CFP: The Philosophy of Ksenija Atanasijević

The Department of Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, and the University of Belgrade cordially invite you to participate in a conference marking the centenary of Dr. Ksenija Atanasijević’s doctoral dissertation defense. Ksenija Atanasijević (also written as Xenia Atanassievitch) was the first woman to obtain the title of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade, with a dissertation entitled Brunovo učenje o najmanjem (Bruno’s Doctrine of the Minimum) in 1922. Two years later, her appointment as Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy made her the first female university professor in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.

With her theoretical and socially engaged work, Ksenija Atanasijević endeavored to bring philosophy closer to the general public and emphasize its relevance to everyday life. She actively participated in the work of several feminist and pacifist associations and openly fought for the improvement of women’s position in society. Writing, studying, and translating philosophical literature was what she devoted her entire life to. Her work includes commentary on the history of ancient, modern, and contemporary philosophy, as well as a critical consideration of literature, feminism, and the social and political situation of her times.

We believe that re-examining the topics Ksenija Atanasijević researched is the best way to mark this jubilee and honor her memory. Therefore, we invite submissions of abstracts on any topic related to her work and its impact on philosophy and culture in general, as well as on topics from the history of philosophy that will further explore issues this extraordinary philosopher dedicated her life to.

Possible topics include:

o Philosophy of Ksenija Atanasijević

• Atomism (Giordano Bruno, Epicurus, Leucippus and Democritus) o Interpretation of ancient philosophy
• Interpretation of modern philosophy
• Ethical teaching
• Metaphysical teaching
• Review on regional scholars (Marko Marulić, Frane Petrić, Ruđer Bošković, Dositej Obradović, Petar Petrović Njegoš, Božidar Knežević, Branislav Petronijević, Vladan Maksimović, Alma Sodnik, and others)
• Contribution and significance of Ksenija Atanasijević’s work today

o Ancient philosophy

• The Presocratics, Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Epicureans, Stoics

o Modern philosophy

• Descartes, Pascal, Locke, Spinoza, Berkeley, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche

o Ksenija Atanasijević’s translations from classical languages into Serbian

• Analysis of the translations of Plato’s Parmenides, Aristotle’s Organon, and Spinoza’s Ethics

o Ksenija Atanasijević’s social engagement

• Feminism and women's rights movement
• Pacifism
• Social criticism

o Ksenija Atanasijević’s literary analysis

We intend to hold the conference in person at the University of Belgrade Rectorate building, Studentski trg 1, Belgrade, Serbia.

Submission Guidelines:

Please submit a complete application form and send it to [email protected] no later than March 15, 2022. The application should include an abstract of up to 300 words and no more than five keywords together with a brief biography. The time provided for the presentation of papers is limited to 20 minutes, followed by a discussion. The working languages of the conference are Serbian and English. Accepted abstracts will be published in the book of abstracts. After the conference, participants will have the opportunity to publish full papers in a thematic publication. There is no registration fee.

Important dates:

Deadline for submitting abstracts: April 1, 2022

Notifications of acceptance: April 15, 2022

Conference dates: May 26 and 27, 2022

Deadline for submitting a full paper: November 11, 2022

Additional information regarding COVID-19:

The conference is planned as an in-person event and will fully comply with the Serbian government’s COVID-19 safety measures for public events in effect at that time. Please note that, currently, foreign citizens are allowed to enter the Republic of Serbia provided that they are either fully vaccinated, recovered, or have a negative PCR test (not older than 48 hours). For further and regularly updated information, please click here: https://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/citizens/travel-serbia/covid-19-entry-requirements

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.