The University of Alicante is set to bring together international experts to explore the role of emotions in visual research. The event, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA), will take place from 15 to 17 October.
Key questions guiding the international meeting titled “Affective visuality: the question of emotion in visual research” include: What emotions does an image convey? How does the personal experience of the researcher influence their interpretation? What is the relationship between photographs, collective memory, and identity construction?
This gathering will unite specialists from various countries to examine the connections between images, emotions, and social life. The central idea is that images are not merely representations of reality; they also shape how individuals feel, remember, and interpret the world.
The meeting will address both the emotions expressed by visual materials and the role of affect in research methods and the experiences of those conducting this work. It will also consider the reception of results, the relationships between researchers and participants, and the ethical implications of producing images in diverse social contexts.
“The main objective is to teach researchers how to use images in their studies, including photography, video, film, and visual arts,” said Juan Antonio Roche, Professor of Sociology of Culture and Arts at the University of Alicante and co-director of the workshop alongside Carolina Cambre, a sociologist and education professor at Concordia University in Montreal.
The programme will combine theoretical reflection, empirical research, and practical experimentation. It includes four international lectures, three interactive participatory workshops, around fifty presentations by researchers, and a meeting between participants and IVSA President Susan Hansen.
The lecture series will provide complementary approaches to the relationship between visuality, emotions, and society. Topics will include the consequences of cultural hierarchies in image production, experiences of exclusion, the expressive capacity of art, and the place of emotions in contemporary societal transformations.
Carolina Cambre will deliver a lecture titled “Towards Decoloniality: Social Reflections on Visual Aesthetics,” while Turkish journalist, researcher, and human rights activist Kemal Vural Tarlan will discuss “The Anatomy of Being ‘the Refugee of the Refugee’: Biopolitical Exclusion and Emotional Regime among Syrian Itinerant Romani Communities (Dom and Abdal).” Eduardo Bericat from the University of Seville will present “Art and Emotions: Images as Living and Frozen Emotions,” and Juan A. Roche Cárcel will speak on “Emotions as a Bridge to Understand the Future of Images and Society.”
The practical dimension of the programme will allow attendees to engage not only in analysing existing images but also in processes of creation, interpretation, and collective knowledge construction. The three workshops will explore various ways to relate personal experience to visual research, from instant photography to digital archives and shared narratives.
The programme also includes a cultural activity at Casa Bardín, the headquarters of the Alicante Institute of Culture Juan Gil-Albert. Titled “Weaving Stories, Dressing in Words,” Maribel Doménech will propose an exploration of the relationships between textile creation, storytelling, and language.
