CFP: The 2nd Philosophy of Film Without Theory Conference

Call for Abstracts: 

The 2nd Philosophy of Film Without Theory Conference

Hamilton College, Clinton, New York (State)

Friday 20th October to Sunday 22nd October, 2023

The Conference Co-Directors invite abstracts for papers that embrace the opportunities offered by philosophy of film without theory.

We are honored and delighted to confirm the following invited speakers:

Noël Carroll, Jim Conant, Pamela Foa, John Gibson, Paul C. Taylor, Malcolm Turvey, and Iris Vidmar Jovanović.

We understand philosophy in general without theory as an activity that may include – but not be limited to – fine-grained description and discernment; disentangling confusions; reactive and/or reflective critical inquiry, the exploration of conceptual connections; logical geography; conceptual synthesis; the provision of perspicuous presentations and surveyable overviews; non-systematic engagement with individual or particular works, subjects, objects, ideas, events and/or situations…  and more.  

Philosophy of film without theory is amenable to any of the above approaches as part of its likely commitment to the value of paying close attention to the form, content, and thematic aspects of individual films and filmmakers (in front of and behind the camera).

The 1st Philosophy of Film Without Theory Conference, held at the University of York, UK, in 2019, welcomed 66 delegates from 13 countries, and hosted 32 talks. The wider enthusiasm ignited by this international conference led to a special issue of the journal Aesthetic Investigations, volume 3(2).

See here: https://aestheticinvestigations.eu/issue/view/554

This Spring Palgrave Macmillan publishes the 19-chapter collected volume Philosophy of Film Without Theory edited by York conference co-directors Craig Fox & Britt Harrison. Contributing authors include co-director of the upcoming Hamilton Conference, Katheryn Doran, together with Lucy Bolton, Carla Carmona, James Conant, Maximilian De Gaynesford, Rob van Gerwen, John Gibson, Eran Guter & Inbal Guter, Colin Heber-Percy, Iris Vidmar Jovanović, Andrew Klevan, David Macarthur, Rupert Read, William Rothman, Constantine Sandis, and Sebastian Sunday. The volume also offers an interview with Richard Allen and Malcolm Turvey.

See here: https://philosophyoffilmwithouttheory.com/book/

Submission Details:

Abstracts in Word (of no more than 500 words) should be sent to:

[email protected]

Closing Date: 31st May, 2023

Notification by: 30th June, 2023

We very much look forward to reading the abstracts and to welcoming all who are interested in upstate New York this October.

Conference Co-Directors:

Katheryn Doran (Hamilton College)

Craig Fox (PennWest University)

Britt Harrison (Independent)

With thanks to the Chauncey S. Truax, Hamilton College Class of 1875 Memorial Fund