This conference aims to bring into dialogue philosophers working on the metaphysics of social categories and philosophers working on or with such categories within aesthetics. See the conference page for a full description.
\nThere are three places on the programme for submitted papers. We welcome submission of papers up to 3000 words long (references excluded) on any topic relevant to the conference theme. Examples might include the role of aesthetic qualities in the construction of social categories\, the contribution of aesthetic practices to category constitution\, the relations of explanatory priority between the aesthetic and material grounds of social construction\, characterising the social nature of aesthetic practices\, case studies which look at the role of the aesthetic in the construction of particular social categories.
\nPapers should be prepared for blind review. A separate cover sheet should include the paper title\, the author&rsquo\;s name\, institution\, and career stage\, and an indication of whether they specialise in aesthetics\, metaphysics\, both\, or neither. Please submit papers and cover sheets to nicholas.wiltsher@st-andrews.ac.uk by January 31 2027. Decisions will follow no later than February 28.
\nAccommodation and food will be covered in full for all speakers. Travel will be covered in full for speakers from the UK and Europe. Travel will be substantially subsidised for speakers from elsewhere.
\nArrangements can be made for anything that would facilitate conference participation for speakers\, including (but not limited to) childcare\, sign language interpretation\, and physical access requirements. Please contact us if you have any questions about this.
ORGANIZER;CN=Nicholas Wiltsher;CN=Jade Fletcher: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20261112T064616Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20270623T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20270624T170000 SUMMARY:Social Categories: Aesthetics and Metaphysics. British Society of Aesthetics Connections Conference UID:20261112T143848Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-58d8844b6d-7ngsc TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Saint Andrews\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:This conference aims to bring into dialogue philosophers working on the metaphysics of social categories and philosophers working on or with such categories within aesthetics. By &ldquo\;social categories&rdquo\;\, we mean sortal kinds\, such as races\, genders\, disabilities\, and socio-economic classes\, which organise groups of people. Social metaphysicians aim to work out what social categories are made of\, how they are made\, how membership is determined\, and how their deleterious effects may be ameliorated. Aestheticians have also recently been thinking about the ways in which things they are interested in relate to\, and perhaps even are constituted by\, social practices\; and\, somewhat separately\, about social categories and their aesthetic relevance.
\nThis suggests significant confluence between recent work in social metaphysics and aesthetics when it comes to thinking about social categories. The thought to be explored at this conference is that the metaphysics of social categories may be a topic for aesthetics. The practices in which such categories are grounded may be aesthetic in nature\; the contents of the categories\, their membership conditions\, and their effects\, may all be substantively aesthetic\; and the ways in which categories are constructed may be influenced by aesthetic considerations.
\nThe conference will explore these possibilities\, and in so doing deepen our understanding both of the nature and significance of social categories\, and of the nature and significance of the aesthetic aspects of their metaphysics. We hope that the conference will establish new\, collaborative research agendas for further investigation of these topics and their interactions.
\nConfirmed speakers are Alice Harberd\, Daniel James\, Katharine Jenkins\, Robbie Kubala\, Nils-Hennes Stear\, Naomi Thompson\, and Rosa Vince.
\nThe conference is organised by Jade Fletcher and Nick Wiltsher\, and is generously funded by a Connections grant from the British Society of Aesthetics.
\nThe conference will adhere to BPA and SWIP conference guidelines.
\nThere are three places on the programme for submitted papers. Please see the separate Call For Papers (link up at the top there).
ORGANIZER;CN=Nicholas Wiltsher;CN=Jade Fletcher: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR