Call for papers
« Témoigner / Witnessing »
n° 37 (Spring 2021)
Intermediality. History and Theory of the Arts, Literature, and Technologies
Guest editors:
Rémy Besson, Université de Montréal
Claudia Polledri, Université de Montréal
Deadline for submitting a proposal: April 3, 2020
Announcement of proposal selection results: April 27, 2020
Submission of completed texts for peer review: August 30, 2020
Publication of the texts approved by the journal’s editorial board: Spring 2021
Witnessing
This journal issue explores the different modes of mediating testimony (verbal expression, writing, filmed interview, installation, website). While the study of writing and orality has long dominated this field of research, we now propose to think about the ways in which the inscription of testimony in various forms of sound and visual montages, its circulation on different media (analog or digital) as well as its various modes of archiving have changed our relationship to witnessing. Moreover, this issue moves beyond a view of testimony as the transcription or recording of words with the purpose of representing past events, and considers the testimonial value of cultural productions, their performativity in the public sphere and the agency of their creators, as well as, more broadly, the testimonial value of citizen interventions in the contemporary media ecosystem.
By placing the audiovisual dimension at the centre of the discussion, this issue aims to deepen the conversation on the notion of testimony. Indeed, for some researchers only the life stories of important historical actors constitute legitimate objects of study, whereas all cultural production (through image, text or sound) could potentially fall within the scope of testimony. Moreover, the testimonial value of citizens’ verbal expression circulating online also questions their mediality. The challenge of this multidisciplinary issue is to rethink these divisions and/or lack of understanding, which are often of a methodological nature. We propose, rather, the interpretation of witnessing from an intermedial perspective, which means questioning the links between the different forms testimonies take as a result of their edited textual or audiovisual representation, of the roles played by the mediums used in their creation and by the institutions (archives, museums, cinemas, courts of justice, universities, etc.) as well as the public and media spaces of which they are a part. In advancing this discussion, we would like to suggest a range of views from multiple disciplines, historical periods and geographical spaces. We invite authors to propose texts on the following topics:
- studies on cultural productions in which several types of testimonies coexist (exhibition, film, web documentary, theatre play, radio broadcast and podcast, remix, etc.);
- studies on the transfer of a testimony from one media form to another (for example, a film adaptation or a theatre play becoming an interactive site, etc.) and/or highlighting the reappropriation of images/words by other social actors;
- studies on the physical and material experience of witnessing, presented in a theatrical or museum setting (for example, an immersive visual and sound experience);
- studies on the emergence of new types of media devices for visual testimony, whether or not these devices are web-based;
- studies on incorporating visual testimonies within their host institutions (archives, museums, cinemas, courts of justice, universities, etc.) and in public spaces, showcasing the artistic, cultural, social and political application of witnessing.
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Intermédialités/Intermediality is a biannual scholarly journal, which publishes articles in French and English evaluated through a blind peer review process.
Proposals (max. 700 words) can be written in either English or French and should be sent to the issue editors at the following email address:
remy.besson@umontreal.ca ; claudiapolledri@gmail.com
The results from the selection process will be announced on April 3, 2020 and the deadline to submit the full texts of the articles will be August 30, 2020. The articles will then be evaluated through a blind peer-review process. The journal’s editorial board will make a final decision on the publication of articles over the summer months. The selected articles will be published in Spring 2021.
Final submissions should be no longer than 6,000 words (40,000 characters, including spaces) and can incorporate illustrations (audio, visual, still or animated) whose publication rights should be secured by the authors.
Authors are requested to follow the journal’s submission guidelines available at:
For more information on Intermédialités/Intermedialities, please consult the journal issues available through the online portal Érudit: http://www.erudit.org/revue/im/apropos.html
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