Body, Time and Digital Technology
Nicosia, Cyprus
Organization: University of Cyprus
Call for Papers
Body, Time, and Digital Technology
2-3 October 2025, Department of English Studies, University of Cyprus
Digital technologies have profoundly transformed human life, in ways that remain, despite the rising interest, still largely uncharted and insufficiently understood – partly because these technologies continue to evolve at an extraordinary pace. Humanity is undergoing an unprecedented digitization of the lifeworld. Our reliance on digital technologies is so pervasive and far-reaching that one could argue they have already transformed human nature – fundamentally altering lived experience, whether by creating new forms of experience or by reshaping existing ones. Sometimes, these transformations are conspicuous; at other times, they remain inconspicuous.
It has become increasingly clear that the Humanities have acquired a new momentum of relevance coupled with a challenge that might define their value in this new setting. This challenge, however, presupposes and demands a reconsideration of our overall theoretical scope. New methodological tools might be necessary leading to a moderate or radical transformation of our familiar perspectives. Can Humanities in general, and more specifically Literature, meet the demands of our time? Are there relevant advancements that can somehow provide them with the necessary boost? There is little doubt that embodiment has taken center stage in contemporary thought, both in thematic and methodological terms. Additionally, the rising digitalization brings forth new experiences of time. It is perhaps the intersections between embodiment, time, and digitalization that underscore their ongoing significance and critical potential.
Literature maintains an ambivalent attitude towards technology. On the one hand, it emerges through the technological development of printed culture, and on the other, it views with skepticism its substitution by digital culture and attempts to respond to it through a new embodied cognition (hypertext). Moreover, this new embodied cognition is accompanied by the emergence of new temporalities, which are derivatives of digitalization. Within this context, essential questions on embodiment, time and digital technology that can be raised from a literary perspective are the following: What new embodied types of knowledge does digital textuality bring, and how does it retrieve the repressed coupling (due to emphasis on abstract interpretive strategies) of technology-embodiment that also governs the printed book? Which new experiences of Time arise through the advent of digitality, and how do they intersect with embodiment? How does the development of Artificial Intelligence further problematize the already deconstructed concepts of the author, the text, and the reader? How are the problematics mentioned above being reflected within literary narratives in contemporary science fiction novels?
We invite early-career researchers and postdoctoral scholars in Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, and related fields to submit proposals for a one-day conference (3 October) exploring the intersections of embodiment, temporality, and digital technologies in literary and cultural contexts. This conference will be part of a two-day conference that will also touch on the philosophical aspects of the issue.
Possible Topics Include (But are not limited to):
· Digital Narratives and Embodied Reading
· Temporality in Posthumanist Literature
· Phenomenological approaches to digital literature
· AI generated texts and authorship
· Memory, archives and digital time
· Virtual Identities and Corporeal Boundaries
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
· Professor Caroline Bassett, University of Cambridge, Director of Cambridge Digital Humanities
· Associate Professor Ewan Jones, University of Cambridge, Director of Studies at Downing College
Submission Guidelines:
· Abstracts (250-300 words) + short bio (100 words)
· Deadline: 7 June 2025
· Submit to: sarris.antonios@ucy.ac.cy
Selected participants will present 20-30 minutes papers followed by discussion.
The workshop is free of charge. Applicants should make their arrangements for transport and accommodation. Information on accommodation and transport will be further provided.
Organizing Committee:
- Christos Hadjioannou (University of Nicosia)
- Antonis Sarris (University of Cyprus)
- Nikos Soueltzis (University of Cyprus)
- For more information, please contact: sarris.antonios@ucy.ac.cy
We look forward to receiving your proposals.
Antonios Sarris
