The 2nd international, interdisciplinary conference: Sociology of Gender section, Department of Sociology and Centre for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz

Time: 27.-29.05.2021
Venue: Graz
Proposals by: 31.01.2021

Theoretical discussions around creativity in the last two decades have turned around addressing existing dichotomies in its conceptualisation, such as professional/everyday and public/private. Cultural studies have been critical of creativity being approached in terms of the individual talent and elite (“creative class”[1]), in economic terms (“creative industries”[2]) or in terms of exclusive locations (“creative city”[3]). Gender scholars, in the meantime, have levelled criticism at the gendered definition of creativity, too often conceived as a property of a lone male genius, and at the gender bias of research on creativity that had tended to overlook activities in which women typically engaged [4].

Raymond Williams’ “common culture” [5] and Michel de Certeau’s “practice of everyday life” [6] show scholarly interest in creative practices beyond the economic or artistic context and emphasise community-based aspects of creativity, its cultural specificity and quotidian locations (“vernacular creativity”[7]). The interest in the communicative and social dimensions of creativity has been fuelled also by technological advances and the blurring of the boundaries between producers and consumers of the new media (“convergence culture”[8]). The abruptness of biopolitical state policies, such as lockdown or physical distancing, during the current Corona pandemic fostered improvisations to overcome the disruptions to professional, community, family and leisure activities. New media enabled sharing of creative responses to the constraints, including expressions of solidarity with others or maintaining relationships of care and connection with family members, friends and communities. Read more and source … (Web).