CICCRE XII / 2024
14-15 iunie 2024

Confirmed plenary speakers

Antonio BUENO GARCÍA

Universidad de Valladolid-España

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Doïna LEMNY

Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou

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Ștefan LEMNY

Bibliothèque nationale de France

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Kazimierz JURCZAK

Universitatea Jagiellonă din Cracovia

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Nelu ZUGRAVU

Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași

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The International Colloquium Communication and Culture 
in Romance Europe (CICCRE)         
the XIIth edition, June 14-15, 2024,         
West University of Timișoara   

Biography.   
New Methodological Perspectives, Thematic Delimitations, and Case Studies


Call for papers

In European culture, biography has long been seen as the “royal road” to education and knowledge. From Plutarch’s Lives, conceived as individual pedagogical models, to Leopold von Ranke’s History of the Popes, which lacks moralizing and absorbs the individuality of pontifical sovereigns into the broad breaths of historical epochs; from Tacitus’ Agricola, a monument dedicated to the remembrance of a great personality in Roman history, to Carlo Ginzburg’s Menocchio, in his paradigmatic book The Cheese and the Worms, seemingly a narrative of the life of a minor character from the 16th century; from Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Painters to Salvador Dali’s Secret Life, biographical exposition appears to cover an unlimited spectrum of cognitive expectations. It has been embraced by historians, philologists, philosophers, moralists, and even sociologists and psychologists, who have found in the “biographical method” a legitimate research tool that provides answers in the process of interpreting works. Both artistic and scientific creations can be understood from the perspective of the experiences, beliefs, sensibilities, or actual lived ideals of their authors.

It has often been rightly observed that the main advantage of the biographical approach lies in the possibility of projecting the studied “object” along the axis of time; in other words, adopting a diachronic perspective on things and placing them within historicity. However, the biographical perspective has not been exempt from criticism and objections, especially in the second half of the 20th century. On the one hand, systemic paradigms and structuralist models of analysis replaced historicist (implicitly biographical) approaches. On the other hand, “critical” theoretical currents and orientations contested the alleged elitism of biographism, accusing it of focusing on highlighting the lives of great personalities and neglecting the “common man,” “classes”, or “the masses.” Furthermore, the application of quantitative methods in the social sciences, particularly statistical ones, left less and less room for the individual, the singular, and the exception.

Nevertheless, biographies continue to pique the interest of the general public. The lives of presidents, artists, writers, geniuses, and even serial criminals, written by themselves or by others, continue to fascinate. In academic circles, after a period of marginalization, biography seems to be regaining attention. Is it still relevant? What are their current forms? What has it retained from the millennia-old tradition of biographical studies? Has it managed to overcome the various forms of criticism? What can it learn from them? What new thematic and methodological advancements do current biographical studies bring? What is the relevance of biographical intervention in understanding cultural phenomena today? These are some of the challenges of this 12th edition.

All those who are interested – professors, researchers, PhD candidates – are invited to reflect upon the interdiciplinary character of this topic and to submit proposals for one of the following sections: Latin Language and Literature; Romanian Language and Literature; Romanian as a Foreign Language; French Language and Literature; Italian Language and Literature; Portuguese Language and Literature; Spanish Language and Literature; Romance Languages Didactics; Intercomprehension of Romance Languages, Traductology; History and Cultural Studies; Music and Theatre; Arts; Book and Library.

Organisers and institutional partners

This scientific event is organised by the Faculty of Letters, History and Theology, part of the West University of Timișoara, through the Centre of Romance Studies, in partnership with the West University of Timișoara Foundation and the Classical Studies Society, as well as with The Spanish Embassy in Bucharest, the Honorary Consulate of Spain in Timișoara, the Honorary Consulate of Italy in Timișoara, the “Dante Alighieri” Association, the French Institute in Timișoara and the “Eugen Todoran” Central University Library in Timișoara.

As of 2021 CICCRE is part of the series of events UNITA Constellation (www.univ-unita.eu).

The president of the event:         
Valy CEIA, associate professor, Ph. D., West University of Timișoara

The Organising Committee:        
Mirela BONCEA, lecturer, Ph. D.   
Emina CĂPĂLNĂȘAN, lecturer, Ph. D.   
Valy CEIA, associate professor, Ph. D.   
Ioana Mia IUGA, lecturer, Ph. D.   
Ramona MALIȚA, associate professor, Ph. D., habil.   
Silvia MADINCEA-PAȘCU, associate professor, Ph. D.   
Simona REGEP, lecturer, Ph. D.   
Roxana ROGOBETE, lecturer, Ph. D.   
Dumitru TUCAN, professor, Ph. D., habil.   
Bogdan ȚÂRA, associate professor, Ph. D.   
Luminița VLEJA, associate professor, Ph. D.   
Manuela ZĂNESCU, Ph. D.

Scientific Committee

Honorary Committee

Florica BECHET, Emeritus Professor, PhD, University of Bucharest  
Jenny BRUMME, Professor, PhD, University of Barcelona  
Riccardo CAMPA, Academician, PhD, Honorary Doctor, The Italian-Latin American Institute, Rome  
Sanda CORDOȘ, Associate Professor, PhD, University “Babeş-Bolyai”, Cluj-Napoca  
Ioana COSTA, Professor, PhD, HDR, University of Bucharest  
José Manuel GONZÁLEZ CALVO, Emeritus Professor, PhD, University of Extremadura, Cáceres and correspondence member of the Spanish Royal Academy  
Jukka HAVU, Emeritus Professor, PhD, University of Tampere and correspondence member of the Spanish Royal Academy  
Michael METZELTIN, Academician, Honorary Doctor, University of Vienna  
Ileana OANCEA, Professor, PhD, West University of Timişoara  
Adriano PAPO, Academician, Honorary Doctor, University of Udine and “Adria-Danubia” Centre of Studies, Duino Aurisina, Trieste  
Lăcrămioara PETRESCU, Professor, PhD, University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” from Iaşi

Scientific Committee

Tamar APTSIAURI, Professor, PhD, University of Tbilisi  
Georgiana I. BADEA, Professor PhD, West University of Timișoara  
Laura BĂDESCU, Scientific Researcher I, HDR, The Institute of History and Literary Theory “G. Călinescu”, Romanian Academy  
Florica BECHET, Emeritus Professor, PhD, University of Bucharest  
Associate Professor, PhD, University of Debrecen  
Tibor BERTA, Professor, PhD, University of Szeged  
Frédérique BIVILLE, Professor, PhD, University „Lumière”, Lyon  
Mirela BORCHIN, Associate Professor, PhD, West University of Timișoara  
Jenny BRUMME, Professor, PhD, University “Pompeu Fabra”, Barcelona  
Norberto CACCIAGLIA, Professor, PhD, Honorary Doctor, University for Foreigners, Perugia  
Giovanni CAPECCHI, Professor, PhD, HDR, University for Foreigners, Perugia  
Ioana COSTA, Professor, PhD, HDR., University of Bucharest  
Vasile DOCEA, Professor, PhD, HDR., West University of Timișoara and The University Central Library “Eugen Todoran” from Timișoara  
Monica FEKETE, Associate Professor, University “Babeş-Bolyai”, Cluj-Napoca  
Katarzyna GADOMSKA, Professor PhD, HDR, Silesian University of Katowice  
José Manuel GONZÁLEZ CALVO, Emeritus Professor, PhD, University of Extremadura, Cáceres and The Spanish Royal Academy  
Jukka HAVU, Emeritus Professor, PhD, University of Tampere and The Spanish Royal Academy  
Coman LUPU, Professor PhD, University of Bucharest and The Pedagogical Faculty of Bratislava  
Laszlo MARJANUCZ, Professor PhD, HDR, University of Szeged  
Ileana OANCEA, Professor PhD, West University of Timişoara  
Adriano PAPO, Academician, Honorary Doctor, University of Udine and “Adria-Danubia” Centre of Studies, Duino Aurisina, Trieste  
Antonio PATRAȘ, Professor PhD, HDR, University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” from Iași  
Lăcrămioara PETRESCU, Professor PhD, Universitatea “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” from Iași  
Elena PÎRVU, Professor PhD, University of Craiova  
Vasile POPOVICI, Professor PhD, HDR, West University of Timișoara  
Alessandro ROSSELLI, Professor PhD, University of Szeged  
Eleonora RINGLER PASCU, Professor PhD, HDR, West University of Timișoara  
Mihaela Silvia ROŞCA, Associate Professor, West University of Timișoara  
Leonardo SARACENI, Professor PhD, Superior Institute of Music “Francesco Cilea”, Castrovillari  
Oana SĂLIŞTEANU, Professor PhD, University of Bucharest  
Nathalie SOLOMON, Professor PhD, University “Via Domitia” of Perpignan  
Geza SZASZ, Associate Professor, University din Szeged  
Andreea TELETIN, Lecturer, PhD, University of Bucharest and University Sorbonne, Paris 3  
Maria ȚENCHEA, Professor PhD, West University of Timișoara  
Libuše VALENTOVÁ, Professor PhD, The Caroline University of Prague  
Estelle VARIOT, Associate Professor, PhD, HDR, University Aix-Marseille, AMU  
Leonard VELCESCU, CRESEM-CRHiSM Researcher, PhD, University “Via Domitia” of Perpignan  
Violeta ZONTE, Professor PhD, HDR, West University of Timișoara