Call For Papers

The planned third volume of „Studies on History and Memory Areas. Yearbook of the KL Plaszow Memorial Museum” („Studia nad Obszarami Historii i Pamięci. Rocznik Muzeum KL Plaszow”) is planned to be published in October 2026. The volume will focus on presenting an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of “life after life” in the historical camps operated during World War II, as well as memorials and museums.

We aim to publish articles explaining how former German Nazi labour, concentration, and extermination camps in Poland and generally in Europe were preserved, protected or used, and what differences existed in this respect between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc countries – considering e.g. the question of continued coercive functions of the camps, their use for current political purposes, and the commemoration policy.

Another topic of crucial importance to us is the transformation of post-camp areas into memorial sites: what were the methods used, what was the reception of those projects (by the former prisoners, witnesses of history, people of science and arts), and what was the public response, also from the local community. We also invite articles on the former camps as sites that pose challenges to those working in heritage preservation and archaeology.

We will receive articles for the Yearbook’s third edition until 15 December 2025.
Please send your text in the MS Word format to: redakcja@plaszow.org.

The authors of articles qualified for publication will receive remuneration.

Conference Description
Images play a dominant role in shaping our culture and constitute one of its most fundamental media. Their propagandistic potential—as tools capable of shaping perceptions and attitudes—has been effectively employed in organized societies since antiquity.
Each historical era has assigned different forms and meanings to visual tools of persuasion, utilizing diverse media such as architecture, sculpture, painting, photography, film, and printed materials. Today, visual messages saturate our everyday lives, continually influencing our opinions, emotions, and behaviors. The persuasive power of images has found particularly strong expression in the age of digital media.
The aim of the conference is to explore the broad spectrum of the propagandistic power of images. We wish to focus on both static and moving visual forms as instruments of influence on audiences’ opinions and emotions. The conference seeks an interdisciplinary approach, inviting contributions from art history, sociology, media and communication studies, psychology, history, and the arts — from both theorists and practitioners.
This event continues the discussions initiated during the December 2024 conference “Iconography of Protest. Visual Manifestations of Dissent from the 19th Century to the Present.”

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Suggested Topics
• Transformations in the definitions, roles, and forms of visual propaganda across history
• The propagandistic potential of visual arts and architecture, and their service to totalitarian systems
• The role of visual propaganda in wars and revolutionary movements
• History as an object of contemporary propaganda
• Digital media as the dominant carriers of visual persuasion
• Visual propaganda as a tool of political communication and ideological struggle
• The goals and audiences of propaganda, and the choice of visual means
• Theoretical foundations of constructing persuasive visual messages
• Mass events and their visual settings as instruments of social influence
• The image and the shaping of national identity — its cultural and myth-making functions
• Psychological mechanisms in the perception of visual propaganda
• Creators, mediators, and audiences: processes of producing and receiving persuasive imagery
• Museum and archival collections related to propaganda

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Important Dates
• Submission deadline: 31 December 2025
• Notification of acceptance: 30 January 2026
• Conference dates: 12–13 March 2026

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Practical Information
• Venue: European Solidarity Centre, Library (1st floor), Plac Solidarności 1, Gdańsk
• Language: Polish
• Conference fee: None
• Catering: Complimentary refreshments and meals will be provided during the conference
• Accommodation: Participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodation; the organizers can offer assistance in choosing suitable options
• Publication: Selected papers will be published in a peer-reviewed and indexed post-conference volume

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Organizers
European Solidarity Centre
Organizing Committee:
Jerzy Klimczak, Karolina Lejczak-Pastuszka,
Dr. Grzegorz Piotrowski, Dr. Magdalena Staręga