CfA: New Directions for Cosmopolitanism and Global Democracy &ndash\; MANCEPT Workshops 2-4 September 2026
\nConvenor: Dr. Maximillian Afnan\, London School of Economics and Political Science
\nThe political optimism of the post-Cold War period was accompanied by sustained scholarly attention to questions of global justice and democratic global governance (Caney\, 2005\; Held\, 1995\; Archibugi\, 2008). Yet the past decade and a half has seen a 'globalisation backlash' that has called into question the feasibility and\, for some\, the desirability of cosmopolitan aspirations\, and of the strong global institutions sometimes associated with them (Walter\, 2021). Alongside these political developments\, growing scholarly interest in the subaltern has prompted accusations that cosmopolitan and global democratic thought\, particularly where it emerges from the liberal tradition\, is guilty of a 'false universalism' that masks parochial moral views (Chakrabarty\, 2000).
\nThese developments raise numerous questions for cosmopolitanism and global democracy alike\, which share a common concern with extending moral and political principles beyond the state\, and face parallel challenges regarding feasibility\, legitimacy\, and the accommodation of diversity. Is democratic global governance compatible with cultural and national diversity? Is it possible to construct a truly inclusive cosmopolitan theory\, or is the tradition irredeemably particular? What institutional forms might a legitimate global order take? And what methodological approaches are best suited to theorising such questions?
\nRecent scholarship has sought to address these challenges from a variety of angles. Some scholars have engaged with non-Western philosophical traditions\, or the methods of comparative political theory\, to diffuse charges of Western-centrism (Graness\, 2018\; Xu\, 2018\; Shapcott\, 2020). Others have turned to 'grounded normative theory'\, using empirical research into lived experience to inform normative theory (Cabrera\, 2020). Scholars have also examined the relationship between cosmopolitan commitments and pluralist visions of global political order (Ulaş\, 2025). A further strand of literature has brought insights from empirical political science into conversation with normative political theory\, testing assumptions about the feasibility of global democratic institutions (Koenig-Archibugi\, 2024\; Agné\;\, 2022). Meanwhile\, scholars continue to debate the relative merits of polycentric approaches to global governance against proposals for more centralised supranational authority (Smith\, 2018\; Scholte\, 2014).
\nThis panel invites papers that engage with these debates. It welcomes contributions focused on cosmopolitanism\, on global democracy\, or on both\, including (but not limited to) their relationship to questions of diversity. It aims to bring together scholars working across different theoretical traditions and methodological approaches to reflect on substantive questions of global political order\, and the methods by which such questions are best addressed.
\nPapers are welcome on topics including\, but not limited to:
\nThe workshop will take place as part of the MANCEPT Workshops in Political Theory at the University of Manchester (September 2-4\, 2026). Bursaries are available to help cover the conference registration fee\, and participants are encouraged to apply if needed.
\n\nTo submit a paper\, please send an anonymised abstract of no more than \;500 words\, suitable for a 30 minute presentation (followed by 30 minutes of Q&\;A)\, to Maximillian Afnan at \;m.a.afnan@lse.ac.uk\, by \;Monday 11 May. Successful applicants will be notified shortly afterwards. \;
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260502T150352Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260526T093000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Vienna:20260529T170000 SUMMARY:SUSANNE K. LANGER: Artistic Angles\, Philosophical Circles\, Poetic Dots\, and Technical Lines UID:20260507T135915Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6b96c54f56-bljdq TZID:Europe/Vienna LOCATION:Karlsplatz 13\, Vienna\, Austria\, 1040 DESCRIPTION:The Susanne K. Langer Circle hosted at Utrecht University will collaborate in 2026 with the Research Unit Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics (ATTP) at TU Wien and the Institute Vienna Circle at the University of Vienna in realizing its third bi-annual conference: \;
\nSUSANNE K. LANGER: Artistic Angles\, Philosophical Circles\, Poetic Dots\, and Technical Lines
\nVienna\, 26&ndash\;29 May 2026
\nThe architectonic vernacular of angles\, circles\, dots\, and lines composes the conceptual sketchpad that maps the theoretical edifice of Susanne K. Langer&rsquo\;s work in logic\, the arts\, philosophy of mind\, and philosophy of science. This conference aims to explore Langer's philosophical framework and invites scholars as well as artists to actuate her philosophical methods\, spanning from logical analysis and synthesis to embodied cognition\, symbolic projection\, and understanding.
\nArtistic Angles \;
Perceived widely as an artists&rsquo\; philosopher\, Susanne K. Langer&rsquo\;s thought has informed media-theoretical debates on the affective turn\, conceptual undercurrents of carnal rhetorics and speculations in new materialism(s)\, providing a toolkit to capture the artefacts of expressiveness. This distinctive artistic angle for theory shapes Langer's approach to the body-mind and to aesthetic cognition. Her philosophy\, synthesizing Alfred N. Whitehead&rsquo\;s process metaphysics and Ernst Cassirer&rsquo\;s anthropology of symbolic forms\, echoes later post-structuralist movements in its exploration of non-linguistic dimensions of meaning. These intersections situate Langer&rsquo\;s philosophy of artistic expressiveness as a mode of epistemological import.
Philosophical Circles
Langer's orbital relationship with the Vienna Circle is exemplified in her 1930 book\, The Practice of Philosophy (praised by Moritz Schlick)\, in which she was among the first to articulate the &ldquo\;&rsquo\;analytic` type&rdquo\; of philosophy (p. 17)\, well before its widespread adoption in the 1950s. She also played a key role in helping exiled Vienna Circle members (e.g. Herbert Feigl or Eugen T. Gadol) settle in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s. Establishing her own philosophical circle at Harvard\, devoted to the discussion of logic\, Langer bridged the transatlantic evolution of analytic philosophy. Her scholarly thinking blended empirical rigour and experiential meaning-making with process-oriented thought.
Poetic Dots and Technical Lines
Langer&rsquo\;s legacy &ndash\; one that bridges philosophical and epistemic divides &ndash\; invites a re-negotiation of living form\; for Langer\, mind is grounded in an intricate matrix of exogenic and autogenic processes that expand the idea of living and non-living entities\, and the systems they are embedded in. The continued computational turn &ndash\; advancements in algorithmic learning and synthetic biology &ndash\; blur the contours of mechanics and organism\, life and form. \;
This conference seeks to make tangible the poetic and technological transversality currently intersecting philosophy\, science\, and the arts. \;
Program
The program is structured around the subheadings "Artistic Angles"\, "Philosophical Circles"\, "Poetic Dots"\, and "Technical Lines". Confirmed keynote speakers are Salomé\; Voegelin (Tuesday)\, Sander Verhaegh (Wednesday) and Adam Nocek (Thursday). \;
Information
For further information\, visit the Langer Circle website: https://langercircle.sites.uu.nl/
For updates on the program\, please register as a member: https://langercircle.sites.uu.nl/register/
Organized in collaboration with the Research Unit Architecture Theory and Philosophy of Technics\, ATTP at the Vienna University of Technology and the IVC Institute Vienna Circle at the University of Vienna\, this conference illuminates the history and relevance of Susanne K. Langer's philosophy&mdash\;demonstrating how her thought continues in contemporary debates in philosophy\, aesthetics\, the arts\, and science\, and how it is linked to the city of ideas\, Vienna.
\nConference Committee: \;Prof. Vera Bü\;hlmann (AT)\, Dr. Lona Gaikis (AT)\, Dr. Matthew Ingram (USA)\, \;Dr. Tereza Hadravová\; (CZ)\, \;Prof. Randall E. Auxier (USA)\, Prof. Christian Grü\;ny (DE).
ORGANIZER;CN=Lona Gaikis;CN="Vera Bühlmann";CN=Matthew Bruce Ingram;CN=Tereza Hadravova;CN=Randall E. Auxier;CN="Christian Grüny": METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260502T150352Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260612T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260613T170000 SUMMARY:AI and decision-making: tools\, hybrids\, and collectives UID:20260507T135916Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6b96c54f56-bljdq TZID:Europe/Berlin LOCATION:Theaterstrasse 14\, Aachen\, Germany\, 52062 DESCRIPTION:On behalf of the Chair of Applied Ethics at RWTH Aachen\, we invite abstract submissions for participation in the workshop &ldquo\;AI and decision-making: tools\, hybrids\, and collectives&rdquo\;\, funded by the German Federal Ministry Research\, Technology and Space. \;
\nThe workshop is scheduled for 12-13th June\, 2026 and will take place at RWTH Aachen University. It aims to be a discussion-focused event seeking to discuss the relationship between so-called AI technologies and our individual and especially our collective decision-making. Confirmed speakers include Prof. Karl de Fine Licht (Gothenburg\, Sweden)\, Prof. Tobias Schlicht (Bochum\, Germany)\, Prof. Pekka Mä\;kelä\; (Helsinki\, Finland). Details on the topic can be found in the abstract below. \;
\n------------- \;
\nAbstract: \;
\nMany of the &ldquo\;AI&rdquo\; technologies currently impacting our shared world have significant consequences for our individual and collective decision-making. This can be through permitting cognitive offloading\, nudging or otherwise being designed to optimize or alter our choices. LLMs are used pervasively by those needing to make decisions about everything from paint colours to public policy\, smart technologies are incorporated into medical devices to assist in maintaining healthy habits and treatment regimes\, machine-learning enabled systems play a role in identifying and selecting targets for active militaries\, and sorting algorithms help shape the choice architecture of our digital lives. How then should we understand the dynamics of these impacts on our individual and collective decision-making? Should we understand these technologies as tools\, as partners or as co-constituents of decision-making hybrids or collectives? When might they manipulate us\, lead us stray\, or enhance our decision-making? And what sort of relationship to us as decision-makers should these technologies have\, and we to them? These are the central animating questions of this workshop\, each encompassing a vast array of important topics. These include\, among others: \;
\n------------ \;
\nThis workshop aims to engage with these intertwined topics through a wide range of conceptual tools and angles. To this end\, we invite submissions of abstracts of up to 300 words that should be accompanied by a title\, name of the submitter\, institutional affiliation\, and contact information. This should be sent as a .pdf to niel.conradie@humtec.rwth-aachen.de by the deadline of April\, 10th. \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Camilla Francesca Colombo;CN="Niël Conradie";CN=Saskia Nagel: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260502T150352Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260727T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260727T090000 SUMMARY:“Are We All War Neurotics?”: Perspectives on Politics and War from Philosophy and Psychoanalysis UID:20260507T135917Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6b96c54f56-bljdq TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:&ldquo\;Are We All War Neurotics?&rdquo\;: Perspectives on Politics and War from Philosophy and Psychoanalysis
\nFILPSI Research Group
\n\nThe construction of the proposed dossier aims to foster discussions across diverse fields\, perspectives\, and theoretical frameworks\, under the thematic umbrella of neurosis as a social\, psychological\, and political phenomenon. What do we mean by this? During the second semester of 2025 and the first semester of 2026\, the FILPSI study and research group sought to examine neurosis as a phenomenon that deserves increasing attention in light of recent events. These events have produced a range of effects\, whether in our most immediate and intersubjective relations\, through the consumption of various media and ideologies\, or as a result of major transformations in the political and technological spheres\, which are also reflected in armed conflicts.
\nWhen we speak of war neurotics\, an expression that appears in Laplanche&rsquo\;s dictionary\, we are dealing with a notion that refers to the phenomenon of traumatic neurosis associated with the Second World War. Sigmund Freud\, if not using the exact formulation\, at least employs the concept of war neurosis\, which may be generally understood as a neurosis of confrontation and conflict. Thus\, &ldquo\;war neurotics&rdquo\; likewise designates subjects marked by trauma\, that is\, traumatized by the experience of war. We begin from the hypothesis that the social field and intersubjective relations are also deeply affected by global political conflicts at different levels\, even for those who observe\, from a distance\, the unfolding of such events. Reflection on and articulation of these phenomena thus become imperative.
\nThe present call seeks researchers interested in discussing neurosis\, politics\, and wars from different perspectives\, including interdisciplinary approaches\, particularly those of philosophy\, psychoanalysis\, theology\, mathematics\, and economics (through game theory or conflict modeling)\, as well as history\, sociology\, among others. We take into account the idea that\, by engaging with the themes of neurosis and war\, we may come to understand not only their possible motivations\, but also their effects in the present&mdash\;that is\, how we respond to such events\, as well as their potential legacy for humanity. Authors such as Hannah Arendt\, Frantz Fanon\, Achille Mbembe\, Slavoj Žižek\, Sigmund Freud\, among others\, have sought to think through war from different angles\, analyzing distinct mechanisms and instruments of control and violence\, as well as the very fragility of human life.
\nThere is\, above all\, an ethical interest in seeking to understand phenomena such as wars and their consequences\, since they affect society as a whole in different ways. Their propagandistic discourses are consumed in various ways\, whether through the internet or other media\, such as videos\, images\, among others.
\nAmong the proposed topics are (but are not limited to): ethical issues in times of war\; the use of technologies during conflicts\; the ethics of psychoanalysis in relation to war\; the effects of war on society\; the role of philosophy and/or psychoanalysis in understanding war\; the responsibility of the intellectual\; the colonial legacy\; violence and power.
\nThe call will accept submissions in Portuguese\, Spanish\, English\, and French. The publication of the dossier is scheduled for 31/10/2026. Submissions must follow ABNT guidelines\, as required by the Journal Ecos (Faculdade Cató\;lica do Maranhã\;o)\, available at: http://revistaecos.facma.com.br/index.php/ecos/about/submissions.
\nMore information at: revistaecos.facma.com.br/index.php/ecos/announcement/view/4
\nOr \;email Marcos Antô\;nio Ferreira até\;: contactme.marcos@gmail.com
\nReferences \;
\nARENDT\, Hannah. Sobre a violê\;ncia. Traduç\;ã\;o de André\; Duarte. Rio de Janeiro: Civilizaç\;ã\;o Brasileira\, 2022.
\n\nFANON\, Frantz. Peau noire\, masques blancs. Paris: Points\, 2015.
\n\nFREUD\, Sigmund. Consideraç\;õ\;es atuais sobre a guerra. In: FREUD\, Sigmund. Introduç\;ã\;o ao narcisismo: ensaios de metapsicologia e outros textos (1914-1916). Traduç\;ã\;o de Paulo Cé\;sar de Souza. Sã\;o Paulo: Companhia das Letras\, 2010.
\n\nFREUD\, Sigmund. Obras completas. v. 18: O mal-estar na civilizaç\;ã\;o\, novas conferê\;ncias introdutó\;rias à\; psicaná\;lise e outros textos (1930-1936). Sã\;o Paulo: Companhia das Letras\, 2010.
\n\nLACAN\, Jacques. A relaç\;ã\;o de objeto (1956-1957). Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar\, 1995.
\n\nLACAN\, Jacques. O tempo ló\;gico e a asserç\;ã\;o de certeza antecipada. In: LACAN\, Jacques. Escritos. Traduç\;ã\;o de Vera Ribeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar\, 1998. p. 197&ndash\;213.
\n\nMBEMBE\, Achille. Polí\;ticas de inimizade. Traduç\;ã\;o de Marta Lanç\;a. Lisboa: Antí\;gona\, 2017.
\n\nROUSSEAU\, Jean-Jacques. O contrato social. Traduç\;ã\;o de Antonio de Pá\;dua Danesi. Sã\;o Paulo: Martins Fontes\, 1999.
\n\nWEIL\, Simone. Contra o colonialismo. Traduç\;ã\;o de Carolina Selvá\;tica. Rio de Janeiro: Bazar do Tempo\, 2019.
\n
ŽIŽEK\, Slavoj. Violê\;ncia: seis reflexõ\;es laterais. Sã\;o Paulo: Boitempo Editorial\, 2014.
The political optimism of the post-Cold War period was accompanied by sustained scholarly attention to questions of global justice and democratic global governance (Caney\, 2005\; Held\, 1995\; Archibugi\, 2008). Yet the past decade and a half has seen a 'globalisation backlash' that has called into question the feasibility and\, for some\, the desirability of cosmopolitan aspirations\, and of the strong global institutions sometimes associated with them (Walter\, 2021). Alongside these political developments\, growing scholarly interest in the subaltern has prompted accusations that cosmopolitan and global democratic thought\, particularly where it emerges from the liberal tradition\, is guilty of a 'false universalism' that masks parochial moral views (Chakrabarty\, 2000).
\nThese developments raise numerous questions for cosmopolitanism and global democracy alike\, which share a common concern with extending moral and political principles beyond the state\, and face parallel challenges regarding feasibility\, legitimacy\, and the accommodation of diversity. Is democratic global governance compatible with cultural and national diversity? Is it possible to construct a truly inclusive cosmopolitan theory\, or is the tradition irredeemably particular? What institutional forms might a legitimate global order take? And what methodological approaches are best suited to theorising such questions?
\nRecent scholarship has sought to address these challenges from a variety of angles. Some scholars have engaged with non-Western philosophical traditions\, or the methods of comparative political theory\, to diffuse charges of Western-centrism (Graness\, 2018\; Xu\, 2018\; Shapcott\, 2020). Others have turned to 'grounded normative theory'\, using empirical research into lived experience to inform normative theory (Cabrera\, 2020). Scholars have also examined the relationship between cosmopolitan commitments and pluralist visions of global political order (Ulaş\, 2025). A further strand of literature has brought insights from empirical political science into conversation with normative political theory\, testing assumptions about the feasibility of global democratic institutions (Koenig-Archibugi\, 2024\; Agné\;\, 2022). Meanwhile\, scholars continue to debate the relative merits of polycentric approaches to global governance against proposals for more centralised supranational authority (Smith\, 2018\; Scholte\, 2014).
\nThis panel invites papers that engage with these debates. It welcomes contributions focused on cosmopolitanism\, on global democracy\, or on both\, including (but not limited to) their relationship to questions of diversity. It aims to bring together scholars working across different theoretical traditions and methodological approaches to reflect on substantive questions of global political order\, and the methods by which such questions are best addressed.
\nPapers are welcome on topics including\, but not limited to:
\nThe workshop will take place as part of the MANCEPT Workshops in Political Theory at the University of Manchester (September 2-4\, 2026). Bursaries are available to help cover the conference registration fee\, and participants are encouraged to apply if needed.
\n\nTo submit a paper\, please send an anonymised abstract of no more than \;500 words\, suitable for a 30 minute presentation (followed by 30 minutes of Q&\;A)\, to Maximillian Afnan at \;m.a.afnan@lse.ac.uk\, by \;Monday 11 May. Successful applicants will be notified shortly afterwards. \;
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260502T150352Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260924T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260926T170000 SUMMARY:The Self in the Social World UID:20260507T135919Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6b96c54f56-bljdq TZID:Europe/Berlin LOCATION:Heidelberg\, Germany DESCRIPTION:This conference explores how the self is shaped\, experienced\, and transformed within the social worlds we inhabit. Human selfhood does not arise in isolation\; it unfolds within networks of interpersonal relations\, cultural and institutional settings\, technological infrastructures\, and shifting ecological and political conditions. As these worlds evolve\, so too do the experiential dynamics through which individuals make sense of themselves\, others\, and their place in a shared reality. \;
\nA more specific yet central form of social sense-making consists in individuals&rsquo\; striving to find a place in the social world that bestows a sense of belonging\, meaning\, and fulfilment. However\, finding such a place is not something we can simply take for granted. Social environments must have certain features for individuals to be able to make them their home\, just as bodily\, affective\, and cognitive aspects of individuals precondition \;whether they may benefit from the interactions within the communities they navigate. The fit between various features of environments and individuals is notoriously precarious. \;
\nA central aim of the conference is to investigate the lived experience of the self in its dynamic embeddedness in the social world. We invite contributions that examine how subjectivity is informed through concrete interactions\, practices\, and environments\, as well as how changing societal and technological developments influence affective\, cognitive\, embodied\, and existential dimensions of experience. A particular focus lies on how the study of psychopathology can help elucidate the central importance of interpersonal encounters and structural determinants of the lifeworld for the self.
\nWe welcome submissions from \;various disciplines and theoretical angles: \;
\n\;e.g.\, phenomenology\, psychiatry\, philosophy of mind\, social philosophy\, philosophy of psychiatry\, cognitive sciences\, 4E cognition\, clinical and social psychology\, social sciences\,
\n\;and which employ \;different methodological approaches:
\n\;e.g.\, conceptual analysis\, phenomenological analysis\, qualitative and experiential research\, clinical observation\, interdisciplinary case studies.
\nWe encourage contributions \;addressing questions such as: \; \; \; \; \;
\nPlease send anonymized abstracts of no more than 300 words and suitable for a 30 minutes presentation slots (20 minutes for the talk\, 10 minutes for the Q&\;A) to abstract.for.socialself2026@gmail.com \;by 20 March 2026 (extended submission deadline). We will announce the selected presentations by 30 April 2026. \;
\nFor further information\, please see the \;Conference homepage
ORGANIZER;CN=Thomas Fuchs;CN=Hannes Gustav Melichar;CN="Niklas Noe-Steinmüller";CN=Philipp Schmidt-Boddy;CN=Daniel Vespermann: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR