With contributions by Saskia Beranek, Dietrich Boschung, Claudia Jarzebowski, Julia Kloss-Weber, Marianne Koos, Eva-Maria Lehner, Laura Bravo López, Birgit Ulrike Münch, Benjamin Paul, Hole Rößler, Maurice Saß, Alberto Saviello, Martin Schieder, Daniel Zec and Mariana Zegianini.
At the heart of this interdisciplinary volume of conference proceedings is the question of how portraits participate in the constitution of the self, and how portrait cultures not only reproduce but also construct identity. The volume focuses particularly on the emergence of cultural and gender identities and seeks to illuminate these questions across periods and cultures. This is connected with the aim of reflecting on continuities and breaks in portrait practices over the longue durée from a global, comparative cultural perspective. Focusing on the complex of themes surrounding portraiture and the construction of identity, the volume seeks to expand the lively research discourse on portraiture with new questions of social relevance, insights and transcultural perspectives, and to sharpen the view of current phenomena and discourses of the present.