Delusions at the Intersection

Call for participation: We are looking for participants from any disciplinary as well as experiential background with an interest in the phenomenology of delusions. The workshop will be interactive throughout, and there will be ample opportunity for discussion and work in small groups. Brief optional presentation: participants are encouraged to give brief presentations in any format they wish (e.g., 5-minute flash-talk or provocation, 15-minute work-in-progress paper, data session or any other creative short format). We are especially keen to hear about theoretical and methodological challenges that you may have come across in your own research on delusions, and about transdisciplinary approaches that may help tackle these challenges.

Participation is free but is restricted to max 30 people. To apply, please send:

1. A short biography (100 words)
2. A statement of interest (300 words) including whether you would like to give a brief presentation, the topic of the proposed presentation and the format. If you do not wish to present, just tell us a bit more about you and your research interests.

Email the above to: [email protected] & [email protected] (cc: [email protected]). Please use “Surname - Sandpit Application” as your email subject line. If you need to make advanced travel arrangements and are seeking an expedited response, please contact the organisers directly. If your application is accepted, you will then be invited to register for the event on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/delusions-at-the-intersection-tickets-774099431237 

Applications deadline: January 15, 2024, 9:00am GMT.

EVENT OVERVIEW

Research into delusions poses methodological challenges that stretch and push narrow disciplinary boundaries. Depending on their disciplinary focus, researchers have often focused on individual features of delusional phenomena (e.g., their epistemic features, underlying cognitive biases or their clinical correlates), failing to attend to their complexity.

In contrast, phenomenological psychopathologists have emphasised the role of subjectivity in delusion formation and maintenance. However, much phenomenological work continues to rely on dis-engaged research practices that eschew critical reflection on the cultural, linguistic, historical and political contexts within which delusional phenomena are constituted. The aim of this workshop is to move beyond the traditional conceptualisation of delusion as ‘dysfunctional belief’ and open up a new trans- and inter-disciplinary space for methodological development and theoretical cross-pollination.

We are particularly interested to hear from scholars, practitioners and lived-experience researchers who are/have been involved in exploring delusional phenomena from a multiplicity of perspectives and methods from the psy-sciences, phenomenology, linguistics, social sciences, theology, anthropology, among other disciplines. The sandpit will also lay the groundwork to establish and international network for phenomenological and interdisciplinary approaches to delusion research.

SPEAKERS & CONTRIBUTORS

Anthony Fernandez (Southern Denmark)

Jasper Feyaerts (Ghent; Leuven)

Heiko Hausendorf (Zürich)

Yvonne Ilg (Zürich)

Jeannette Littlemore (Birmingham)

Anke Maatz (Zürich)

Rosa Ritunnano (Birmingham)

Rob Sips (Maastricht)

REGISTRATION INFO

Is registration required? Yes, successful applicants will be asked to register on Eventbrite.

Accessibility: Event organisers adhere to the BPA/SWIP Good Practice for Conferences and Seminar Series and the BPA Guidelines for Accessible Conferences.

Queries? Please email the organisers [email protected], [email protected] & [email protected]