Truth in (Contemporary) Society
Sheffield, UK
Organization: University of Sheffield
About the Conference
In contemporary society, we are increasingly contesting the very nature of truth, through “fake news,” philosophical questions about post-AI humanity, and media representation of power and conflicts. According to Keyes in 2004, the “post-truth era” created “a third category of ambiguous statements that are not exactly the truth but fall short of a lie.” This has exacerbated pervasive historical issues of misinformation, distortion, and conflicting cultural narratives. Meanwhile, some academic disciplines have introduced interpretative approaches to examining lived experiences, further problematising objective truth.
This PGR-led, two-day conference will consider the opportunities and limitations of adopting Marcus Aurelius' maxim, “everything we see is perspective, not the truth.” Bringing together fellow PGRs, Early Career Researchers, and seasoned academics, we invite presentations and performances on truth from within the Arts and Humanities.
We encourage attendance and presentations from the breadth of Arts and Humanities research from History (including History of Science), Philosophy, Literature, Language and Linguistics to Heritage and Material Culture (Art History, Archaeology, Classics, Cultural and Museum Studies). We are also keen to encourage presentations by researchers whose work involves creative practice and those in creative arts (Creative Writing, Design, Music, Performing Arts, Architecture, and Visual Arts).
Call for Papers
We invite papers from graduate students and academics that explore “truth” in the Arts & Humanities. We welcome papers on topics that include, but are not limited to:
- Truth, misinformation, and disinformation;
- Conflicting truths and marginalised identities;
- (Revisionist) histories and cultural narratives;
- Mythology, memory, and (pre)fabricated pasts;
- Legitimacy, credibility, and authenticity;
- Technology and truth;
- Power, agency, and critique
Papers will be broadly grouped by theme so that similar topics can be presented within the same time slot/panel. There will then be a 30 minute group discussion at the end of each panel in lieu of individual Q & As.
We welcome submissions in the following formats:
- In person paper presentation: 15 minute slot followed by space in the 30 minute group discussion with other panelists.
- In person practice research: 10 minute performance and 5 minute contextualisation and then participation in 30 minute group discussion.
- Poster presentation: An A1 poster displayed in the conference venue.
- Pre-recorded paper presentation: For those for whom in person attendance would be prohibitive, we have the potential for pre-recorded presentations.* These should be 15 minutes in length.
If you have any queries regarding presentation modes or need this information in another format, please email truthcon2026@gmail.com
Submissions should be made via the Truth Conference Submission Form on our website.
https://truthcon2026.my.canva.site/
Harley E. Ryley