400th Anniversary of publication of Galileo work

Okay, I guess this sounds geeky but I think this conference on Galileo sounds really interesting! I receive these notices because I'm on a listserv for Italian professors despite the fact that I'm not one!


University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Graduate Student Conference
October 29-31, 2010

"Forbidden Ideas: controversial modes of engagement in Italian intellectual tradition"


This year marks the 400th anniversary of the publication of Galileo Galilei’s most influential work, the Sidereus Nuncius (1610).

Although the groundbreaking ideas presented in this short treatise forever changed the perception of the universe in the intellectual and scientific world, Galileo was accused of heresy and faced torture and the Inquisition for the subversive potential of his words.

In the spirit of Galilei’s struggle, the Italian Graduate Student Association (IGSA) at UCLA is pleased to announce a graduate conference that will analyze controversial relationships between intellectuals and the Establishment throughout Italian history. Examples may range from Niccolò Machiavelli to F.T. Marinetti, from Giordano Bruno to Antonio Gramsci.

Did the idea of trial, imprisonment, exile, torture or even death hinder or advance the intellectual's interpretation of his/her contemporary reality? What is the relationship of Italian writers, artists, intellectuals, filmmakers, etc. with power structures throughout the ages?

This conference aims to explore the multifarious nature of this relationship and these questions, and to present current graduate research on controversial modes of engagement in Italian intellectual tradition. Papers from a variety of disciplines are welcome, including Italian literature, Film and Media Studies, Comparative Literature, History of Art and Music, and Science.


Possible topics may address:

Italian intellectuals facing trial and/or torture (Inquisition, Fascism, etc.)
Italian intellectuals in jail
Italian intellectuals sentenced to death
Issues of exile and emigration/immigration
Issues of censorship (forbidden books, burned books, censored books/films, etc.)
Controversial relationships between the individual and society/politics