Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies, University of London

20-21 October 2006

Italy has acquired in recent years a reputation for media sexism. Very few women have ever occupied any managerial or editorial positions within the mass media, while the representation of women on television is often reduced to the cliché of the velina.

The aim of this conference is to survey and analyse the presence of women in all Italian media over the whole course of the twentieth century. It is hoped that in this way it will be possible to expose patterns and mechanisms of discrimination, but also to explore how the media have offered women opportunities and assisted innovations in the established gender order of Italian society. The call for papers is directed at scholars working on various aspects of the Italian mass media, women’s studies, social history, sociology and politics.

Papers of 20 minutes are invited which consider specific roles (journalist, presenter, actress, singer, agony aunt etc.) or particular cases of women who have performed those roles. For example, contributions would be welcome on journalists such as Matilde Serao, Paola Masino, Margherita Sarfatti, Alba de Céspedes, Brunella Gasperini, Camilla Cederna, Oriana Fallaci and Rossana Rossanda; film actresses including Francesca Bertini, Alida Valli, Monica Vitti, Margherita Buy; television performers like Raffaella Carrà and Mara Venier, film directors and screen writers such as Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Lina Wertmuller and Francesca Archibugi, and musical performers including the Trio Lescano, Mina and Patty Pravo.

Contributions are also welcome on a range of other topics including women’s magazines, women in advertising, the image of women in specific publications, the feminist media critiques, the relationship between female politicians and the media, the representation of crime involving women, the depiction of figures such as the opera star, the prostitute and the businesswoman, female cartoon heroines.

Keynote speakers will include Milly Buonanno and Michela De Giorgio.

Offers of papers should contain the following: a title, a one paragraph outline, name, institution and status. They should be sent by 31 March 2006 to the conference organisers, Penny Morris (p.morris@italian.arts.gla.ac.uk) and Stephen Gundle (s.gundle@rhul.ac.uk).