This conference re-examines four centuries of musical and artistic exchange between Italy and Jerusalem. It asks how sound, performance and visual practice have shaped social space, identity and cultural diplomacy at this East–West crossroads, inviting scholars, practitioners and community actors to present new research on archives, networks and hybrid repertoires from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century.

Argument

This conference forms part of the JERUS-IT-ARTS research programme on the artistic and musical relations between Italy and Jerusalem, conducted in partnership with the Custody of the Holy Land. Its purpose is to broaden the debate internationally by engaging academic communities, artists and social actors to examine the formation and evolution of both formal and informal creative and educational networks that have fostered—and continue to foster— the production and circulation of musical knowledge between the two contexts.

Jerusalem, a cultural crossroads and symbolic-political hub between East and West, reflects its plural history in its soundscape as well as in its sites of musical and choreographic production and performance. Across the centuries, the call of the muezzins, the peal of church bells, civil, religious, and military sound events, the activities of theatres, concert halls and cafés, and even festive gatherings in domestic settings have intertwined and overlapped. How do sound and music structure social space? Where are their thresholds of contact? How do they become instruments for identity construction and intervention in public discourse? What role have they played—and do they still play—in cultural diplomacy?

The coexistence of local musical traditions and Western systems, encouraged by the educational paths introduced by Catholic missions and, from the nineteenth century onwards, Protestant missions, has set in motion processes of convergence, interference and reworking of repertoires, performance techniques and listening practices. In the twentieth century, sonic modernity and globalisation further intensified these phenomena, generating new forms of hybridisation, appropriation and redefinition of musical languages.

The social, cultural, pedagogical, stylistic, and symbolic dimensions linked to this field of research will be at the heart of the discussion and can be explored through various disciplinary approaches, highlighting the plurality of perspectives and languages inherent in the humanities and social sciences. We therefore welcome proposals that delve into the artistic, institutional, and educational dynamics that have facilitated or influenced exchanges between Italy and the global city of Jerusalem in the modern and contemporary periods. Particular attention will be given to interactions between material and immaterial elements, as well as to the analysis of the processes of production, transmission, and transformation of knowledge.

Proposals may fall within one of the three thematic axes outlined below, though this list is neither exhaustive nor restrictive.

Axis 1: Music, Archives, Memory

This axis focuses on the archival and memorial dimension of relations between Italy and Jerusalem, questioning how testimonies and documents contribute to knowledge of the past, memory processes, and artistic creation. We encourage the study of institutional, associative, or private experiences dedicated to the archiving, valorization, and reuse of music, through the presentation of various types of corpora—written documents, sound recordings, audiovisual and photographic archives, and web archives—produced in research, institutional, or private contexts.

Attention will be paid to how these practices interact with the territory and the actors involved, fostering networks of exchange and contributing to the construction of collective memories and artistic projects.

Axis 2: Music and Cultural Diplomacy

This axis explores the strategies and discourses of cultural diplomacy by analyzing the role of music in policies of representation, mediation, and influence. It will examine how institutions such as churches and schools, radio stations and governments have supported musical education and production.

On one hand, attention may be given to musical education and production as social and political action. On the other, the focus will be on how local actors have interacted with or reinterpreted these dynamics - studying, practicing, and reshaping musical production and teaching - with particular emphasis on decolonial  approaches.

Axis 3: Performative, Stylistic, and Identity Dimensions

Dedicated to the analysis of music and dance in their various forms of production, dissemination, and reception, this axis investigates how the circulation and reconfiguration of knowledge and skills contribute to defining the artistic and musical identity of musicians and dancers, while also shaping the aesthetic and cultural references of audiences. Particular attention may be given to their integration into physical and social spaces, the analysis of practices, styles, and performative dynamics, and the way these elements inform repertoires, technical skills, and pedagogical approaches. The study may also focus on institutional, associative, or activist initiatives involving choirs, orchestras, and dance companies, as well as artists or collectives engaged in charitable projects or events with diplomatic and commemorative significance. These contexts offer insights into how music and dance, through performance, can assume not only an artistic role but also a social, solidarity-based and political function, influencing identity-building processes and cultural recognition.

Submissions guidelines

Papers may be delivered in Italian, English or French (15–20 minutes + discussion).

Send title, abstract (max 300 words), affiliation, e-mail address and keywords to amsansoni@unimore.it

by 15th July 2025.

Notification of acceptance: 30th July 2025.

Full papers (for an open-access volume): 31 October 2025.

Conference : 9 January 2026

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