The Telos-Paul Piccone Institute Annual Conference
March 20&ndash\;21\, 2026
The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute\, Queens College/CUNY
25 West 43rd Street\, 17th Floor
New York\, NY 10036
Co-sponsored by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute\, Queens College/CUNY
\n\nThe Chinese New Leviathan: Cultural Subjectivity and Statecraft Today \;
\nKeynote Speaker: Wang Hui (汪晖)
\nRenowned as a critical theorist and one of China&rsquo\;s leading intellectual historians\, Wang Hui (Tsinghua University) will speak on the nexus of state\, nation\, and empire in modern Chinese history\, and its implications for our understanding of modernity as such.
\n \;\nConference Description
\nFollowing the fruitful discussion that took place during our \;China Keywords \;conference in March 2025\, the \;Telos-Paul Piccone Institute \;(TPPI) invites paper proposals for our 2026 annual conference on &ldquo\;The Chinese New Leviathan? Cultural Subjectivity and Statecraft Today.&rdquo\; The conference is part of TPPI&rsquo\;s five-year \;China Initiative\, which aims to foster a critical and mutually regarding discussion of social and political theory between China and the West\, well beyond the circles of China specialists. This outreach effort across political boundaries continues a tradition established by the journal \;Telos\, which played a pivotal role in fostering dialogue between intellectuals in the Anglosphere and Eastern Europe during the Cold War.
\nAs one of the most potent and complex keywords in modern China\, \;nationalism \;demands our rigorous theoretical engagement. It functions as a source of state legitimacy\, a tool of social mobilization\, and a site of intense public debate. From official state proclamations of rejuvenation to the pulse of online crowds\, nationalism flows through China&rsquo\;s internal politics and its global stance. Its conceptualization has provided the intellectual context for the development of modern Chinese power\, and it therefore needs to be understood both on endogenous terms and from a global philosophical perspective.
\nUnder General Secretary Xi Jinping\, Chinese civilizationalist discourse has surged. This discourse blends traditional Chinese thought with party ideology\, positioning the PRC as a civilizational state and depicting international politics as an interplay of civilizations. While some critics warn that civilizationalist discourse establishes an imperialist form of nationalism\, essentializes &ldquo\;Chinese characteristics&rdquo\; (the official phrase: &ldquo\;Socialism with Chinese Characteristics&rdquo\;)\, and entrenches a rigid\, even antagonistic\, East-West divide\, others take a more optimistic view. As Jin Huimin of Sichuan University observed in his keynote at our 2025 China conference\, an unreflective call for cultural self-confidence can indeed devolve into a closed-door cultural nationalism that polemicizes against Western cultures. Yet if we recognize that cultural subjectivity can encompass &ldquo\;learning from and absorbing all the outstanding achievements of human civilizations\, then it in turn can enrich an open-minded cultural self.&rdquo\;
\nProf. Jin&rsquo\;s proposal echoes R. G. Collingwood&rsquo\;s \;The New Leviathan \;(1942) in advancing a more open-ended conception of a civilizational state. It is partly with Collingwood&rsquo\;s ideas in mind that TPPI issues this call for papers. Are we witnessing in China the emergence of a full-fledged alternative nationalist political modernity? Is the world indeed entering the mysterious New Era prophesied by some Chinese political thinkers? Or will the consequences of the CPC&rsquo\;s effort to refigure the meaning of nationhood\, as one critique would have it\, be authoritarian repression buttressed with new conceptual tools&mdash\;and in the West as much as in China? If the latter\, then in light of Collingwood&rsquo\;s and related philosophical perspectives\, what might be a promising path forward? \;
\nWe invite papers that move beyond descriptive accounts to theorize the multifaceted nature of Chinese nationalism. We are particularly interested in papers that place Chinese political thought in dialogue with Western critical theory\, exploring points of convergence\, divergence\, and mutual illumination. While some speakers and participants in this conference will be China specialists\, we warmly encourage non-specialists to become part of our conversation. We also welcome papers from every political and ideological perspective. Indeed\, the clash of radically divergent\, often unconventional ideas is one of the hallmarks of our conferences.
\nTopics and guiding questions include\, but are not limited to: how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cultivates\, manages\, and deploys nationalist sentiment\; the relationship between party ideology and popular nationalism\; the defining features of nationalism as expressed on Chinese social media and in popular culture\; Chinese nationalism and global order\; the interaction between Han nationalism and the identities of ethnic minorities\; and the contours of nationalist sentiment in Hong Kong\, Taiwan\, and the broader Chinese diaspora.
\nWe are particularly interested in critical deconstructions\, analyses\, and applications of key concepts in contemporary Chinese political thought. Contributors are encouraged to engage these concepts explicitly in their theoretical reflections&mdash\;not only as entry points into Chinese political thinking\, but also as tools for critically examining sociopolitical idealisms\, institutions\, and power structures in both China and the West. In the context of Chinese nationalism\, the following key concepts are of central importance:
\nOur 2026 conference will be organized by Prof. Chia-Hao Hsu of Si-Wan College\, National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan. \;
\nSubmissions Guidelines
\nPresentations at the conference should be no more than 15 minutes long and between 1\,500 and 2\,000 words. Our conference has a two-stage process for acceptance: first\, submission of a presentation proposal and\, second\, submission of a presentation draft. Both stages must be completed for final acceptance to the conference.
\nPresentation proposals should describe the topic of a talk or of a full panel in 100 to 250 words. Proposals for full panels\, which can include up to four presenters\, should include proposals for all presentations as well as for the panel as a whole. \;
\nUPDATE: Due to the overwhelming enthusiasm for the conference\, we have extended the submission deadline to October 15.
\nWith each proposal\, please include the name and institutional affiliation of each presenter\, along with a curriculum vitae or ré\;sumé\;. In addition to established university faculty\, independent scholars\, students\, and individuals working fully outside university circles are warmly invited to submit proposals.
\nReview of proposals will be conducted on a rolling basis until the October 15 deadline. Successful proposals will be invited to submit a presentation draft.
\nPresentation drafts are due by \;December \;1\, 2025. A presentation draft need be only 1\,000 words long and need not be polished\, though submission of full presentations is strongly encouraged. Final notification of acceptance will take place by December \;15. The organizers will provide feedback on drafts to ensure a substantive and intellectually rich conference marked by a fruitful exchange of competing and complementary ideas.
\nPlease note that TPPI is unable to provide travel or accommodation funds\, that there will be no option to present via Zoom\, and that there will be a conference registration fee. Past registration fees for non-student members of TPPI have been about $300. These fees provide not only for conference attendance but also for a celebratory conference dinner\, lunches\, and refreshments.
\nSubmit proposals or inquiries to \; \;teloschina2026@telosinstitute.net.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260316T122403Z DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Hong_Kong:20260529T090000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Hong_Kong:20260531T170000 SUMMARY:Karl Popper in China UID:20260319T021947Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:8c16:90ff:fea7:70aa%3 TZID:Asia/Hong_Kong LOCATION:HKUST\, Hong Kong\, Hong Kong DESCRIPTION:Karl Popper in China
\n29 - 31 May 2026\, HKUST
\nKeynote Speakers
Adam Chmielewski (University of Wroclaw)
Zhilin Zhang (Fudan University)
Organising Committee
Zaza Doborjginidze
Xiaotao Liu (co-chair)
Yafeng Shan (co-chair)
Qinyi Wang
Qiyue Zhang
Funder
The Karl Popper Charitable Trust
Conference Description
Karl Popper (1902-1994) is widely considered as one of the mostinfluential philosophers of science and one of the most prolific thinkers in the 20th century. His work heavily influenced the development of philosophy of science in China\, especially in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many renown Chinese philosophers of science were first attracted to the field because of their reading of Popper. In 1987\, there was a conference on Popper's philosophy at Wuhan University\, sponsored by George Soros\, Popper's for er student. It featured talks by leading Popper scholars and philosophers of science (e.g. I n Hacking and Alan Musgrave) and leading Chinese philosophers (e.g. Fan Dainian and Jiang Tianji) at the time. The proceedings of the conference were published as an edited volume by Routledge in 1992. Recently there was a revival of interest in the work of KarlPopper in China. This conference aims to examine the influence of Popper&rsquo\;s work on the development of philosophy of science in China and assess and explore his legacy on contemporary philosophy of science in China.
Flyer
Submit an abstract (https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/80087/submitter) (Deadline: 5 March 2026)
Programme
Registration (Deadline: 29 April 2026)
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1979376924665
Contact
If you have any questions\, please contact Qiyue Zhang (qiyue.zhang@connect.ust.hk). .
Callfor Papers: Chinese Philosophy and Psychological Wellbeing
\nDeadline for Submissions: 31 May 2026
\nGuest Editor: Yuchen Liang liangyc@cuhk.edu.cn
\nSubmit at: Editorial Manager for JCCP \; \;https://www.editorialmanager.com/jccp/default.aspx
\nModern mental health is often framed through a Western clinical lens. This Special Issue explores how Chinese philosophy&mdash\;both ancient and contemporary&mdash\;provide a different map for the human &ldquo\;heart-mind&rdquo\; (xin 心). We want to bridge the gap between abstract philosophy and the lived experience of wellbeing\, looking at everything from ancient concepts of gan感 and qing 情 to how Chinese thought can help us survive the modern &ldquo\;attention economy&rdquo\; and mental health crisis.
\nKey Themes &\;Areas of Interest:
\nDefining the Healthy Self: How do Confucian\, Daoist\, and Chinese Buddhist texts define a &ldquo\;well&rdquo\; person? How does this differ from Western notions of mental health? Can we use Chinese standards like qingzhi 情志 in addition to contemporary frameworks like the DSM-5?
\nPhilosophical Psychotherapy: Using Chinese concepts in clinical settings or as frameworks for mental health treatment such as the &ldquo\;Indigenous psychology&rdquo\; (本土心理學).
\nThe &ldquo\;Attention Economy&rdquo\; &\; Psychopolitics: How Chinese philosophy can critique or resist the digital exhaustion of modern life\, or combination of psychology and technology in social control?
\nThe Ethics of Care: How Chinese medical ethics (traditional Chinese medicine) and theories of the self(gongfulun 功夫論) change how we approach psychologicalsuffering and psycho-physiological illness?
\nChinese Affect Theory: How Chinese conceptslike gan 感 and qing 情 construct unique approach regarding Western originated concepts like affects and emotions?
\nTypes of Submissions We&rsquo\;re Looking For:
\nHistorical Research: Deep dives into ancient texts with a focus on psychological application.
\nContemporary Critique: How Chinese philosophy interacts with modern political and social pressures.
\nComparative Pieces: Dialogues between Chinese thought and Western psychology.
\nCase Studies: Philosophical reflections on mental health practices or specific psychological phenomena.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260316T122403Z DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Hong_Kong:20260601T090000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Hong_Kong:20260612T170000 SUMMARY:The Kyoto School: Totality and Contradiction UID:20260319T021949Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:8c16:90ff:fea7:70aa%3 TZID:Asia/Hong_Kong LOCATION:Chinese university of Hong Kong\, Hong Kong\, Hong Kong\, 99999 DESCRIPTION:While major Western philosophical movements in the 20th century looked upon claims to absolute knowledge with deep suspicion\, the Kyoto School never abandoned philosophy's sacred vocation to know the absolute. Against the dominant disposition to look upon contradiction as an obstacle to absolute knowledge\, the Kyoto School recognizes contradiction as the key to unlocking the secrets of absolute totality. The Summer School will think with major thinkers of the Kyoto School on totality and contradiction. Philosophizing with Nishida\, Takahashi\, Tanabe\, Nishitani\, Ueda\, Miki\, Tosaka\, and Watsuji\, the Summer School will also explore the contemporary relevance of the Kyoto School for philosophical thought in the 21st century.
ORGANIZER;CN=Gregory S. Moss;CN=Dennis Prooi;CN=Kyle Peters: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260316T122403Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260614T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260626T170000 SUMMARY:Self-knowledge for Humans and Artificial Systems UID:20260319T021950Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:8c16:90ff:fea7:70aa%3 TZID:America/Los_Angeles LOCATION:Philosophy Hall\, Berkeley\, United States\, 94720-2390 DESCRIPTION:Questions about the scope and limits of self-knowledge have been and continue to be the focus of intense philosophical debate. This two-week interdisciplinary institute aims to explore the problem of self-knowledge\, from its classical roots in philosophy and contemplative traditions\, to contemporary discussions of metacognitive AI.
ORGANIZER;CN=Christian Coseru;CN="Alva Noë";CN=Evan Thompson: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260316T122403Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20300531T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20300531T090000 SUMMARY:Phenomenologies of Religious Experience UID:20260319T021951Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:8c16:90ff:fea7:70aa%3 TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:This series invites proposals in classical phenomenology\, French phenomenology\, pre- and post-phenomenologies\, and in methodologies that bridge phenomenology and analytic philosophy. The relation between phenomenology and religious experience can be considered in a variety of modes: epistemic (phenomenology as a "rigorous science" of religious experience in Husserl's sense)\; ontic (phenomenology as a way to access the core motive\, or regulative ideal\, of religion)\; analogical (phenomenological experience as a secular version of religious experience)\; generalizing (religious experience turning into phenomenological experience when stripped from its dogmatic frame)\, etc. Proposals can take critical\, descriptive\, theoretical\, comparative\, historical\, or other approaches\, and they can focus on the interplay between religious or spiritual experience and assorted theoretical approaches\, or proceed from such experience towards building a new theory. In accord with Husserl&rsquo\;s original intent\, the series welcomes attempts to locate spiritual or religious experience within a broader theory of the sciences (Wissenschaftslehre) and to expand phenomenology towards transcendental philosophy and metaphysics.
The series covers five areas:
1) Clarifications of religious and spiritual experience\, its formal phenomenological research\, and its relationships to art\, textuality\, culture\, anthropology\, politics\, and comparative religion\;
2) Metaphysical extensions of the phenomenology of religious and spiritual experience\;
3) Existential and psychological analyses\, in different traditions\, of religious and spiritual experience\;
4) Theologies of religious experience\, with or beyond a specific focus on ritual and liturgy\, including liberation theologies\, feminist theologies\, theologies at the intersection of religious experience and race\, social status\, etc.\;
5) The phenomenology of religious and spiritual experience as applied to and/ or examined within medicine\, nursing\, and the health sciences and the natural and social sciences.
The series is published in cooperation with the Society for the Phenomenology of Religious Experience\, \;www.sophere.org.
Editors: \;Michael Barber (michael.barber@slu.edu)\, Peter Costello (PCOSTELL@providence.edu)\, Olga Louchakova-Schwartz (founding editor\, \;olouch@ucdavis.edu)\, and Martin Nitsche (nitsche@flu.cas.cz)
Advisory Board: \;Jason Alvis (University of Vienna)\, Angela Ales Bello (Pontifical Lateran University)\, Michel Bitbol (The French National Center for Scientific Research)\, Carla Canullo (University of Macerata)\, David Ciavatta (Ryerson University)\, Crina Gschwandtner (Fordham University)\, Neal DeRoo (The King&rsquo\;s University)\, Thomas Fuchs (University of Heidelberg)\, James G. Hart (University of Indiana)\, Richard Kearney (Boston College)\, Jeff McCurry (Duquesne University)\, Felix O&rsquo\;Murchadha (National University of Ireland\, Galway)\, Dermot Moran (Boston College)\, Tom Nenon (The University of Memphis)\, Ryōsuke Ōhashi (Universities of Kyoto and Osaka)\, Vincent Pastro (Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University and Aquinas Institute of Theology\, St Louis)\, Hans Rainer Sepp (Charles University)\, Michel Staudigl (University of Vienna)\, Claudia Welz (Aarhus University)
Staff editorial contact: \;Jana Hodges-Kluck (jhodges-kluck@rowman.com) \;