CFP: Critical Theory at the Margins

CALL FOR PAPERS

Founded in 2007, a group of alumni from the philosophy program of the University of Santo Tomas decided to name what would then become the official open-access journal of the Department of Philosophy as Kritike: An Online Journal of Philosophy. The word ‘kritike’ comes from the Greek verb κρίνειν (‘krinein’), which means ‘to discern.’ Hence, kritike means ‘the art of discerning’ or ‘the art of critical analysis.’ Any form of philosophizing is, in one way or another, a ‘critique’ of something. Being critical, therefore, is an attitude common to all philosophical traditions. Indeed, the meaning of philosophy is critique and to be philosophical is to be critical.

The journal, since its inception, has been a staunch advocate of critique. Owing perhaps to the spirit of no less than Theodor Adorno himself who proclaimed that “Critique alone, as the unity of the problem and its arguments, not the adoption of received thesis has laid the foundation for what may be considered the productive unity of the history of philosophy,” we may surmise that now more than ever, and especially in today’s fast-paced world, the task of the philosopher is not only to actively change the world, but to critically interpret it.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the journal, the UST Department of Philosophy is hosting the first ever Kritike Conference with the theme, “Critical Theory at the Margins.”  Max Horkheimer understands critical theory as propounding a strong social and political claim: emancipation from slavery and the abolition of social injustice.  Critical theorists have always been staunch defenders of social justice and egalitarianism through their vocal criticisms of the ideological nature of capitalist culture and the oppressive tendencies of Western empires.  While the birthplace of critical theory is Europe, its normative claims are, nonetheless, universal, inasmuch as it lends an intellectual voice to the voiceless and articulate a notion of hope for the hopeless.  In the context of the Philippine society, critical theory may play an instrumental role in analyzing social and political pathologies.  Moreover, the complex history of the Philippines, as a post-colonial nation with a neo-colonial culture, has resulted in “marginal spaces” that profoundly inform Filipino identity and culture.  As such, the Philippines is a peculiar locus for the possibility of a critical theory of society that is characterized by marginal spaces.  While we may understand the word “marginal” in its negative form, usually referring to the disadvantaged members of society, it is also possible to construe “marginal” precisely as the obverse of the disadvantaged, as there are subterranean cultures that are thriving, yet largely unrecognized or misrecognized.  These subterranean cultures or “alternative rationalities,” when given voice, may inspire new forms of normative modalities that could respond to various forms of social and political crises, thus instigating the possibility of hope and the activation of utopian visions.

We, therefore, seek paper proposal submissions from a wide range of disciplines that focus on how a critical theory of society plays out in a marginal nation like the Philippines where marginal spaces abound.  Paper proposals may be based on, but not limited to, the following sub-themes:

·         Critical theory and the Philippine’s colonial past
·         Critical theory and Philippine post-colonialism
·         Critical theory and Philippine neo-colonialism
·         Critical theory and the plight of Philippine indigenous peoples
·         Critical theory and the effects of globalization in the Philippines
·         Critical theory and the question of human rights
·         Critical theory and the workplace
·         Critical theory and Philippine capitalism
·         Critical theory and Filipino diaspora
·         Critical theory and Philippine democracy
·         Critical theory and Marxism in the Philippines
·         Critical theory and social pathologies in the Philippines
·         Critical theory and the Philippine educational system
·         Critical theory and alternative rationalities

We also welcome submissions that deal with critical theory and its relation to other intellectual traditions and motifs, such as:

·         The Frankfurt’s School’s intellectual tradition and continuing legacy
·         Critical theory and socio-political theory
·         Critical theory and aesthetics
·         Critical theory and psychoanalysis
·         Critical theory and literary theories
·         Critical theory, philosophy of education, and critical pedagogy
·         Critical theory and philosophy of language
·         Critical theory and gender studies
·         Critical theory and moral philosophy
·         Critical theory and legal studies
·         Critical theory and its role in understanding social pathologies
·         Comparative studies on critical theory and other philosophers and philosophies
·         Traditional vs. Critical Theory
·         Critical theory as philosophical praxis
·         German critical theory and French post-Marxism
·         Contemporary critical theory

This conference will be held at the University of Santo Tomas, from the 1st to the 2nd of December 2017. 

Interested participants may send a 200 to 300-word abstract along with the following information contained in a single document:

I. Title

II. Author/s

III. Institutional Affiliation

IV. Email Address

V. Abstract

VI. Keywords (3-5 only)

Submit your proposal electronically, as an attachment (.doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf) to [email protected] with the subject “*Surname* - Kritike Conference Abstract” (e.g., Rosarito – Kritike Conference Abstract) on or before 31 October 2017 (Tuesday).

Attendance to the conference, for both presenting and non-presenting participants, is free, but requires registration. To register, please accomplish the online form in this link: https://goo.gl/forms/wjwiN6jEECMWNsQk1

For concerns and queries, please feel free to email us at [email protected].