Syracuse 2023 Call for Papers
For the EABS 2023 conference in Syracuse, the Bodies of Communication research unit will focus on Corporeality and Metaphor. We intend to explore texts which use specific corporealities to represent concepts or to construct identities. ‘A metaphor’s origins are typically ignored in subsequent acts of repetition’ (Billig and Macmillan, 2005) and a metaphor within a biblical text can be interpreted according to the understandings of the context in which it is read, not necessarily using the same source domain from when the text was written.
How can corporeality create meaning? Bodies of Communication invites papers which explore how corporeality is used figuratively to convey ideas, values or emotions. This can include examining metaphors and allegories, focusing on the interaction between source domain and target domain and considering the implications of different interpretations. For example, papers may consider:
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How do corporeal metaphors use or express physical evaluation or judgements?
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How does gender function within corporeal metaphors?
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How do representations of the body construct oppositions or oppositionality?
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How does corporeal language facilitate the construction of social boundaries?
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How clear are the distinctions between literal and figurative depictions of corporeality?
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How are corporeal allegories, or other forms of figurative expression, used within the cultic sphere?
We would particularly welcome papers which consider the use of aspects of the body in figurative and symbolic language which constructs identity, where ‘The language of “the other” encompasses a comparative mode of identity construction’ (Byers, 2021).
For all our sessions, we welcome papers related to the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Jewish /Rabbinic literature, Early Christianity.
