The 5th International Conference on Image and Recognition, under the motto …., aims to bring together researchers who reflect on the foundations of the work and thought of J.R.R. Tolkien and its audio-visual, artistic, musical, playful manifestations.

Along with this year’s specific theme, we maintain the same theme as always: we seek to offer a humanistic look at the various forms of audio-visual production (photography, audio-visual and transmedia narrative, comics, video games…), of any genre and format, which explores the expressive power of the image as a path to the recognition of the human.

With these references as a starting point, this project will focus on four main points, which will also be considered as objectives:

Thematic area 1: “The poetics of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien”

This roundtable includes works on the poetics of subcreation, eucatastrophe, the origin, value and nature of myth, the narrative and narratological roots in Tolkien’s work, its consequences in contemporary literature, etc.

Thematic area 2: “Refracted light and discourses on truth: Tolkien’s myths in dialogue with the human sciences”

This roundtable includes the dialogue between philosophy, myth and narrative, which is based on poetic doctrine, as well as any other subject or approach in which the relationship between the expressive force of myth in Tolkien and a discipline of the human sciences is evident. Among these human sciences, we highlight the following for their relevance: narratology, mythocriticism, mythoanalysis, ethics and politics, psychology, pedagogy, anthropology, metaphysics and theology.

Thematic area 3: “Languages and the shaping of possible worlds”

The identity and development of language is central to understanding the fundamental motivation for the construction and design of Middle Earth. The word was, for Tolkien, one of the main pillars for the shaping of his world. This roundtable therefore includes the study and analysis of the value of language as a privileged vehicle for the expression of myth and as an axis that can articulate these different fields of knowledge. This study and analysis can be approached from a philological, linguistic or philosophical perspective.

Thematic area 4: “Miscellaneous: Image and recognition”

This roundtable includes the study and analysis of all the artistic, musical, audiovisual narrative, transmedia, video game, comic book, etc. representations that have been influenced by the thought and work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Whether as a way of developing his world beyond his writings, or as a new look or interpretation of the author’s work. All of this is based on the fundamental intuition that the image emerges as a poetic representation of the myth.

Priority will be given to research that seeks an interdisciplinary dialogue between thematic areas and the humanities. Especially insofar as the objects studied are presented to us as meaningful images in which to recognize our world and our way of inhabiting it. We are looking for:

1. Theoretical studies of conceptualisation that facilitate the analysis of Tolkien’s work in relation to the development of narrative and poetics, and that promote research in this field.
2. Theoretical reflection on the fecundity and capacity of the poetic foundations of Tolkien’s thought and work to present us with a meaningful world.
3. Analysis of the possible ethical, anthropological, social, etc., contributions or applications of the main basic themes and values that appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.
4. Case study analysis.
5. Hermeneutic, textual, aesthetic or close reading analysis of cultural objects.
6. Theoretical reflections and innovative methodological proposals related to the processes of creation and production of fictional worlds (worldbuilding).

OTHER ACTIVITIES PROPOSED FOR THE CONGRESS

A cineforum of “Return of the King”, (Peter Jackson, 2003).

This congress accepts proposals for oral communications, the written version of which may be published in the book containing the results of the congress in the Sindéresis publishing house, recognised with the SPI quality seal for specialised publications in the Humanities and Social Sciences; and proposals for academic video-essays, the final version of which may be published, with the approval of the scientific committee, on the congress website, as well as reviewed in (and linked to from) the aforementioned book which will contain the results of the congress.

Requirements for the acceptance of oral communications, video-essays and publication of the results of the congress

Only proposals that meet the deadlines and formal requirements indicated in this call will be accepted. Authors are encouraged to review in detail the section on REGISTRATION, PROCESSES AND SCHEDULE in this call and to confirm it on the conference website in case there are any updates.

In addition, the scientific committee, with a view to the subsequent publication of the results of the conference in the Sindéresis publishing house, recognised with the SPI quality seal for specialised publications in the Humanities and Social Sciences, will pay special attention to the following criteria:

• The relevance of the contribution in relation to the conference theme, JRR Tolkien: poetics, myth and language, with special emphasis on one of the four thematic areas.
• The scientific quality of the proposals and their possible impact on the training of communication professionals or on professional flows in audio-visual production.
• The originality and novelty of the proposal.

ORAL COMMUNICATION PROPOSALS

Authors are requested to send their oral communication proposals by means of a form on the conference website with the following data:

• Name and SURNAME.
• ID NUMBER.
• ORCID number (if available).
• Affiliation (if any).
• A postal address, in case it is necessary to send certificates or publications.
• A summary in Spanish, Portuguese or English of between 400-500 words, including: problem statement, purpose, methodology, results and expected conclusions.
• A list (between three and five) of the sources you intend to use.
• A curriculum vitae or brief CV of 100-150 words.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 24 January 2022; registration for the congress can be made once the paper has been accepted by the scientific committee and always before 14 February 2022.

VIDEO ESSAY PROPOSALS

Authors are requested to send their oral communication proposals by means of a form on the congress website with the following data:

• Name and SURNAME.
• ID NUMBER.
• ORCID number (if available).
• Affiliation (if any).
• A postal address, in case it is necessary to send certificates or publications.
• A presentation of the video with a length between 400-500 words, in Spanish, Portuguese or English.
• A brief list of the sources used.
• A resume or brief cv of 100-150 words.

Video essays must fit into one of the following genres, to be specified in the proposal: supercut; scene, shot, or structural analysis; and thematic essays. In all cases, they must conform thematically to the areas proposed in the call for papers. They can be in any language, always with English subtitles. They should be around 10 minutes in length.

The deadline for final submission of proposals is 24 January 2023. Registration for the congress can be made once the proposal has been accepted by the scientific committee and always before 14 February 2023.

The video-essay must be hosted on the Vimeo platform, with private access. It must include, in the first images, the author’s name, the title of the video-essay, as well as the name, date and logo of the congress. The deadline for sending the url with the final video-essay and the password to access it is 14 February 2023.

Submissions can be made in Spanish, English, Portuguese or Italian.

The following templates or forms are available on the UFVedu channel: