Narrating Global Conflict

In celebration of the launch of HUM:Global in 2024, we are organizing a one-day conference.

At a time when the world is ablaze with perilous conflagration, entrenched geopolitical struggles, and atrocious warfare – scholars, journalists, artists, activists, and civilians – whether up close or from afar – are trying to make sense of the senseless.

Scholars might try to uncover the roots or dynamics of a conflict, while journalists cover the events on the ground and the human experiences of the same. Artists articulate the conflicted emotions or utter hopelessness of warfare, while activists may mobilize to shine a light on the oppressed, the suffering or the persecuted, or to instil moral indignation and hope amidst carnage. And civilians, citizens, human beings – we absorb, we consume, we engage, we share, we debate, we reject, we ignore, we act. All of us partake in globally interwoven narrations of conflict.

This public conference seeks to explore and connect how different professions narrate conflicts across time and space. It takes artistic expressions, personal accounts, and academic and professional analysis equally seriously. We do this both to unpack the innate qualities they possess as sensemaking practices and how they blend across a digitized, globalized interactive space to create sustained tropes of conflict and resolution in our time. Our aim, therefore, is to sustain a dialogue between perspectives on the global conflict at a historical moment when professional compartmentalization, ideological schisms and political naming and shaming risk tearing the critical, free, frank and interrogative exchange that universities are meant to lift apart.

Registration

Narrating Global Conflict is directed towards scholars and students at the University of Copenhagen and the wider interested audience. As such, all of the parts are open to the public. Due to space limitations, however, registration is required.

Register for the entire day and the individual parts. 

Preliminary programme

Part 1: Multisalen

Part 2: Multisalen

Part 3: UN City

There will be tea and coffee in the breaks.