FRAGMENTS
What are the arts and humanities if not an assemblage of fragments? The definition of fragmentation is “the process or state of breaking or being broken into fragments.” Think of the break between rural nineteenth century Britain and the Industrial Revolution that would disrupt traditional, normative ways of life. What about modernism, that put into words and embodied an age of continuous fragmentation? Alternatively, think of the architectural inventions of the 1950s and the ways social unrest and cultural disruptions paved the way for avant-garde brutalism. In this conference, postgraduate candidates across the humanities come together what the concept of fragments means in their field of study. The scope is expansive: from history to literature to law, we welcome varied conceptualisations of fragmentation.
BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE: 15 JUNE/16 JUNE CONFERENCE, EVENING KEYNOTE
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these fragments i have shored against my ruins
THE VISION
As per the School of Advanced Study’s ethos for inclusion, we wanted to create a postgraduate conference that transcended borders and geographical boundaries. The Doctoral Centre at the School of Advanced Study and SASiety envisioned a conference that could unite our Master’s students and doctoral candidates, whether they are in London, or abroad. Students now have the opportunity to be part of something that is bound to bring us all together – which is why our theme is so expansive! We hope you, no matter your discipline, are able to join us.
Yes, we are looking at you. Whether you study classics, philosophy, literature, law, art history, modern languages and cultures, history, the commonwealth, or digital humanities, you are warmly encouraged to submit a paper! Most importantly, we know how intimidating conferences can be (trust us, we have been there) and so, we wanted to facilitate a safe space for first-time conference presenters or conference veterans!
CALL FOR PAPERS: NOW CLOSED!
You are cordially invited to the first annual School of Advanced Study Postgraduate Conference organized by SASiety and the Doctoral Centre. We will be dissecting concepts of fragmentation in all varied forms through transdisciplinary lenses. See our first cpf poster or a .pdf of our cpf!
POTENTIAL TOPICS
fragments as points of separation and recovery – processes of fragmentation and their role in the ongoing (de)construction of, articulation, and projection of identities – fragments as markers of transitions or crises in literature, art, and history – dissecting source materials – cultural fragmentation, migration, and diaspora – fragmentation in the legal sector.
SUBMISSION TYPES
Paper presentations should last about fifteen minutes. The abstract should be no longer than three-hundred words.
Lightning talks are a wonderful chance to showcase your current research interests and raise awareness of new ideas. Tour lightning talk should last no longer than five minutes. The abstract should be no longer than a hundred words.
The submission form has closed — thank you for submitting your abstracts!
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
OUR LOCATION
Our conference will take place at Chancellor’s Hall in Senate House. Senate House is the home of, you guessed it, the School of Advance Study, and really, we could not think of a better place to conceptualise and theorise different modes of FRAGMENTATION. This iconic building has not only served as an inspiration for the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984, it was also used as the Ministry of Information during the Second World War. Yes, we even have a room named 101. Shhh.
OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
professor clare lees
morning keynote
Clare A. Lees is Professor of Medieval Literature, Director of the Institute of English Studies, and Vice Dean, School of Advanced Study, University of London. She is a Fellow of the English Association and a Fellow of King’s College London.
Clare’s research interests include early medieval literatures, languages, and cultures of Britain and Ireland, gender and sexuality studies, and histories of place and belief. Her most recent work explores how modern and contemporary poets, writers, and artists engage with early medieval cultures. Her most recent engagement work includes the BBC2 documentary series, Art that Made Us (April 2022 and BBC iplayer) and consultancy work for Jeremy Deller’s short film Deliverers about the Lindisfarne Gospels, for the Laing Gallery, Newcastle (2022).
professor anna snaith
evening keynote
Anna Snaith is Professor of Twentieth-Century Literature at King’s College London. She has published widely on Virginia Woolf, global modernisms and literary sound studies. Her publications include Virginia Woolf: Public and Private Negotiations (Palgrave 2000), Modernist Voyages (CUP 2014), a scholarly edition of The Years for the Cambridge University Press Edition of Virginia Woolf (2012), an edition of A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas (Oxford World’s Classics 2015) and an edited volume on Sound and Literature (CUP 2020). She is currently on a Leverhulme Fellowship working on a monograph entitled ‘Noisescapes: Writing Sound in Interwar Britain’.
OUR TEAM
natalia fantetti
co-organizer
As co-organizer of the conference, Natalia is looking forward to using her experience in interdisciplinary research to bring together a range of perspectives from different academic fields. She is excited about the possibilities that the theme of “Fragments” offers and can’t wait to see what the SAS community comes up with in response.
monja stahlberger
co-organizer
As the co-organiser, Monja is bringing her German efficiency to the team by overseeing all activities and planning that goes on behind the scenes. Her goal is to pull together a conference that celebrates the wide variety of interdisciplinary research going on at SAS. Building a strong student community, in London and internationally, is key to a great postgraduate experience and with this conference, Monja hopes SASiety and the Doctoral Centre have created an event to bring everyone together for a celebration of our achievements as a student body. She envisions an academically stimulating conversation about all kinds of fragmentation in the humanities.
elena zolotariov
content creator | publicity officer
As the content creator and publicity officer for Fragments, Elena is passionate about creating engaging content that resonates with the postgraduate community at the School of Advanced Study. Through her expertise in graphic design and brand management, Elena hopes to inform and present different conceptualisations on fragments from visual adn literary perspectives. With the team’s commitment to delivering a successful conference, Elena hopes that each and every postgraduate candidate will gain valuable academic experience along the way.
Page and graphics designed by Elena Zolotariov | Postgraduate conference organised by SASiety’s Monja Stahlberger and Natalia Fantetti in collaboration with The School of Advanced Study’s Doctoral Centre, University of London | 2023