and much more. The impact of these processes has reverberated through folk narratives, leaving a discernible imprint on their form, content, functions, performance, circulation, and beyond. Both historically and in the present day, the approaches to documenting, archiving, and studying folk narratives have evolved in response to these shifts, underscoring the pivotal theme of change at the upcoming ISFNR Riga Congress. Throughout its century-long existence, these changes have also affected the Archives of Latvian Folklore, which will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2024.

For the 19th ISFNR Congress, we invite participants to consider the following topics:

  • Shifting Theoretical Paradigms in Narrative Research: Past and Present
  • Digital Approaches in Narrative ResearchOpportunities and Challenges
  • Oral vs Online: Narratives in the Digital Age and Social Media
  • Narratives of Crisis and Change
  • Narratives in (and, of) Changing Environment

The Committees of the ISFNR will be holding their sessions within the congress.

The application for the congress will be open until December 15, 2023. To apply for participation, please fill out the form available at this link. Participants are kindly asked to submit an abstract for their planned presentation (length up to 300 words) and to its relation to indicate one of the above sub-topics. Congress sessions and panels will be structured according to topics (with a maximum of four participants). Presentations should not exceed 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of discussion. You will be notified about approval of your submitted abstract by December 22nd, 2023.

Detailed information about the congress can be found on the congress websitehttps://en.lfk.lv/isfnr2024

Should you have any questions, please e-mailisfnr.congress.2024@lulfmi.lv