Call for Papers
Music in a Divided World
77th Annual Conference of the »Gesellschaft für Musikforschung«
University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar
October 6-9, 2025
Deep rifts are emerging in societies, between world regions, and across religions. On a local level, events such as the recent state elections in East Germany and, more broadly, the presidential elections in the USA, reflect these global political upheavals. New conflicts are arising between East and West, North and South, urban and rural areas, older and younger generations, democratic and authoritarian systems, as well as between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, etc. The confrontational mentality of the Cold War seems to be returning.
Such Manichean views of the world were and are equally prevalent in the area of music. The history of music is marked by polarizations such as popular vs. serious music, new vs. early music, West vs. East, Wagner vs. Brahms, Nordic profundity vs. southern lightness, secular vs. sacred music, among others.
The framework of Music in a Divided World offers a space for an exploration of how music provides experiences and negotiations of boundaries between various societies and historical periods, and the bridges that can connect them.
Given the global challenges of our time, it is crucial to re-establish a common, tolerant, and democratic foundation in both politics and music that can serve as cultural and social groundwork for future generations.
Weimar – and especially the University of Music FRANZ LISZT with its central address »Platz der Demokratie« (Square of Democracy) – is a particularly fitting venue, 20 years after hosting the GfM’s international congress (2004), because it represents a full range of musicology (historical and systematic Musicology, History of Jazz and Popular Music, History of Jewish Music, Transcultural Music Studies).
The main sessions of the conference will approach the topic of “Music in a Divided World” from different perspectives.
All interested scholars – especially early-career researchers – are cordially invited to participate in the conference with contributions covering the wide field of current music research. Possible formats may be:
• Free presentation (20 min. + 10 min. discussion)
• Poster presentation
• Free panel or roundtable (90 or 180 min.)
• Specialized group session (90 or 180 min. and longer)
• Presentation of research projects (30 min. + 15 min. discussion)
• Experimental formats such as lecture-demonstrations.
Please submit your proposals in German or English no later than February 20, 2025 via www.hfm-weimar.de/gfm25 (where you will find the link to ConfTool). Please send any queries to: gfm25(at)hfm-weimar.de.
Applicants will be notified of the Program Commission’s decisions in April 2025.