Winter School in Phenomenology: "Phenomenology of the We. Intersubjectivity, Collective Emotions, and the Constitution of the Social World"

The Winter School Phenomenology of the We invites graduate students, doctoral researchers, and early-career scholars to explore phenomenological approaches to intersubjectivity and emotions. The event aims to foster discussion on the structures of shared experience, collective intentionality, affective relations, and the constitution of social life, bringing classical phenomenological perspectives into dialogue with contemporary debates. The Winter School will feature keynote lectures by Dan Zahavi and Sophie Loidolt.

Morning Programme

Thursday, 19 November

Dan Zahavi
The Unity and Plurality of Emotional Sharing

Anna Donise 
Empathetic Relationships and the Original Self

Friday, 20 November

Sophie Loidolt
Philosophy as a Communal Form of Life: Assessing Husserl’s Political Visions in the Kaizo Articles

Anna Pia Ruoppo
Back to the Origins: Ethics and Politics in Martin Heidegger

The morning lectures are open to the public, while the afternoon workshops are reserved for 20 selected participants. The workshops are designed to encourage intensive discussion and close interaction among participants and keynote speakers.

Applications and presentations

Those wishing to participate in the Winter School are invited to submit a short motivation letter, accompanied by a brief biographical note. Applicants who would also like to present their work during the afternoon workshops should additionally submit an abstract of no more than 1,000 words. Abstracts should address topics related to the general themes of the Winter School and should be written in English. Of the 20 participants admitted to the Winter School, 6 will be selected to give a 15-minute presentation, followed by discussion. Applicants who are not selected to give a presentation may therefore still be admitted as participants and take part in all afternoon workshops.

We particularly welcome abstracts addressing topics including, but not limited to:

• phenomenological approaches to intersubjectivity;
• empathy and emotional understanding;
• collective emotions and shared affectivity;
• social ontology and the constitution of the “we”;
• recognition, coexistence, and communal experience;
• classical and contemporary phenomenological perspectives on sociality.
• Phenomenology and the Idea of Humanism
• The Idea of Europe and the Crisis

Submission deadline: 1 October 2026
Notification of acceptance: 15 October 2026

Abstracts should be submitted to: [email protected] and [email protected]

Further information regarding the venue and programme will be communicated to selected participants.