Welcome to The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch

Creativity, Subjectivity, Relocation

Posted: October 26th, 2024 | Filed under: Calls for Papers | Comments Off on Creativity, Subjectivity, Relocation

15-16 April 2025 | University of Aberdeen

Context
This event engages with the dynamics of ‘culture’ and the (re)formation of identities through the creative practices of artists moving between places or are born in multicultural households. Driven by Amin Hashemi’s current Leverhulme Early Career fellowship, Integration and the Making of Subjectivity via Musical Creativity that explores such dynamics among musicians with an Iranian background working and living inside the UK, this symposium invites scholars from across the UK who had worked on migration, integration, cultural exchange and musical creativity to present ideas, engage in debates and open discussions. Creativity, Subjectivity, Relocation addresses some contentious questions of socio-cultural homogeneity, assimilation and isolation in Britain that often subliminally or implicitly communicate a predetermined sense of incompatibility of cultural backgrounds or the impossibility of assimilation between the East and the West. This event takes music making amongst migrants as a dynamic, rather than static, practice. The discussions could address any other aspects of migration – including but not limited to integration, identity, or cultural communication – while focusing on the confluence of the processes of creativity and subjectivity with equal attention to the social and the individual.

Purpose & Focus
The primary objective of this academic event is to conduct an in-depth investigation, exchange of ideas and debates around the relationship between musical creativity, inclusion, integration and the development of the subjectivity and the senses of belonging of these artists, and in turn their interaction with their environment and people around them. This investigation seeks to ascertain the causal factors, the extent of transformation, and the consequences thereof regarding cultural adaptation as well as intercultural exchanges, encounters, and communication within British society.

This event focuses on the shared notion of creativity in the processes of subjectivity, musicianship and the re-interpretation of the self as an outcome of migration and its intricate nuances. Particular attention is directed towards issues related to generational cultural disparities, the inherent diversity within the host society, and the multiplicity of migrant cultural backgrounds so that it could comprehend the complexities of musical practices as dynamic, interlinked, and often perplexing phenomena.

Structure
Creativity, Subjectivity, Relocation will take place as an ‘unconference’, meaning centralising on the themes and scopes as mentioned above to fertilise discussions between academics in a dynamic format. The structure of an unconference invites academics as well as audience for the event and is participant-driven and adaptable. Similar to panel discussions but with a less structured format and being more open, dynamic and unpredictable, the cross-pollination of ideas will occur as participants rotate between groups and plenary sessions will consolidate insights and promote collaboration. In the plenary sessions where participants will discuss their main research and their discussion topics for the small 10-minute group sessions, followed by general discussion. The second component of the event will consist of small ‘working’ group discussions around specific themes that would have been identified after the reception of contributions and ideas.

This format benefits the event due to its adaptability to the complexities of participants’ research area, effectively accommodating emerging issues and diverse perspectives. It fosters inclusivity by empowering participants to shape discussions, ensuring a wide range of voices are heard. Additionally, it encourages engagement and collaboration, as attendees take ownership of discussions, driving commitment to explore solutions to the challenges posed by migration, creativity, and integration. This participatory approach builds a sense of community and collective responsibility, facilitating a holistic exploration of complex relationships and the generation of actionable insights. Depending on the submitted themes and ideas, the event will be based on one or more sessions in which the audience also have a chance to reflect, give feedback or ask questions.

Therefore, academics are asked to prepare sets of questions, scopes, mental maps and ideas based on the theme and drawn from their relevant research experiences for the discussions. The event does not have a particular trajectory but is convened by Dr Hashemi as the moderator who also joins in the discussions. Instead of having academics presenting a paper, the event asks attendees to start conversations and generate responses based on their academic insights and findings. The total timing for each session is anticipated to be an hour, breaks into four general sets of 10-minute discussions and 5-minute audience feedback.

The performance sessions (details to be confirmed) are designed to take place each day. The performers are the artists participated in the research conducted by Dr Hashemi during his Leverhulme fellowship (2022-2025) that are musically and culturally diverse, showcasing the socio-cultural as well as artistic capabilities and potentials of their musical practice. They live and work Across the UK in England and Scotland.

Call for contributions to unconference
As the title reveals, the theme is focused on the interconnectivity of creativity and expression with the continuous formation and alteration of subjectivity when people move or are born and live in multicultural environments. Based on the general themes of Creativity, Subjectivity, Relocation and the format discussed above, please submit your contributions in formats explained below to [email protected].

  • 10-minute papers to be shared in plenary sessions
  • drafts of ideas for working group discussions

DEADLINE 17 February 2025

There is no registration fee to present.
There would be an upcoming call for registration to attend as audience, stay tuned.
Food and Drinks provided.