Waseda University (Tokyo), in conjunction with the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Institute (Stratford-upon-Avon) and the Université Libre de Bruxelles are hosting an international conference that aims to explore the raison d’être of literature and the arts in a world of increasing political and cultural divisions.

The focus of the conference will be on how Shakespeare and the study of Shakespeare might contribute to mitigating the present political and social divisions that threaten to undermine the basic principles of a democratic society: divisions that range from cancel culture and TERF activism, the vilification of immigrants and climate change denial, to geopolitical struggles around the world. It takes as its starting point Richard Rorty’s argument that literary texts are “narratives which connect the present with the past, on the one hand, and with utopian futures, on the other,” promoting human solidarity. The aim of the conference is to identify shared views and values within the palimpsestic nature of the works, the widely-varied discussions and interpretations they have invited, and the complex views that unfold in the works themselves, as points of solidarity and keys to overcoming the polarization in the world today.

Possible topics of discussion could include:

Engagement with contentious aspects of the text through digital and other forms of media
Theater practices that encourage the audience to engage with the text and one another
The work of editors in dealing with politically contentious aspects of a text
Surveys of Shakespeare criticism that identify common threads of ideas in antithetical discussions
Politically or culturally divisive issues added to the works through translation
Adaptations of the works that address the issue of polarization
Prospective keynote speakers include Professor Nataliya Torkut (National University, Zaporizhzhia; Ukrainian Shakespeare Centre) and Professor Michael Dobson (Shakespeare Institute, the University of Birmingham). Please check Waseda University Brussels Office for details and the latest updates on the conference.

Call for Papers

We invite proposals for papers. Please register here. You will then receive a message with an email address to which proposals should be sent by noon (JST) on 31 August 2025. You will be notified of results of the selection by 30 September 2025.

Proposals should include 1) the name of the author, with affiliation, and email address, 2) a 100-word biographical note 3) the title of the proposed paper, and 4) a 300-word abstract. Selected papers will be organized into panels of 3 20-minutes papers each with a 30-minute Q&A at the end of each panel.