CALL FOR 15 CONFERENCE POSTER GRANTS
Ideologies of Conservation and Transformation
The 2025 ISR-FBK Summer Symposium ( June 23-24, 2025) will bring together scholars from diverse fields to discuss the semiotic ideologies underlying processes of conservation and transformation. At the core of the symposium is a critical engagement with the ways meaning is preserved, adapted, or radically reconfigured across different domains—religion, politics, digital communication, and cultural heritage. Building on contemporary debates in semiotics, linguistic anthropology, and philosophy, the event invites participants to explore how belief systems, traditions, and ethical frameworks mediate the shifting landscapes of meaning-making. What ideological forces shape our understanding of continuity and rupture? How do religious traditions and their ethics provide foundational paradigms for structuring change? What are the semiotic infrastructures through which transformation occurs, and how do they constrain or enable novel forms of signification? This symposium will examine these questions by focusing on three intersecting themes:
- Semiotic ideologies of conservation and change: The role of beliefs about semiosis in structuring the transmission and transformation of meaning.
- Religious traditions as semiotic reservoirs: The persistence of ethical and doctrinal frameworks as infrastructures for stability and innovation.
- Digital mediation and the transformation of meaning: The challenges posed by algorithmic environments, deepfakes, and digitalized identities to historical paradigms of representation.
Through interrogating these dynamics, the symposium will illuminate how meaning is never static but continuously reshaped by historical, technological, and ideological forces. It will offer a platform for dialogue between semioticians, anthropologists, philosophers, and religious studies scholars, fostering a transdisciplinary conversation on the ethics and politics of signification in a time of accelerated change.
List of speakers
Edna ANDREWS
Diana Georgiana APOSTICA
Annalisa BUTTICCI
Paul COBLEY
Lorenzo CORTESI
Maria Giulia DONDERO
Aurora DONZELLI
Valeria FABRETTI
Lucia GALVAGNI
Accursio GRAFFEO
Remo GRAMIGNA
Webb KEANE
Sung Do KIM
Ľudmila LACKOVÁ
Massimo LEONE
Graziano LINGUA
Gabriele MARINO
Constantine NAKASSIS
Claudio PAOLUCCI
Jamin PELKEY
Jenny PONZO
Tommaso ROPELATO
Rebecca SABATINI
Antonio SANTANGELO
Simona STANO
Frederik STJERNFELT
Debora TONELLI
Stephanie WALSH MATTHEWS
Jordan ZLATEV
Conference Grants
The Center for Religious Studies at the Bruno Kessler Foundation offers up to 15 Conference Poster Grants, each providing up to 300 euros to cover travel and accommodation expenses. Grants will be awarded through reimbursement based on eligible expenses. Recipients will also have access to the coffee breaks and lunches provided during the symposium.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to PhD candidates or PhD holders in religious studies, semiotics, communication studies, or related disciplines.
Application Procedure
Interested candidates must submit their application by April 13, 2025, including:
- Curriculum vitae (CV) in European format, highlighting academic and professional background.
- Letter of intent (max. 2000 characters), outlining research interests and motivation for participation.
- Abstract (max. 300 words) of a poster presentation intended for the symposium, emphasizing its relevance.
- One academic or professional reference, including names and contact details.
Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file via email to , with the subject line:
Symposium Grant Application – [Surname]
Important Dates
Application Deadline: April 13, 2025 (11:59 PM CET)
Notification of Acceptance: May 4, 2025 (8:00 AM CET)
Evaluation Committee
The selection of candidates will be carried out by an evaluation committee composed of at least three members, including at least one internal representative from the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK).
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Relevance of the research project to the themes of the symposium, with particular attention to semiotics, religious studies, and communication sciences.
- Scientific quality of the poster abstract, considering the originality of the contribution and its potential impact on the academic community.
- Academic and professional background, with particular reference to research experience, publications, and institutional affiliations.
- Motivation and relevance of participation, in relation to the candidate’s academic trajectory or career.
- Reference letter, attesting to the academic value and potential of the candidate.
Post-Publication Requirements
Following the publication of the rankings, selected candidates must:
- Formally accept the grant within the deadline specified in the official communication.
- Declare any incompatibilities, in accordance with current regulations and FBK guidelines.
- Promptly communicate any withdrawal, allowing the ranking list to progress accordingly.
Person in charge of the procurement phase:
The Director of the Center for Religious Studies (ISR-FBK) will be responsible for the process.
Call Publication Date
The call will be published on 24 March 2025
Processing of Personal Data
Pursuant to Art. 13 of EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR), personal data provided will be processed by the Bruno Kessler Foundation – as Data Controller – in accordance with GDPR and Legislative Decree No. 196/2003 as amended by Legislative Decree 101/2018 – solely for the purpose of managing the Conference Grants, and for other purposes consistent with the evaluation methods as specifically stated in this call. Data will be handled securely using manual, electronic, and telematic tools.
Providing personal data is mandatory to submit an application. Applicants have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to the processing of their data, as well as to request data portability or file a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority, in accordance with Chapter III of the GDPR. The contact point to refer to is .
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