The History of Philosophy Society (HOPS) Annual Conference: Friction

“Friction” is meant to encapsulate both the discomforts and generativity of an encounter between self and other—between thinkers, between texts, between traditions, and between the self and the world. It gestures to the gap between certainty and the unknown/unknowable and the possibilities afforded by the translation of the untranslatable. While embracing the newness made possible only through the encounter with the other, “friction” also signals its dangers of unresolved prejudice, misunderstanding, and rejection.

This is a call for papers on “friction” in the broadest terms. We expect that the many interpretations of the theme will, collectively, add to our own appreciation of the necessity of difference in the face of a rising insistence on exceptionalism, uniformity, and purity and processes of purification.

Send submissions as an email attachment to [email protected] no later than January 6, 2026. Submissions should consist of the full paper (35 minutes of reading time, approx. 5000 words) and be prepared for anonymous review.