Workshop on Understanding and Doing Equality: Building Synergies Between Arts and Human Rights

From Honor Tuohy, University of Galway:

Announcement of a workshop: Understanding and Doing Equality: Building Synergies between Arts and Human Rights

Workshop

Understanding and Doing Equality: Building Synergies between Arts and Human Rights

This is a one-day workshop on May 29th 2025 at the Centre for Advanced Study, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Call for contributors: 

This workshop aims to explore themes focusing on methodologies and approaches for the creation of synergies between arts (understood broadly) and the equality-oriented dimension of human rights. What uses of arts are particularly conducive to the sharing of lived experiences of disadvantage to evoke compassion and create mutual understanding? How can artistic means be used to communicate ideas about equality, including in their scientific complexity? What specific forms of artistic communication are most conducive to positive change?

A full outline of the workshop is available in the document attached. A 300 words abstract should be sent to the organisers by 30 April 2025.

Please contact Honor Tuohy (H.Tuohy3@universityofgalway.ie) or Ekaterina Yahyaoui (ekaterina.yahyaoui@universityofgalway.ie) for more information and/or see attached document.

 

Theme

Human rights and equality appear as ideals appealing to most if not all people across the globe. 

However, the way people understand and experience these ideals can vary significantly since even the 

most conserva=ve poli=cians or ac=vists use these ideals in some shape or form. This reveals 

complexity and mul=dimensionality of equality and human rights which o?en hampers efficient public 

debate, communica=on and mutual understanding. At the same =me, the concept of equality is the 

subject of philosophical and academic discussions of which many contain difficult and not immediately 

accessible language. The experience of (in)equality is also not immediately comprehensible by those 

who have not personally been vic=ms of any sort of discrimina=on.

Arts and various ar=s=c prac=ces – visual arts, performing arts, or literary arts – have long been 

recognised for their ability to document human rights abuses. Arts also play a role in increasing 

empathy, communica=ng feelings and emo=ons. Discussions about arts’ ability to contribute to 

building stronger communi=es, transla=ng human experiences and knowledge into a more accessible 

form, or ac=ng as a crea=ve force leading to posi=ve change in our socie=es are ongoing.

This workshop aims to explore further these themes focusing on methodologies and approaches for 

crea=on of synergies between arts (understood broadly) and the equality-oriented dimension human 

rights. What uses of arts are par=cularly conduc=ve to sharing of lived experiences of disadvantage 

to evoke compassion and create mutual understanding? How can ar=s=c means be used to communicate 

ideas about equality, including in their scien=fic complexity? What specific forms of ar=s=c 

communica=on are most conduc=ve to posi=ve change?

We invite papers on these and related ques=ons from scholars, ar=sts and ac=vists alike. Inter- and 

transdisciplinary approaches are the most welcome. Equally, we are looking for both theore=cally 

informed contribu=ons as well as empirically grounded work, including examples of successful novel 

synergies and collabora=ons.

About the workshop

The one-day workshop will be held on 29 May 2025 at the Centre for Advanced Study, Sofia Bulgaria. 

The par=cipants will be required to submit a 1000 words concept paper by 22 May 2025. While this 

will be an in-person workshop, online aWendance can be facilitated in jus=fied circumstances. The 

workshop will also serve as a form of feedback on future publishable outputs as the organisers aim 

to submit an edited volume proposal to a reputable publisher. Publica=on plans will be discussed 

during the workshop.

While the par=cipa=on in the workshop is free, the organisers are unable to cover any travel or 

accommoda=on expenses.

Submission process

Please  submit  a  300  words  abstract  to  the  organisers  Ekaterina  Yahyaoui 

(Ekaterina.yahyaoui@universityofgalway.ie) and Honor Tuohy (H.Tuohy3@universityofgalway.ie) (please 

use both emails) by 30 April 2025. Decisions will be communicated in the following week.