“Fluidity & Musicality: Exploring the Rhythms of Language, Culture, and Identity.”
The Literature & Linguistics Interdisciplinary Conference (LINC), organized by the graduate students of the Modern Languages and Linguistics Department at Florida State University, invites submissions for its 2025 conference on the theme “Fluidity & Musicality: Exploring the Rhythms of Language, Culture, and Identity.” This interdisciplinary event seeks to explore how concepts of fluidity and musicality intersect across various fields such as language, literature, culture, linguistics, and performance. The conference encourages discussions that reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of identity, sound, and expression, creating a space for vibrant interdisciplinary dialogue.
“Fluidity & Musicality” invites participants to consider how the sonic qualities of communication influence not just meaning, but intimacy, longing, and expression. From the rhythmic cadences of poetry to the harmonic resonances of spoken language, we encourage submissions that highlight the musical dimensions of language—where the timbre of a voice, the tempo of a dialogue, or the dissonance of a narrative can evoke visceral responses, igniting or disrupting desire and reshaping our sense of connection.
Exploring “fluidity” through perspectives from musicology, ethnomusicology, literature, linguistics, and cultural studies, this framework searches through change, hybridity, transformation, and continuity across musical forms, narrative structures, performance practices, and identity expressions.
To inspire specific areas of research, participants could consider the following sub-themes and questions:
- Educational Approaches in Language and Music: Using rhythm, musicality, and sound to teach languages and cultures, promoting new methods for engaging students.
- Fluidity in Literature and Storytelling: Exploring how musicality influences narrative structures, rhythm in poetry, and the flow of stories across different cultures.
- “How Does Musicality Shape the Flow of Narratives in Literature?”
Investigating the influence of rhythm, tempo, and sound on storytelling in novels, poetry, and oral traditions. - Linguistic Fluidity and Multimodal Communication: How do language and music function together to create hybrid or fluid forms of expression? How do multilingual and cross-cultural contexts shape the interaction between these forms?
- Linguistic Musicality: How the rhythm, intonation, and melody of language shape communication and expression, from phonetic patterns to multilingualism.
- “What is the Role of Music in Shaping Multilingual Identities?”
Analyzing how musicians and speakers navigate linguistic fluidity through code-switching and blending of languages. - Cultural Fluidity and Exchange: The role of music and sound in the evolution of cultural identities and traditions, highlighting how cultures interact and transform through musical influences.
- “Fluid Borders: How Do Music and Language Evolve Across Cultures?”
Discussing the hybridization of music and language as they travel across borders and adapt to new cultural contexts. - “Melodies of Migration: How Do Music and Language Reflect the Migrant Experience?”
Investigating how musical expression and storytelling reflect themes of migration, displacement, and belonging. - Gender, Sexuality, and Sound: How sound, music, and voice provide spaces for exploring fluid expressions of gender and sexuality, with a focus on LGBTQ+ perspectives.
- Music, Nature, and Rhythmic Patterns: The connections between music, natural rhythms, and the environment, including how soundscapes reflect ecological interactions.
- “Nature’s Resonance: How Does the Environment Shape Musical Expression?”
Examining the relationship between natural sounds, traditional music, and literary depictions of nature. - Sonority and Meaning in Language: Examining the power of voice, sound, and silence in shaping linguistic meaning and the emotive impact of spoken words.
- “Rhythm and Resistance: How Do Musical Movements Influence Social Change?”
Analyzing how music and sound serve as forms of resistance and expression within cultural and literary movements.
We also encourage submissions that align with the following general themes:
A.I.
- Acoustic Ecology
- Anthropology of Music
- Aesthetics of Music
- Colonial, Decolonial, and Postcolonial Studies
- Comparative Literature
- Creative Writing Pedagogy
- Cultural Studies
- Diaspora Studies
- Digital Humanities
- Eco-Criticism
- Educational Theory
- Environmental Humanities
- Ethnomusicology
- Gender Studies
- History of Cultural Movements
- Indigenous Studies
- Intercultural Communication
- Language Teaching
- Linguistic Anthropology
- Media Studies
- Multilingualism
- Music Education
- Music and Technology
- Musicology
- Oral Traditions
- Philosophy of Language
- Phonetics and Phonology
- Poetry and Poetics
- Popular Music Studies
- Postcolonial Studies
- Queer Theory
- Race and Ethnic Studies
- Semiotics
- Sexuality Studies
- Sociolinguistics
- Sound Studies
- Spoken Word
- Translation Studies
- World Literature
Submission Guidelines
We invite proposals for the following formats:
Individual Papers: 20-minute presentations followed by 10 minutes of discussion. Please submit a 250-word abstract detailing your proposed paper.
Short Presentations: 10-minute presentations followed by a brief discussion. Please submit a 150-word abstract for these shorter contributions.
Panel Proposals: 60–90-minute sessions organized around a central theme related to “Fluidity & Musicality.” Panel proposals should include a 250-word abstract for the panel and 150-word abstracts for each presenter.
All proposals should include the presenter’s name, institutional affiliation, and contact information. Please indicate if you require any special equipment or accommodation for your presentation.
Joachim Adams