Navigation

European artists and writers visualized the known world through personifications holding attributes related to each continent. Since the sixteenth century, continent personifications of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America appeared in pageants, atlases and prints, and became a very popular iconographical motif throughout Europe in all artistic media. These figures clearly show the way Europeans perceived the rest of the world - often characterized as a stereotypical Other – and were generally designed to express Europe’s belief of its own superiority, as well as its quest for a newer global identity. The organizers are publishing a co-edited book titled “Bodies and Map: Early Modern Personifications of the Continents” elaborating on continent figures ancient to eighteenth century, and are inviting authors for a sequel on the controversial topic of “Modern Personifications of the Continents.” For CAA 2020, we are welcoming papers dealing with modern continent personifications discussing - among others - examples such as the six sculptures (now in front of Musée d’Orsay) commissioned for the Exposition Universelle, 1878, Paris; Daniel Chester French’s sculpture set (1903-7) for former Custom House (now National Museum of the American Indian-New York; or monuments of Columbus portrayed with indigenous figures.

Please send proposals to Louise Arizzoli (larizzol@olemiss.edu) and Maryanne Cline Horowitz (horowitz@oxy.edu). Include in your proposal: name and affiliation, paper title (max. 15 words), abstract (max. 250 words), and a brief CV (max. 300 words; in ordinary CV format).