On Self-Transformation in Response to Disruptive Experience: Phenomenological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
\nRoyal Holloway\, University of London Central London Campus\, UK 2
\n8/29th of January 2027
\nFree \;
\nCall for Abstracts \;
\nThe two-day workshop &ldquo\;On Self-Transformation in Response to Disruptive Experience: Phenomenological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives&rdquo\; will take place on 28 and 29 January 2027 at Royal Holloway&rsquo\;s central London campus. The keynote speakers are Sophie Grace Chappell\, Elizabeth Burns\, Pablo Andreu\, and Justin Moll. The British Society for Phenomenology and the organisers warmly invite applications for thirty-minute presentations from eight additional speakers through this call for abstracts. \;
\nThe workshop focuses on self-transformation in response to disruptive experiences that challenge our ability to make sense of the world. Contributors are asked to engage with: \;
\nThe phenomenological structure of self-transformation in response to disruptive experiences. Potential topics include: \;
\nThe phenomenological structure of the emergence of a new self
\nThe question of agency in the emergence of a new self
\nThe experience of otherness in the process of self-transformation
\nThe affective dimensions of self-transformation \;
\nInterdisciplinary accounts of self-transformation. Potential topics include: \;
\nThe neurocognitive dimensions of self-transformation
\nReligious dimensions of self-transformation
\nSpecific contexts in which self-transformations occur \;
\nTo apply\, please see the event overview for a detailed description of the topic and submit a 300-word abstract via the BSP submission system by the 25th of October 2026. \;
\nGo to the &lsquo\;On Self-Transformation in Response to Disruptive Experience:Phenomenological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives&rsquo\; homepage and submit an abstract \;
\nEveryone will be informed whether their abstract has been selected by the 15th of November. \;
\nIt is also possible to attend the event without presenting. General registration will open late November 2026. \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Daniel Whistler;CN=Nat Rutherford;CN=Justin Moll: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260902T214612Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20270128T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20270129T170000 SUMMARY:On Self-Transformation in Response to Disruptive Experience: Phenomenological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives UID:20260902T214645Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-86c794698f-d2n8d TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Royal Holloway\, London\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:On Self-Transformation in Response to Disruptive Experience:
\nPhenomenological and Interdisciplinary Perspectives
\nRoyal Holloway\, University of London
\nCentral London Campus\, UK
\n28/29th of January 2027
\nFree
\nCentral London Campus\, UK
28/29th of January 2027
Free
Twelve 30 minute talks over two days\, with each talk followed by open Q&\;As. Four talks will be delivered by pre-invited keynotes with the remaining eight speakers selected through a call for abstracts &ndash\; see below to submit an abstract&hellip\;
\nOverview
\nOur day-to-day sensemaking breaks down when disruptive events challenge minor facets or core aspects of our self- and world-understanding. If a disruption affects only a minor part of our sensemaking\, we can often manage by making small adjustments\, such as learning to complete a task or dismissing the issue as merely frustrating. However\, when our sensemaking breaks down more profoundly &ndash\; for example\, when we realise we have made a significant mistake\, encounter a new but deeply disruptive opportunity\, or face crises in our relationships\, economic stability\, or another defining aspect of our life &ndash\; such minor adjustments are no longer sufficient. In such cases\, our self- and world-understanding becomes so deeply disrupted that we cannot go on as before\, and we risk a state of permanent despair or desynchronisation if we fail to make necessary changes. This event is dedicated to exploring the phenomenology of self-transformation in response to deep-seated breakdowns of sensemaking.
\nOne indication of a possible starting point for such a phenomenology is provided by Nikolas Kompridis\, who\, in his (2006) contribution Critique and Disclosure\, writes: &ldquo\;In as much as the selves of our theory are part of the data\, any solution to the problem will depend on a decentering of the self\, and the emergence of a new self\, possessing the capacity to integrate its old and new worlds\, its old and new selves.&rdquo\; (p. 174) Kompridis thus offers one articulation of the basic structure of the process of self-transformation: when our sensemaking breaks down profoundly\, the self that is part and parcel of this type of sensemaking is challenged and must be &lsquo\;decentred&rsquo\; and ultimately sacrificed to allow the emergence of a new self and a new form of sensemaking.
\nBut this structure raises many questions: is this the only way self-transformation can be conceptualised? How does this process differ from less profound disruptions? Do we passively receive a new self\, or do we actively construct it? In what sense is the self that emerges\, as Kompridis says elsewhere\, &ldquo\;higher&rdquo\; or &ldquo\;better&rdquo\; than our prior self? The event invites contributions that answer such questions through classical or contemporary phenomenology. It also encourages contributors to develop interdisciplinary perspectives to shed light on\, for example\, the religious or neurocognitive implications of self-transformation\, and to focus on specific contexts in which self-transformations occur.
ORGANIZER;CN=Daniel Whistler;CN=Nat Rutherford;CN=Justin Moll: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR