By the end
of the twentieth century certain new media had established themselves which
have profoundly changed communication among lovers ó SMS and email in particular
have created new relational forms and new forms
of intimacy. Yet alongside
the use of these new media in the communication of love, the more familiar
ones deserve discussion as well, such as the telephone and telefax, and
even older media ó postcards, telegrams and love letters.
While the communication
of love is considered private or even intimate communication, electronic
media nonetheless point increasingly to an era marked by the intermingling
of intimacy and the public sphere, the abrogation of privacy. From declarations
of love on talk shows to televised dating games and marriage quiz shows,
television offers a
panoply of wildly popular
theatrical communications of love.
This symposium will
include analysis and discussion of these new media from the perspectives
of sociology, history, cultural and media studies, and linguistics, with
particular attention to their role in modifying communication relationships,
conditions of communication, and even communication itself.
Workshops are planned
on the following issues:
Intimacy and the public
sphere, private communication - private conversation - private language,
media-tizing the communication of love, old media ? new media
communication and relationship.
Submit abstracts (max.
200 words) of 20-minute presentations by 30 April 2002 to elwyss@ds.unizh.ch
Organized by Eva L.
Wyss (Universität Zürich)
Languages: English,
German, French