CFP: Pain, Suffering and Health

The Centre for the Humanities and Medicine at The University of Hong Kong invites the submission of abstracts from across the disciplines, in connection with the international conference Pain, Suffering and Health to be held on 27 April 2012 at The University of Hong Kong.

The conference is being organized by the Centre’s Philosophy, Therapy, Medicine research theme and seeks to develop comparative perspectives on the nature of pain and its significance in relation to suffering and health. A key focus of the meeting is on the extent to which experiences and understanding of pain, suffering and health differ across cultural and historical settings.  A further aim of the conference is to consider the implication and applicability of theoretically-oriented approaches for health care professionals in clinical situations.

Possible topics might include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The nature and evolution of pain
• Culture and pain/Cultures of pain
• Elaborations on pain (in both Chinese and Western Medicine, History, Philosophy, Literature, Music, Visual Art)
• Pain and  communication
• Narratives of pain (particularly narratives of illnesses among health care professionals)
• Pain and suffering
• Religious perspectives on pain and suffering

Papers will be considered on any related theme.

Each presenter is limited to 20 minutes, with additional time for questions and discussion. To submit, please send via email a 300 word abstract by Friday 2nd December 2011 at the latest (response by 20th December 2011). Abstracts, which are sent in after this deadline, cannot be considered. Please include the following information: a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract. E-mails should be entitled: Pain Abstract Submission.

All enquiries and abstracts should be directed to Dr. Barbara Dalle Pezze, leader of the Philosophy, Therapy, Medicine research theme at the Centre for the Humanities and Medicine (HKU). Email: [email protected]