CFP: On the Threshold: Ambiguities, Differences, Intersections in Simone de Beauvoir's Oeuvre

On the Threshold: Ambiguities, Differences, Intersections in Simone de Beauvoir's Oeuvre

November 22−24, 2018, University of Latvia, Riga

Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, October 1st, 2018

Paper Submission Deadline: Monday, November 17th, 2018

The international conference On the Threshold: Ambiguities, Differences, Intersections in Simone de Beauvoir's Oeuvre is dedicated to the 110th anniversary of Simone de Beauvoir’s birth. It is hosted by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology and the Faculty of Philosophy and History, University of Latvia.

Simone de Beauvoir refused to be called a philosopher. She did not identify herself as a feminist either, at least not initially. None of these disclaimers hold true today since not only is Beauvoir credited as one of the founders of modern feminist theory but also regarded as an original and highly influential philosopher. Her philosophical legacy has proved to be a rich and fertile ground for academic study and has invited reflections on the philosophical enterprise itself. However, the contemporary reception of Beauvoir’s writings transcends narrowly defined disciplinary borders − e.g., philosophy, literature, auto/biography studies, feminist theories. The conference On the Threshold: Ambiguities, Differences, Intersections in Simone de Beauvoir's Oeuvre seeks to reveal the extensive and multifaceted nature of the issues that Simone de Beauvoir tackled in her creative and political life. We welcome scholars with various academic backgrounds to share their research interests, insights, and passions. We hope to open up an interdisciplinary (and intersubjective) space for thinking and rethinking questions whose importance Simone de Beauvoir has brought to light.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• The “non-philosopher” Simone de Beauvoir: redefining the tradition
• Intersectional readings: beyond the exclusiveness of affiliations
• Beauvoir and “women’s writing”: language, difference, reciprocity
• Appeal to others: the ethics and politics of solidarity
• Experiences of othering: the different voices of age, ability, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc.
• Ambiguities of freedom: the issues of complicity, agency, and responsibility
• Gendered selves: overcomingthe nature / society dichotomy
• Becoming bodies: childhood, youth, the prime of life, old age
• On the threshold of old age: mirror, temporality, corporeality

Registration fee: 30 €. For students the registrationis free of charge.

If the conference registration fee poses a hardship for you, please contact [email protected].

We welcome proposals in English or Latvian. Proposals should be prepared for blind review and should include: an abstract (containing title and abstract up to 300 words) and a cover letter (containing title of the paper, author’s name, affiliation, and contact information). Time for the presentations will be limited to 20 min (+ 10 min for discussions). Authors of approved abstracts will be invited to submit a full-length (maximum 3000 words) paper until the 17th of November. The final version of the papers will be considered for potential publication after the conference.

Students are invited to submit their proposals for a special panel.

Proposals should be sent to: [email protected]

Acceptance notification: October 8th, 2018

Further information will be available in due course.