Conversations IX: Grounding Aesthetics

The broad theme for this Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium (CHiPS) is issues related to aesthetics. Most philosophical reflection under the heading 'aesthetics', especially within mainstream Western philosophy, presents itself as an esoteric engagement with a very limited number of masterpieces in a very limited variety of genres/forms. While not wishing to exclude the usual suspects, we believe that what is of concern to aesthetics is of fundamental concern to all of us, shapes our understandings of self and others in countless ways, and deserves integration into much of our present-day social and political thinking. To that end, we hope to provoke discussion of the, perhaps, over-narrow boundaries of aesthetics' concern as it is generally conceived; what might be learnt from examination of the ways different cultures view the role of aesthetic categories and activities; how distinctively aesthetic categories shape our thinking in other areas; and other such concerns. In keeping with the spirit of our conversations, we hope to bring together thinkers operating in and across different cultural and philosophical traditions as well as other disciplines that share a boundary with philosophy. In addition to regular paper presentations, we would also welcome suggestions for workshops, demonstrations and other relevant activities.


Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Nkiru Nzegwu, Professor of Africana Studies and Philosophy, Interpretation and Culture at Binghamton University, USA. An accomplished painter, her academic areas of expertise include African aesthetics, African philosophy, African feminist issues and multicultural studies in art. She is the founder of the Africa Knowledge Project, which publishes five peer-reviewed journals and hosts three databases. Dr. Nzegwu is the editor of JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies and co-editor of the West African Review.

Contact persons:

Prof. Frederick Ochieng’-Odhiambo: [email protected] 

Prof. Ed Brandon: [email protected]

Ms. Roxanne Burton: [email protected]

Papers from the earlier symposia can be accessed from: