CFP: The Concept of Virtuality

CfA. The Concept of Virtuality: Summer Workshop in January

This is a Call for Applications for a summer workshop at the Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile, 21st-25th January 2019.

The concept of virtuality is used across a wide range of disciplines. First of all, outside the humanities it is of concern in fields from computer science to psychology. Indeed, there are technological foci on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality; gaming and ubiquitous computing; psychological studies of on- and offline behaviour; as well as explorations into the use of virtual technologies in fields like education and medicine.

The issue of virtuality is also spread throughout the humanities, from anthropology, social science and media studies to philosophy of technology. In philosophy there are very interesting pieces on specific subjects, and the philosophies of Bergson and Deleuze have it as a central concept. Notwithstanding these works, the complexity and dynamism of the concept remain relatively understudied and underdeveloped; it is a concept that is hard to pin down in any cohesive manner.

This workshop plans to start articulating a cohesive concept of virtuality. It is the first of three such workshops (the second (January 2020) will deal with a possible phenomenology of virtuality, and the final one (January 2021) will address new virtual technologies and their influence on our lives). The format is for a small number of participants (8-15) to first (on Monday) present their own take on the issue, using texts of one’s choosing. Tuesday and Wednesday will be seminar discussions around selected key texts (suggestions will be welcome). Thursday will be a study or free day, and on Friday everyone once again presents on the issue, taking the week’s developments into account.

Applications are welcome from all those in philosophy who are interested in the concept, as well as from related disciplines. Participants from out of town will be accommodated from Sunday 20th-Saturday 26th January. Travel costs are at each participant’s expense. To be considered please submit an abstract (300-500 words) on your conception of virtuality, as well as a copy of your CV. Please submit this application to [email protected] no later than Tuesday 25th September 2018. Successful applicants will hear back promptly.

If there are any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me (Dr Daniel O’Shiel) at the just-mentioned email address.