Adaptation, Restoration, Rebirth: 20th Annual Association of Adaptation Studies Conference

Date: June 1-4, 2025

Place: santralistanbul Campus

The 2025 Association of Adaptation Studies Conference invites scholars, researchers, and media creators across all formats to share their work under the theme of “Adaptation, Restoration, Rebirth.” Hosted by Istanbul Bilgi University, the conference will be set in Istanbul—a city celebrated for its unique position as a bridge between continents and cultures, with a rich history of transformation and cultural convergence. The Bilgi campus is built around a former Silahtarağa Electrical Power Plant, built in 1914 and restored in 2007 to become an educational and cultural space. This creative repurposing embodies the conference theme, inviting discussions on how stories, histories, texts, spaces, and artifacts are continually renewed and reshaped across media, time, and cultures.

We welcome contributions that engage with any topic related to adaptation studies, but our program will focus particularly on the following questions:

Adaptation:

How do texts and cultural products evolve as they traverse different media, genres, and cultural landscapes?

What can these transformations reveal about cultural meaning and the impact of cross-cultural exchanges?

Restoration:

What role does restoration play in maintaining the integrity and value of cultural texts and adapted works of literature, film, television, and digital media, as well as in archival research?

How do contemporary restoration practices—ranging from the re-edition and re-translation of classic texts to revivals of classic films to the digitization and preservation of fragile media—shape the reception, authenticity, and continued relevance of these cultural artifacts?

How do architectural restoration and spatial adaptations—such as theme parks, museums, and urban landscapes—function as forms of adaptation, reshaping historical spaces and built heritage to reflect contemporary values and cultural narratives?

Rebirth:

How do the processes of adaptation and restoration breathe new life into narratives, genres, and cultural identities?

How can adaptation inspire a radical break from old ways of thinking about existing texts, spaces, media?

In what ways do these practices contribute to the renewal of cultural heritage and the reimagining of stories within the ever-evolving tapestry of contemporary contexts?

Topics on this theme may also involve the following – and please note that this list is not exhaustive:

• Restoring or renovating spatial narratives and experiences
• Stage and musical revivals
• Translation, rewriting, and adaptation
• Re-releases and re-editions
• Fan interventions
• Archive-inspired and archival adaptation
• Paratextual amendments and additions
• Restoring and reimagining mythologies
• Appropriation and reinterpretation
• Ecocritical, postcolonial, and feminist perspectives
• Deconstruction and reconstruction

We welcome individual submissions for 20-minute papers or video essays, as well as proposals for roundtable sessions featuring 4-6 participants discussing a central topic suitable for group discussion. We also invite proposals for pre-constituted panels consisting of 3-4 papers or presenters focused on a core theme. Practice-oriented submissions are especially encouraged, as they provide an opportunity to explore the practical aspects of adaptation and restoration in various fields.

Conference Organizing Committee:

• Assoc. Prof. İnci Bilgin Tekin (İstanbul Bilgi University, İstanbul, Türkiye)
• Emetirus Prof. Feride Çiçekoğlu (İstanbul Bilgi University, İstanbul, Türkiye)
• Dr. Sibel Irzık (Sabancı University, İstanbul, Türkiye)
• Dr. Colleen Kennedy-Karpat (Bilkent University, Ankara, Türkiye)
• Dr. Seda Öz (University of Delaware, USA)
• Prof. Özden Sözalan (İstanbul Bilgi University, İstanbul, Türkiye)

Keynotes (CONFIRMED):

Dr. Ahmet Gürata, Department of Cinema and Digital Media, İzmir University of Economics, Türkiye

Dr. Iain Robert Smith, Department of Film Studies, King’s College London, UK

Special Events:

The conference will feature a variety of social events, including a welcome reception, conference dinner, and a special screening of the film Don’t Let Them Shoot the Kite (1989), written by Dr. Feride Çiçekoğlu and newly restored by MUBI. A post-screening discussion with Dr. Çiçekoğlu will offer insights into the restoration process and the film's enduring relevance.

Submission Guidelines:

Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words

Include a brief biographical note (maximum 100 words)

Send all proposals via this online submission formno later than 1 December 2024

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUMyFZ6Sf3vLp7X1Gwz8XewE5_rbF0...

Notifications of acceptance will be sent by 3 January 2025. Please send queries to aas.2025.istanbul@gmail.com  

You do not need to be a member of AAS to submit a proposal, but you must be a paid-up member in order to attend the conference and to be included on the final program. For information about joining AAS: http://www.adaptation.uk.com/join-the-association/

Graduate Mentoring Workshop

The AAS sponsors a pre-conference workshop for advanced graduate students, who are invited to submit proposals for this workshop based on their doctoral research. A limited number of participants will be selected to attend based on a separate application, to be distributed in early 2025. The online submission form includes a request for further information.

Travel Bursaries

The AAS offers a limited number of travel bursaries for graduate students and early career researchers who lack institutional support for conference attendance. For more information, please refer to the online submission form.