Human rights and equality appear as ideals appealing to most if not all people across the globe. However, the way people understand and experience these ideals can vary significantly since even the most conservative politicians or activists use these ideals in some shape or form. This reveals complexity and multidimensionality of equality and human rights which often hampers efficient public debate, communication and mutual understanding. At the same time, the concept of equality is the subject of philosophical and academic discussions of which many contain difficult and not immediately accessible language. The experience of (in)equality is also not immediately comprehensible by those who have not personally been victims of any sort of discrimination.

Arts and various artistic practices – visual arts, performing arts, or literary arts – have long been recognised for their ability to document human rights abuses. Arts also play a role in increasing empathy, communicating feelings and emotions. Discussions about arts’ ability to contribute to building stronger communities, translating human experiences and knowledge into a more accessible form, or acting as a creative force leading to positive change in our societies are ongoing.

This workshop aims to explore further these themes focusing on methodologies and approaches for creation of synergies between arts (understood broadly) and the equality-oriented dimension human rights. What uses of arts are particularly conductive to sharing of lived experiences of disadvantage to evoke compassion and create mutual understanding? How can artistic means be used to communicate ideas about equality, including in their scientific complexity? What specific forms of artistic communication are most conductive to positive change? 

We invite papers on these and related questions from scholars, artists and activists alike. Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are the most welcome. Equally, we are looking for both theoretically informed contributions as well as empirically grounded work, including examples of successful novel synergies and collaborations.

About the workshop

The one-day workshop will be held on 29 May 2025 at the Centre for Advanced Study, Sofia Bulgaria. The participants will be required to submit a 1000 words concept paper by 22 May 2025. While this will be an in-person workshop, online attendance can be facilitated in justified circumstances. The workshop will also serve as a form of feedback on future publishable outputs as the organisers aim to submit an edited volume proposal to a reputable publisher. Publication plans will be discussed during the workshop.

While the participation in the workshop is free, the organisers are unable to cover any travel or accommodation expenses.

Submission process

Please submit a 300 words abstract to the organisers Ekaterina Yahyaoui (Ekaterina.yahyaoui@universityofgalway.ie) and Honor Tuohy (H.Tuohy3@universityofgalway.ie) (please use both emails) by 30 April 2025. Decisions will be communicated in the following week.