XII University of Minho Philosophy Students' Conference

CALL FOR PAPERS

XII UMinho Philosophy Students Conference: “The Environmental Crisis: Approaches and Possible Solutions”

Where: Auditorium of the School of Letters, Arts and Human Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

When: 23rd-24th April 2024 

Description:

The UMinho Philosophy Students Conference is an annual event organized by the Philosophy Department and the Philosophy Students' Association at the University of Minho. This year’s Conference is organized with the support of the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society (CEPS) and the Centre for Research in Economics and Management (NIPE).

The broad topic of the conference is the environmental crisis. The concept of environmental crisis refers to the set of problems related to the rapid and large-scale changes  and degradation of the natural environment. The consequences arising from environmental issues urge a rethinking of the relation between humans and nature, as well as an exploration of its causes and ways of tackling the current situation. The broadness of related themes and the interconnection of its many dimensions make it a subject of exploration that necessitates a plurality of approaches and research agendas.

In this conference, we are interested in exploring the dimensions that comprise the environmental crisis and the strategies able to respond to their corresponding problems. The event is comprised of four major panels, with the corresponding keynote talks and the presentations around the suggested themes (see list below).

Keynote speakers

1.         Guy Standing (SOAS, University of London)

2.         Chris Armstrong (University of Southampton)

3.         Bernhard Sylla (Philosophy Department at the University of Minho and CEPS)

4.         Nicola Piras (CEPS, University of Minho)

The invited keynote speakers for this conference will offer their own views on some of the most pressing environmental problems we face today and potential solutions to them. Professor Guy Standing’s lecture will be on his recent book, The Politics of Time: Gaining Control in the Age of Uncertainty (2023), focusing on how the definition and use of time is a political tool that reflects fundamental beliefs and values about the orientation of life and labour. In it, Professor Standing proposes a new politics of time, which could liberate us and help save the planet, through strengthening real leisure and working together through commoning. Professor Chris Armstrong will lecture on his book, A Blue New Deal: Why We Need a New Politics for the Ocean (2022), providing an account of the oceans’ state, the environmental and political crises that currently characterize it, and proposing political solutions that are able to tackle them. Professor Bernhard Sylla will give a lecture on the Anthropocene as a concept which allows to understand the environmental crisis in a broader and critical perspective. Nicola Piras will lecture on the philosophical tools to revise and ameliorate concepts related to food production and consumption, ensuring their continued effectiveness in the face of environmental threats.

Specifically, we welcome contributions relating to (but not limited to) the following questions:

1.      The philosophy and politics of time

2.      The exploration of environmental resources and political solutions to the environmental crisis

3.      The philosophy of the Anthropocene

4.      The philosophy of food

Submission of abstracts: All members of the community interested in presenting are kindly invited to submit a proposal by 1 March 2024, in either Portuguese or English. Submissions should contain the title of the presentation, an abstract of maximum 300 words, as well as the author’s name, affiliation, and e-mail. We request you submit the abstract through this form: https://shorturl.at/bjSY9

Presentations: All presentations will have a duration of 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion.

Registration fee: Standard registration: 50€. MA and PhD students, and early-career researchers: 35€.

Contact: All inquiries about the conference should be sent to: [email protected]

Organizing Committee

Department of Philosophy, University of Minho

Philosophy Student’s Association, University of Minho

Scientific Committee

Professors and Researchers from the Philosophy Department at the University of Minho

And from Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society (CEPS)

Philosophy Student’s Association, University of Minho