Transmedia, Transmaterials, Translations

Renaissance Society of America Islamic World Discipline invites abstracts for three panels to be held at the 2027 RSA Conference in Philadelphia, on March 11-13.

Structured under the umbrella title “Transmedia, Transmaterials, Translations,” the three panels are going to explore the mobility of media, materials, and texts within the Islamic World, and between the Islamic World and other geographies. Rather than the transfer of objects, artworks, and texts from one locale to another, we are interested in papers that explore movements from one medium to another (painting to print and vice versa), from one material to another (textiles to mosaics and vice versa), and from one language to another. The purpose of the three panels is to switch the focus from transregional connections and cultural exchange to varied practices of localization; to how, whatever that travelled was reworked, and made familiar and intelligible. Papers specifically on such localization practices within the Islamic World, as well as those investigating how media, materials, and texts from the Islamic World were localized elsewhere are welcome to apply. 

Although there will be obvious overlaps, each panel is going to be dedicated to one theme: media, materials, and texts. In that regard, please submit your abstracts by indicating whichever theme suits your paper best.

Please submit the following materials: Paper title (maximum 15 words); Abstract (maximum 200 words); Short CV (PDF or Word format, and including the date that PhD was awarded, or the expected date).

Please send your proposal to Saygin Salgirli at saygin.salgirli@ubc.ca by 05 August 2026.