Anxiety and Trauma With and Beyond Kierkegaard

For this 2025 edition of the Existential Philosophy in Times of Change and Crisis cycle, we invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to submit abstracts for an interdisciplinary conference examining the themes of anxiety and trauma and relations to existential philosophy. We eagerly await submissions in the context of Kierkegaard’s philosophy and that of subsequent existential thinkers, but also encourage more modern approaches exploring how these ideas can be expanded and reinterpreted in contemporary thought and contexts. We aim for this conference to initiate a dialogue between philosophy (anxiety as a philosophical concept), theology (anxiety in relation to religion and the divine), psychology (anxiety, trauma, neurodivergence, etc.), and related disciplines to address the persistent and urgent issues of existential anxiety and trauma in our modern world. 

This conference will consider Kierkegaard’s and existential philosophy’s contributions alongside modern theories of anxiety and trauma, engaging with questions such as: How can Kierkegaard’s understanding of anxiety inform current conversations about individual anxiety, psychological, cultural and social trauma? In what ways can existential insights be expanded or challenged by modern perspectives, including psychoanalysis, neuroscience, existentialist perspectives and post-structuralist thought? Can existential philosophy provide pathways for therapy, for healing in the face of individual and collective trauma?

Topics of Interest

We welcome submissions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

1.    Kierkegaardian Foundations: Analyses of Kierkegaard’s writings on anxiety, despair, freedom, disability and the self.

2.    Trauma and Existential Philosophy: Connections between Kierkegaard’s ideas and contemporary theories of trauma and post-traumatic growth.

3.    Interdisciplinary Approaches: Dialogue between existential philosophy and disciplines such as psychology, theology, sociology, and neuroscience.

4.    Freedom and Responsibility: Explorations of anxiety as it relates to moral and existential responsibility in modern contexts.

5.    Social, Cultural and Collective Anxiety: The relevance of Kierkegaard’s insights for addressing societal and cultural crises, such as climate change, political polarization, and global pandemics.

6.    Healing and Transformation: Philosophical and practical pathways for addressing anxiety and trauma through Kierkegaardian frameworks.

7.    Beyond Kierkegaard: Anxiety and trauma in other existential traditions or thinkers, such as Camus, Beauvoir, Sartre, Levinas, Wittgenstein, Jaspers, Heidegger, etc.

Submission Guidelines

We invite abstracts of no more than 300 words for papers of approximately 25 minutes in length. Submissions should include the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and a brief bio-bibliography (100 words). Proposals for panel discussions or workshops are also welcome; these should include a description of the proposed session and abstracts for individual contributions.

Deadline for Submissions: 15 February 2025

Notification of Acceptance: 1 March 2025

Conference Date and Location: 22-23 May 2025, Krakow University of Economics, Krakow, Poland

Please send submissions and inquiries to: [email protected]

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to thought-provoking discussions on the enduring and evolving relevance of existential thought for understanding anxiety and trauma in our contemporary times of crisis.

Conference participation is free of charge; please note however that we cannot provide funding for travel and accommodation.

Registration

If you would like to attend the conference without presenting a talk, please register by 12 May 2025 by email: [email protected]

Conference Organizers:

Mélissa Fox-Muraton, Clermont School of Business/PHIER, University Clermont Auvergne 

Jakub Gomułka, AGH University of Krakow

Maciej Kałuża, Krakow University of Economics 

Hanna Nasielska, Krakow University of Economics, Doctoral School University of the National Education Commission, Krakow

Organizational Committee:

Katarzyna Baran, Krakow University of Economics 

Dorota Bentke, Krakow University of Economics

Scientific Committee: 

Katarzyna Sanak-Kosmowska, Krakow University of Economics 

Bartłomiej Kossakowski-Kisiel, Doctoral School University of the National Education Commission, Krakow