Call for Papers, vol. 9
«Mì parli nò!». Representations of Criminality between Aesthetics and Ethics (Balthazar, vol. 9)
The representation of criminality — across media, literature, cinema, music, and the visual arts — constitutes a crucial point of intersection for understanding the complex relationship between collective imagination, power, and transgression. For centuries, the figures of the bandit, the mafioso, the urban delinquent have populated artistic narratives, oscillating between the emblem of the romantic anti-hero and the charismatic pop icon, between social critique and aesthetic fascination.
This dualism – between condemnation and seduction, critique and idealization – raises deep questions about the role of art in shaping meaning and navigating moral ambiguity. What happens when violence is made beautiful? When illegality becomes style? When criminal narratives turn into spectacle?
At the heart of this reflection lies the ethical issue of representation: how can we distinguish between understanding and complicity, between critical narration and celebration? What responsibilities fall to those who produce content involving criminal realities – and to those who consume it?
The representation of crime is never neutral: it is shaped by ideological, aesthetic, and ethical tensions that deserve to be unpacked. Through a multidisciplinary lens, this issue of Balthazar aims to explore the many forms of aestheticization of crime and their symbolic, social, and political implications. The goal is to create a space for dialogue among scholars of literature, philosophy, media studies, visual arts, sociology, criminology, and cultural anthropology, in order to investigate the narrative and formal structures that transform illegality into story – and thus into aesthetic experience.
This invitation is also extended to those interested in critically examining the power of imagination, the function of storytelling, and the cultural responsibilities we face in an era of global seriality, cinematic nostalgia, true crime, and the cult of the villain.
Possible topics include (but are not limited to):
- Literary, cinematic, and television narratives of organized crime
- The myth of the “charming villain”: construction and deconstruction of the criminal hero
- Visual and sonic languages of crime across different media
- Aestheticization of violence and criminal codes in pop culture
- Ethical implications in the representation of pain and victims
- Urban decay as aesthetic and the criminalization of marginality
- Moral ambiguity in cultural products: consumption, empathy, identification
Accepted languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish
Deadline for submissions: October 15th, 2025
Expected publication date: December 2025
