CFP: “Belle Époque Effect: Cinema, Imaginary, Seriality,” Università di Firenze, December 3-4, 2025

The term Belle Époque refers to a specific cultural, social, media, and artistic period, roughly spanning from 1890 to 1914. Bancquart (1997) described it as a “festival of life,” capturing the era’s characteristic enthusiasm, euphoria, frivolity, and the revolution in social mores (Rearick 1985). Yet, the Belle Époque was also a fin de siècle, an expression that encapsulates the profound sense of decadence and crisis that permeated the period. This era – vibrant, yet idiosyncratic and “restless” (Houte 2022) – saw Western society dancing on the edge of the abyss.

Read the full call for papers here (English follows Italian). The conference will take place in Florence in December 2025.

Deadline for proposals: July 15, 2025