Stanley Cavell at 100 \; An International Centennial Conference \; \;
Paris: \;4-5 June 2026 \;| Organized by Sandra Laugier\, Université\; Paris 1 Panthé\;on Sorbonne \; Rome: 8-9 June 2026 \;| Organized by Piergiorgio Donatelli\, Sapienza Università\; di Roma \; Boston: 23-24 October 2026 \;| Organized by Juliet Floyd\, Boston University \; \; \;
In 2026\, we mark the centenary of \;Stanley Cavell (1926&ndash\;2026)\, one of the \;most original and wide-ranging American philosophers of the twentieth century. Cavell&rsquo\;s work traversed traditional disciplinary boundaries&mdash\;engaging deeply with philosophy\, literature\, film\, opera\, psychoanalysis\, politics\, and both American and European traditions of thought. In the spirit of his intellectual breadth and transnational sensibility\, we are organizing a three-part international conference to celebrate his life\, work\, and legacy in Paris\, Rome\, and Boston.
\nWhy This Conference Matters
\nStanley Cavell transformed philosophy into an act of acknowledgment&mdash\;of self\, of others\, and of the everyday. His writings on skepticism\, language\, film\, and the ordinary remain vital at a time when trust in both language and human connection faces renewed challenges. From \;Must We Mean What We Say? \;to \;The Claim of Reason\, from \;The World Viewed \;to \;Pursuits of Happiness\, and through his readings of Emerson and Thoreau\, Cavell helped redefine the scope and style of philosophical writing and teaching.
\nHis engagement with Wittgenstein and Austin reinvigorated the ordinary language tradition\, while his interests in modernism\, cinema\, and American transcendentalism forged a philosophical voice that responded to&mdash\;and often transcended&mdash\;the academic context.
\nThis centennial conference will bring together philosophers\, literary scholars\, and critics to reflect on Cavell&rsquo\;s legacy and extend the conversations he began.
\nThis call for papers concerns all three installments&mdash\;Paris\, Rome\, and Boston&mdash\;of the Cavell at 100 conference.
\nSuggested Themes:
\nWe welcome proposals that engage with the following themes or propose new directions for exploring Cavell&rsquo\;s thought.
\nConference Foci:
\nParis will focus especially on Ordinary Language Philosophy\, Film\, and Popular Culture.
\nRome will center mainly on Ethics\, Politics\, and Forms of Life.
\nBoston will treat primarily Philosophy and Literature\, Tragedy\, Music\, and the Idea of America.
\nSome themes&mdash\;such as skepticism\, modernism\, the ordinary&mdash\;cut across all three conferences.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Athens:20260727T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Athens:20260823T170000 SUMMARY:School of Materialist Research Summer Institute 2026 UID:20260812T152314Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/Athens LOCATION:Olympiada Halkidiki (near Stavros\, ancient Stagira)\, Thessaloníki\, Greece\, 57014 DESCRIPTION:&ldquo\;Political&rdquo\; in the contemporary sense\, and as bound by its disciplinary definitions in political science and political philosophy\, assigns societal categories\, forms of law and moralities to the edges or beyond the limits of what is political. Yet again\, these excluded categories are both legislated by the Political within its limits of &ldquo\;discursive legibility\,&rdquo\; in Judith Butler&rsquo\;s parlance\, and relegated to the realms of the pre-political (including anti-political\, non-political). The &ldquo\;beyond political&rdquo\; serves to constitute the political as its Other\, to be subjugated or negated by it\, but also to be kept at bay as the source of elemental revolt\, i.e.\, &ldquo\;prepolitical.&rdquo\; (27 July-31 July 2026)
\n"Realism\, Materialism\, Epistemology: What is Living and What is Dead in Contemporary Thought?\," is the title of a summer school\, part of the SMR Summer Institute in Stagira/Olympiada (Greece)\, scheduled for August 17&ndash\;23\, 2026. It will explore the 21st century provocations and challenges to the dominance of the poststructuralist epistem across the humanities\, social sciences\, political philosophy\, and beyond. \;
\nThe School of Materialist Research is pleased to announce the third edition of its Advanced Design Practices Summer Institute\, Living Design: Ontological Design Redux. The program is aimed at graduate students (Master&rsquo\;s and doctoral) and early-career researchers who wish to expand their creative and critical research on questions related to design\, calling for a fundamental rethinking and redoing of design praxis. The school is taught by internationally renowned faculty in design and the arts from Goldsmiths\, University of London (UK)\, Politecnico di Milano (Italy)\, Arizona State University (USA)\, and Sandberg Instituut (Netherlands).
\n ORGANIZER;CN=Katerina Kolozova;CN=Adam Nocek: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260813T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260813T120000 SUMMARY:The Aesthetics of Games UID:20260812T152315Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Manchester\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:British Society of Aesthetics Conference &ndash\; The Aesthetics of Games
\n7-9 September 2026
\nUniversity of Manchester\, UK
\nOver the past two decades\, games - both digital and non-digital - have become increasingly prominent within philosophy. As well as receiving attention from aestheticians\, games have been examined in ethics\, philosophy of action\, metaphysics\, philosophy of mind\, and social philosophy\, prompting questions about: agency\; responsibility\; rule-following\; normativity\; meaning\; responsibility for in-game actions\; the organisation of rule-governed activity\; the phenomenology of skilled performance\, and the ontological status of fictional and virtual entities. At the same time\, game studies has developed a rich interdisciplinary body of research addressing narrative\, space\, identity\, labour\, and politics.
\nThis conference aims to bring other philosophical discussions about games into sustained contact with aesthetics\, to furnish a more comprehensive picture of what kinds of aesthetic categories\, evaluative standards\, and conceptual tools are needed to understand the experiences games generate. At the same time\, it seeks to explore what pressure games place on familiar distinctions within aesthetics (e.g.\, between object and experience\, form and performance\, or representation and action)\, and to clarify what is at stake in treating games as aesthetically significant.
\nSpeakers include Kumru Akdoğan (Manchester)\, Craig Bourne\, Emily Caddick Bourne (Manchester)\, Alex Fisher (Leeds)\, Luca Marchetti (Genova)\, Emily Ryall (Gloucestershire)\, Jaakko Stenros (Tampere)\, Daniel Vella (Malta).
\nWe have some spaces available for further papers. If you are interested in giving a paper\, please send an abstract of around 300-400 words to kumru.akdogan@manchester.ac.uk and emily.caddickbourne@manchester.ac.uk\, by August 13th. Speakers will have up to 40 minutes presentation time\, followed by 20 minutes for questions.
\nTopics could include\, but are not limited to:
\n- Games as objects of aesthetic evaluation\, e.g.: How do traditional concepts such as unity\, coherence\, and form apply to interactive media? How does the relation between ludic and narrative structures shape aesthetic experience? Should games be understood as artworks\, practices\, performances\, or hybrids thereof? What does this imply for aesthetic judgement?
\n- Narrative\, fiction\, and counterfactual structure\, e.g.: Do non-linear narrative forms require attention to different standards of evaluation? What is the aesthetic significance of alternative narrative paths? How do modes of play relate to the exploration of counterfactuals? How might interactive fiction rethink familiar narrative conventions from literature and film?
\n- Aesthetics of space and environment\, e.g.: How should we distinguish space as an aesthetically active dimension of games from space as a neutral backdrop for action? How do spatial composition\, atmosphere\, and environmental design structure perception\, movement\, and affect? How can phenomenology\, architecture\, or theories of place enable us to analyse game environments as aesthetic constructs? How should narrativity be understood in environmental storytelling?
\n- Action\, performance\, and play\, e.g.: How does aesthetic value emerge not only from designed forms but from enacted play? Can the exercise of player agency usefully be understood as a form of aesthetic\, or artistic\, performance? What is the significance of improvisation\, failure\, and skill? What are the possible roles of teamwork and coordination in shaping evaluative ideals such as 'beautiful play'?
\n- Formal and procedural aesthetics\, e.g.: What constitutes aesthetic engagement with rules\, systems\, and procedures\, and is this a crucial part of the aesthetic experience of games? What does it mean for rule systems to be elegant? What is the aesthetic experience of mastering complex mechanics\, or of navigating repetition and looping? How can opacity of rules or absence of rules be deployed as aesthetic strategies?
\n- Ethical\, social\, and political dimensions of game aesthetics\, e.g.: How do social and material factors shape aesthetic experience and evaluation? Under what circumstances does a game express a moral perspective on the actions it allows as part of engagement? How do cultural and historical framings of games and play impact on how games should be understood as aesthetic objects? How do games\, and the contexts in which they are played\, navigate questions about who is represented and who participates? What counts as an ethical transgression in gameplay?
\nTo register to attend the conference\, or for any questions\, please send an email to kumru.akdogan@manchester.ac.uk and/or emily.caddickbourne@manchester.ac.uk. Registration is free and refreshments will provided each day. When registering\, please include a note of any dietary requirements. Please also let us know about any accessibility requirements you would like us to be aware of\, which we will aim to accommodate wherever possible.
\nWe hope to see you there!
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260901T234500 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260901T234500 SUMMARY:Biophilia: The Ethics\, Politics\, and Aesthetics of Love for the Living World UID:20260812T152316Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Chicago LOCATION:Starkville\, United States\, 39762 DESCRIPTION:Biophilia refers to humans&rsquo\; love of nature and the living world generally. The Mississippi Philosophical Association invites scholars to explore the ethical\, political\, and aesthetic questions related to this theme in a two-day conference at Mississippi State University\, February 12th and 13th\, 2027. Two keynote speeches shall be delivered by Paula Casal \;and Andrew Williams. \;
\nE.O. Wilson defines biophilia as an evolutionarily developed tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes\; an innate human desire to affiliate with other forms of life\, including plants and animals. We invite scholars to engage with this definition of biophilia as well as a broader understanding of the concept. Papers need not assume that all humans are biophilic. In fact\, the apparent diversity in biophilic feelings across society (the presence or absence of such values\, varying levels of biophilia\, and love for different natural entities) is of interest in political philosophy. Should the government tolerate a reasonable amount of pluralism in citizens&rsquo\; appreciation of nature (or lack thereof)? How might fair terms of social cooperation be drawn up between biophilic and non-biophilic citizens?
\nIdeas for presentations include but are not limited to:
\nEthics: Is life the source of moral value? What is the moral status of the abiotic components of nature? How should &ldquo\;relational values&rdquo\; feature in Environmental Ethics? What is the proper unit of moral concern for nature: individual animals\, ecosystems\, or life itself? Should the natural (red in tooth in claw) be supplanted by the just?
\nPolitics: Should the state attempt to inculcate an appreciation of nature in its citizenry? Could biophilia be considered a civic virtue? What are the implications of love for nature and specific natural entities for distributive justice? Should states recognize eco-sovereignty claims? Attachment-based claims?
\nAesthetics: Is there a connection between aesthetic value and life? Is the current fascination with robots and A.I. an expression of necrophilia or perhaps a perverted form of biophilia? What did Kant mean when he said that the &lsquo\;feeling of life&rsquo\; is fundamental to our perception of beauty? Could there be beauty in a dead world?
\nPlease email an anonymized abstract of around 500 words to Susan Erck (serck [at] philrel [dot] msstate [dot] edu) no later than September 1st\, 2026.
\nThe MPA Student Presentation Prize:The winner will receive a cash prize of $250. If you are a student and wish to be considered for this prize\, please indicate so in your application email.
ORGANIZER;CN=Susan Erck: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260903T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260907T170000 SUMMARY:Popular Arts Conference 2026 UID:20260812T152317Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:Atlanta\, United States DESCRIPTION:The Popular Arts Conference (PAC) is an annual academic conference for the studies of the popular arts\, including science/speculative fiction and fantasy literature\, film\, and other media\; comic books and graphic novels\; anime and manga\; tabletop and video gaming\; etc.\, presented to a mixed audience of scholars and fans. The mission of PAC is to promote scholarship on popular culture and to encourage engagement between scholars and fans in order to deepen our understanding of the popular arts. PAC presentations are peer reviewed\, based on scholarly research.
\nPAC talks are presented to a mixed audience of academics and fans\, and take place in conjunction withDragonCon\, a large multi-media\, popular culture convention. Presentations should be prepared with a general audience in mind. Presenters mustregister for DragonConif their paper is accepted in order to present. PAC is an in-person conference.
ORGANIZER;CN=Matthew J. Brown;CN=Johnathan Flowers: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260907T000000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260909T170000 SUMMARY:The Aesthetics of Games UID:20260812T152318Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Manchester\, United Kingdom DESCRIPTION:British Society of Aesthetics Conference &ndash\; The Aesthetics of Games
\n7-9 September 2026
\nUniversity of Manchester\, UK
\nOver the past two decades\, games - both digital and non-digital - have become increasingly prominent within philosophy. As well as receiving attention from aestheticians\, games have been examined in ethics\, philosophy of action\, metaphysics\, philosophy of mind\, and social philosophy\, prompting questions about: agency\; responsibility\; rule-following\; normativity\; meaning\; responsibility for in-game actions\; the organisation of rule-governed activity\; the phenomenology of skilled performance\, and the ontological status of fictional and virtual entities. At the same time\, game studies has developed a rich interdisciplinary body of research addressing narrative\, space\, identity\, labour\, and politics.
\nThis conference aims to bring other philosophical discussions about games into sustained contact with aesthetics\, to furnish a more comprehensive picture of what kinds of aesthetic categories\, evaluative standards\, and conceptual tools are needed to understand the experiences games generate. At the same time\, it seeks to explore what pressure games place on familiar distinctions within aesthetics (e.g.\, between object and experience\, form and performance\, or representation and action)\, and to clarify what is at stake in treating games as aesthetically significant.
\nSpeakers include Kumru Akdoğan (Manchester)\, Craig Bourne\, Emily Caddick Bourne (Manchester)\, Alex Fisher (Leeds)\, Luca Marchetti (Genova)\, Emily Ryall (Gloucestershire)\, Jaakko Stenros (Tampere)\, Daniel Vella (Malta).
\nWe have some spaces available for further papers. If you are interested in giving a paper\, please send an abstract of around 300-400 words to kumru.akdogan@manchester.ac.uk and emily.caddickbourne@manchester.ac.uk\, by August 13th. Speakers will have up to 40 minutes presentation time\, followed by 20 minutes for questions.
\nTopics could include\, but are not limited to:
\n- Games as objects of aesthetic evaluation\, e.g.: How do traditional concepts such as unity\, coherence\, and form apply to interactive media? How does the relation between ludic and narrative structures shape aesthetic experience? Should games be understood as artworks\, practices\, performances\, or hybrids thereof? What does this imply for aesthetic judgement?
\n- Narrative\, fiction\, and counterfactual structure\, e.g.: Do non-linear narrative forms require attention to different standards of evaluation? What is the aesthetic significance of alternative narrative paths? How do modes of play relate to the exploration of counterfactuals? How might interactive fiction rethink familiar narrative conventions from literature and film?
\n- Aesthetics of space and environment\, e.g.: How should we distinguish space as an aesthetically active dimension of games from space as a neutral backdrop for action? How do spatial composition\, atmosphere\, and environmental design structure perception\, movement\, and affect? How can phenomenology\, architecture\, or theories of place enable us to analyse game environments as aesthetic constructs? How should narrativity be understood in environmental storytelling?
\n- Action\, performance\, and play\, e.g.: How does aesthetic value emerge not only from designed forms but from enacted play? Can the exercise of player agency usefully be understood as a form of aesthetic\, or artistic\, performance? What is the significance of improvisation\, failure\, and skill? What are the possible roles of teamwork and coordination in shaping evaluative ideals such as 'beautiful play'?
\n- Formal and procedural aesthetics\, e.g.: What constitutes aesthetic engagement with rules\, systems\, and procedures\, and is this a crucial part of the aesthetic experience of games? What does it mean for rule systems to be elegant? What is the aesthetic experience of mastering complex mechanics\, or of navigating repetition and looping? How can opacity of rules or absence of rules be deployed as aesthetic strategies?
\n- Ethical\, social\, and political dimensions of game aesthetics\, e.g.: How do social and material factors shape aesthetic experience and evaluation? Under what circumstances does a game express a moral perspective on the actions it allows as part of engagement? How do cultural and historical framings of games and play impact on how games should be understood as aesthetic objects? How do games\, and the contexts in which they are played\, navigate questions about who is represented and who participates? What counts as an ethical transgression in gameplay?
\nTo register to attend the conference\, or for any questions\, please send an email to kumru.akdogan@manchester.ac.uk and/or emily.caddickbourne@manchester.ac.uk. Registration is free and refreshments will provided each day. When registering\, please include a note of any dietary requirements. Please also let us know about any accessibility requirements you would like us to be aware of\, which we will aim to accommodate wherever possible.
\nWe hope to see you there!
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260911T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260911T090000 SUMMARY:Special Issue of the Journal of Philosophy in Schools: Aesthetic Education UID:20260812T152319Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:The Journal of Philosophy in Schools (JPS) is seeking articles for inclusion in a special issue entitled Aesthetic Education and Philosophy in Schools.
\nAesthetic education is often treated as a concern of the arts curriculum alone &mdash\; a matter of what happens in the music room\, the drama studio\, or the visual arts classroom. Yet the claim that education has an aesthetic dimension is older and broader than this narrower usage suggests. From Schiller's argument that beauty is the condition under which the human being becomes whole\, to Dewey's insistence that aesthetic experience is not a separate domain but the consummatory quality of any experience undergone with attention\, to Maxine Greene's reminder that imagination is the passport to the "as if\," the tradition has long held that the aesthetic is implicated wherever learners are asked to perceive carefully\, feel responsively\, and judge with discernment.
\nThis raises questions that sit close to the heart of philosophy in schools. What is the relationship between aesthetic experience and the formation of judgment? Can the school\, which often prioritizes reasoning and dialogue\, also be understood as a site of aesthetic formation &mdash\; a place where attention\, receptivity\, and imaginative response are cultivated alongside argument? If so\, how might practitioners understand what they are already doing\, and what further possibilities might open up? Finally\, how might these questions be addressed using philosophical pedagogies?
\nThis special issue invites contributions that examine the intersection of aesthetic education and philosophy with school-aged children\, across and beyond the arts curriculum. We welcome submissions from various philosophical traditions\, as well as historical recoveries of figures whose work remains generative for contemporary practice. We particularly welcome scholars who approach aesthetics in a crossdisciplinary way &ndash\; calling upon figures from various traditions to formulate their philosophical argument. \;
\nPapers could address the following questions or pursue additional lines of inquiry:
\nThe Facilitator as Artist: How might the role of the teacher or facilitator in a philosophical inquiry be understood as an aesthetic practice or performance?
\nEmbodiment &\; Environment (Place &\; Play): What is the relationship between aesthetic experience\, physical play\, and embodied cognition in philosophical inquiry? How do the physical classroom environment\, outdoor settings\, or digital spaces influence the aesthetic dimension of philosophical inquiry with children?
\nThe Role of Attention\, Perception\, and/or Imagination: What role does aesthetic attention\, perception\, or imagination play in philosophical inquiry with children\, and how might this be cultivated? How can the school be a place for aesthetic philosophical practice\, and what would such a reframing change in pedagogical terms?
\nEducative Aesthetic Experience: What distinguishes an aesthetic experience that is genuinely educative from one that is merely pleasant\, passive\, or even distracting within the context of philosophical inquiry? How can aesthetics be engaged without instrumentalizing works of art?
\nEducating the Aesthetic Dimension: What does it mean to educate the aesthetic dimension of a young person's experience or cultivate aesthetic sensibility\, and how does this differ from\, or complement\, the cultivation of critical reasoning?
\nCreative Thinking and Aesthetics: How does "creative thinking" function within philosophical inquiry with children\, and what is its relationship to critical and caring thinking? How might an aesthetic perspective illuminate the distinctiveness of creative thinking and its compatibility with critical reasoning in philosophical dialogue?
\nAesthetics and Flourishing: In what ways do aesthetic experiences in the philosophy classroom foster a sense of meaning\, connection\, and student growth? What specific qualities\, structures\, or pedagogical conditions must an aesthetic experience possess to facilitate philosophical learning and student growth? How does engaging the aesthetic dimension within philosophical inquiry contribute to student well-being\, eudaimonia\, and the holistic flourishing of the child?
\nTheoretically-Grounded Aesthetic Intuition: What theoretical resources are needed to make sense of practitioner intuitions that the best philosophy classrooms have an aesthetic quality that exceeds their argumentative content?
\nEmpirical Research and Implications: How do aesthetic considerations bear on ethical\, civic\, and epistemic education\, and what are the implications for classroom practice? How might empirical research illuminate the presence and significance of aesthetic experience in classroom philosophical dialogue? \;
\nDiverse Aesthetic Traditions: What can non-Western aesthetic traditions or Indigenous perspectives on beauty and experience bring to philosophy in schools? What aesthetic injustices have occurred because of the emphasis on beauty and other Western aesthetic traditions? What barriers to entry are generated by the perceived &ldquo\;gatekeeping&rdquo\; of Western concepts of aesthetics? \;
\nWe invite extended abstracts (500-700 words) to be considered for inclusion in this special issue. Please include a brief bio indicating any relevant affiliations.
\nProcedures and Timelines
\nYour extended abstract and proposed title\, along with your name\, affiliation\, and bios\, should be submitted via email to the guest editors: Rebecca Taylor (rt2904@tc.columbia.edu) and Michael Quinn (m.quinn2@research.gla.ac.uk).
\nAbstracts due: Friday\, September 11\, 2026. Authors will be notified by early October 2026 as to whether their submission has been accepted.
\nFull papers (4000-6000 words)will be due February 1\, 2027\, for double-blind peer review. \;
\nAuthor Guidelines can be found here:https://jps.bham.ac.uk/about/submissions/
\nJPS is a peer-reviewed\, open-access online journal dedicated to research in philosophy with school-aged children. This special issue will be published in the June/July or \; November/December 2027.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T090000 SUMMARY:Religious Art and Power – Contestations and Affirmations - Open Theology UID:20260812T152320Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:CALL FOR PAPERS
\nfor the special issue of Open Theology
\nReligious Art and Power &ndash\;
\nContestations and Affirmations
\nOpen Theology (https://www.degruyterbrill.com/journal/key/opth/html) invites submissions for the special issue &ldquo\;Religious Art and Power &ndash\; Contestations and Affirmations\,&rdquo\; edited by Lá\;szló\; Koppá\;ny Csá\;ji and Má\;rk Nemes (Research Institute of Art Theory and Methodology\, Hungarian Academy of Arts\, Budapest\, Hungary).
\nDESCRIPTION
\nInterlacing culture and society\, religious art has traditionally been a hub of social reflections. A field of creativity\, intuitive expression\, professionalism\, communication\, and even social agency\, religious art appears in many forms of expression and activity. It can be studied &ldquo\;through the prism of the genre\,&rdquo\; as Leonard Primiano suggests\, using the frameworks of architecture\, dress\, photographs\, artifacts\, narratives\, bodily communication\, and even dance\, music\, or song. Artistic expressions often incorporate reflections on power\, whether affirmative and legitimizing or critical and resistant\, even on the level of vernacular religiosity. Religion and power also have a complex relationship and interaction\, as professional religious art&mdash\;whether at the level of the individual\, the religious community\, or society at large&mdash\;has the capability to address contemporary issues of &ldquo\;mundane&rdquo\; power. Within these frameworks\, urgent issues such as climate change\, crises\, war\, migration\, and social discrimination can also be addressed. However\, art is not merely a tool for expressing a critical position and commentary on social\, cultural\, and political power\, but can function as an agent that shapes and affirms it.
\nThis special issue of &ldquo\;Open Theology&rdquo\; seeks novel approaches to these intertwined subjects\, with a thematic focus on how power\, authority\, and agency play out at the vernacular and institutional levels\, and on how power is bestowed\, legitimized\, and subverted through social and spiritual frameworks.
\nWe encourage submissions on inductive\, fieldwork-centered research\; theoretical overviews of the relationship between art and power applied to case studies\; and critical methodological reflections on prior research or approaches on the subject group. Submissions should aim to articulate proposals with real traction&mdash\;normative and operational&mdash\;attentive to feasibility\, measurable change\, and transferability.
\nSubmissions should primarily (but not exclusively) address the following questions:
\nWhat kind of discursive practices appear in religious art?
\nWhat is the role of emotions and the senses in legitimizing or subverting forms of power and authority?
\nHow do new media and new technologies shape religious artistic practices by empowering marginalized voices\, deconstructing traditional hierarchies\, or creating alternative narratives?
\nHow do performative approaches in religious practices play a crucial role in expressing\, shaping\, or contesting religious authority or power?
HOW TO SUBMIT
\nSubmissions will be collected until 15 September\, 2026\, via the online submission system
\nat http://www.editorialmanager.com/openth/
\nPlease choose section/category: special issue &ldquo\;Religious Art and Power&rdquo\;.
\nBefore submission\, authors should carefully read the Instruction for Authors\, available at:
\n\nAll contributions will undergo peer review before acceptance for publication.
\nFurther questions about content for this thematic issue can be addressed to Dr. Lá\;szló\; Koppá\;ny Csá\;ji (csaji.koppany@mma-mmki.hu) and Dr. Má\;rk Nemes (nemes.mark@mma-mmki.hu)
\nBecause &ldquo\;Open Theology&rdquo\; is published under an open access model\, as a rule\, publication costs should be covered by Article Publishing Charges (APC)\, paid by authors\, their affiliated institutions\, funders\, or sponsors. Authors without access to publishing funds are encouraged to discuss potential discounts or waivers with OA Portfolio Manager Magdalena Skoneczna (magdalena.skoneczna@degruyterbrill.com) before submitting their manuscripts.
\nIn case of technical problems with submission\, please write to Assistant.Managing.Editor@degruyterbrill.com.
\nFind us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenTheology
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T234500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T234500 SUMMARY:The Aesthetic Aspects of Metaphor: Philosophical Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Dialogue UID:20260812T152321Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:CALL FOR PAPERS
\nAESTHETIC ASPECTS OF METAPHOR
\nItinera\, 32 (2026)
\nhttps://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/itinera/cfp
\nThis special issue aims to explore the aesthetic aspects of metaphor within contemporary discourse.
\nThe aim is to revive a philosophical perspective capable of integrating the sensory\, emotional and creative dimensions of metaphor\, examining its role in interpretative processes\, concept formation and expressive practices.
\nTopics (selection)
\n&bull\; Metaphor and perspective shift
\n&bull\; Metaphor\, intuitive perception and insight
\n&bull\; Embodiment and conceptual metaphors
\n&bull\; Metaphorical creativity and semantic innovation
\n&bull\; Metaphor and symbolisation in the arts
\n&bull\; Visual metaphors: immediacy\, emotional impact\, interpretation
\n&bull\; Metaphor and aesthetic and epistemic emotions in learning
\nDeadline for article submission: 31 July 2026 \; \; new deadline: 15 September 2026
\nLength: 25\,000&ndash\;40\,000 characters
\nLanguages: IT\, EN\, FR\, ES
\nExpected publication date: December 2026
\nEditors:
\nAlice Giuliani &mdash\; alice.giuliani@unimore.it
\nFrancesca D&rsquo\;Alessandris &mdash\; francesca.dalessandris@unimore.it
\nMarco Franceschina &mdash\; marco.franceschina@unimi.it
\n━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Paris:20260920T230000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Paris:20260920T230000 SUMMARY:"Ricœur\, Dead or Alive?" Fonds Ricœur Monthly Seminar (ENS\, Paris) UID:20260812T152322Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/Paris LOCATION:École Normale Supérieure\, 45 rue d'Ulm\, Paris\, France\, 75005 DESCRIPTION:Presentation of the Seminar
\nThe seminar "Actualité\;s de Ric&oelig\;ur" ("Ric&oelig\;ur Studies Today") aims to offer a space for discussion and development for early-career research on Ric&oelig\;ur. Hosted at the É\;cole Normale Supé\;rieure for the 2026&ndash\;2027 academic year\, it welcomes proposals from doctoral students\, postdoctoral researchers\, and early-career scholars who wish to explore\, extend\, or put to the test the resources of Paul Ric&oelig\;ur's philosophy.
\nThe first edition of this seminar is entitled "Ric&oelig\;ur\, Dead or Alive?" &mdash\; a deliberately ambiguous formulation\, one that invites us to question both the internal vitality of his &oelig\;uvre and its capacity to nourish the philosophical\, ethical\, and political debates of today.
\nIs Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutic phenomenology not defined\, in essence\, by its defense of &mdash\; and\, as it were\, its "vow" (v&oelig\;u) in favor of &mdash\; life\, the living\, and the lively? But is he still a living interlocutor\, or has his thought sedimented into heritage?
\nThe seminar will follow this format: two speakers per two-hour session\, with 30 minutes of presentation and 30 minutes of discussion for each speaker.
\nFor paper proposals\, we welcome submissions engaging with three thematic axes.
\nAxis I. Life as Resistance &ndash\; Language\, Time\, and Action
\nHow does life affirm\, narrate\, and configure itself in the face of what negates it? Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutic phenomenology is traversed by a fundamental tension between the power to act and the multiple forms of its hindrance. Confronted with evil\, forgetting\, or indeed death\, Ric&oelig\;ur explores the diverse forms of resistance at work within life &mdash\; metaphors\, narratives\, memories\, history. These resistances\, as actions\, possess an intrinsic logic and continue to create the meaning of life.
\nSuggested Lines of Approach
\n1. Language as resistance: How does the "living metaphor" (The Rule of Metaphor\, 1975) constitute a form of resistance to the "entropy of language\," which freezes meaning? In what sense is semantic innovation a vital act\, a "revival"?
\n2. Narrative as resistance: In Time and Narrative (1983&ndash\;1985)\, emplotment is presented as a provisional victory over temporal discordance. How are we to think this victory in the face of the radicality of Heideggerian "being-towards-death"?
\n3. Memory as resistance: Memory\, History\, Forgetting (2000) distinguishes between forgetting kept in reserve and forgetting through effacement. In what way does this distinction commit us to an ethics of memory as a form of fidelity to life?
\nAxis II. A Life of One's Own &ndash\; Selfhood\, Vulnerability\, Ethicity
\nHow might vulnerability\, far from being a limit of subjectivity\, be its very condition of ethical possibility? Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutics of the self is built upon the recognition of a constitutive fragility: narrative identity is always exposed to rupture\, to suffering\, to undergoing the action of the other &mdash\; the other inscribing at the very heart of the self. This axis proposes to deepen reflection on the relation between the self and the other\, and to explore the modes by which a "good life" may be accomplished\, starting from the concrete ordeals of vulnerability: trauma\, the quest for mutual recognition\, and the precariousness of existence.
\nSuggested Lines of Approach
\n4. The ordeal of narrative identity: Oneself as Another (1990) articulates idem-identity and ipse-identity around the self-constancy under trial. What becomes of this articulation when the trial is that of identity's collapse &mdash\; serious illness\, exile\, trauma? Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutics of narrative identity also resonates with debates on the performativity of identity and with gender studies (Butler).
\n5. The reciprocity of recognition: In The Course of Recognition (2004)\, Ric&oelig\;ur moves from self-recognition to mutual recognition. How might this course enter into dialogue with contemporary theories of vulnerability (Weil\, Levinas) or of care?
\n6. The ethical life: The "ethical aim" defined in the "ethical studies" (Oneself as Another\, Studies 5-7) seeks to realize a "good life." Does this notion remain operative in the face of situations of thwarted life\, precarity\, or desubjectivation?
\nAxis III. Ric&oelig\;ur&rsquo\;s Survival &ndash\; Present Legacies
\nRic&oelig\;ur maintained a singular relationship with his own era\, marked as much by fruitful resonances as by sharp conflicts. This axis seeks to interrogate the philosophical actuality of these past debates: what extensions\, what corrections\, and what ruptures does Ric&oelig\;urian thought call for today? Proposals will place Ric&oelig\;ur's texts in critical dialogue with contemporary problematics\, without confining themselves to historical reconstruction.
\nSuggested Lines of Approach
\n7. Radical alterity in phenomenology: Ric&oelig\;ur engaged in a twofold critical dialogue with Derridean deconstruction and Levinasian ethics &mdash\; two distinct contestations of the autonomy of the self\, the one through the play of language\, the other through the ethical injunction of the face. How do these confrontations\, taken together\, illuminate the limits and the resources of the hermeneutics of the self in the face of the contemporary challenges of hospitality\, communication\, and responsibility?
\n8. Philosophical anthropology: Is the human being\, understood as the "capable human being" (From Text to Action\, 1986)\, in a position to accommodate new forms of agency &mdash\; collective\, distributed\, digital &mdash\; or do its anthropological presuppositions constrain it? In this regard\, Ric&oelig\;urian philosophy could enter into fruitful dialogue with the theories of Stiegler (tertiary retention) and Arendt (collective action).
\n9. Justice today: How might Ric&oelig\;ur's reflections on justice\, collective memory\, and forgiveness (Memory\, History\, Forgetting\, Epilogue) be articulated with the contemporary stakes of memory conflicts\, politics of reconciliation\, or postcolonial reparations? Ric&oelig\;ur's philosophy is bound up with figures such as Halbwachs\, Derrida\, and Honneth. His reflection on memory and forgiveness continues to shed lasting light on the practices of transitional justice.
\nSubmission Guidelines
\nTo submit a proposal or for any inquiries\, please write to us at the following address: seminaire.actualites.ricoeur@gmail.com. Proposals are welcome from doctoral students\, postdoctoral researchers\, and early-career scholars of any discipline (philosophy\, literary studies\, theology\, social sciences\, law)\, provided that they are grounded in Ric&oelig\;ur's texts and in contemporary debates for which Ric&oelig\;urian theory could be fruitfully mobilized. Comparative and transdisciplinary proposals are welcome. We will accept proposals in French and in English.
\nOrganizing Committee
\nTristan Barberousse (ENS)
\nKexin Hu (ENS)
\nMartina Lodi (Lumsa-ICP)
\nQiyu Chen (Montpellier III)
\n\nPractical Information
\nSubmissions: seminaire.actualites.ricoeur@gmail.com
\nSubmission deadline: 20 September 2026
\nVenue: É\;cole Normale Supé\;rieure\, 45 rue d'Ulm\, Paris (75005)
\nFrequency: monthly (2026&ndash\;2027 academic year)\, normally on the last Tuesday of each month\, beginning however on Tuesday 6 October.
\nSchedule: 6 October\; 27 October\; 24 November\; 15 December (due to the holiday break)\; 26 January\; 23 February\; 30 March\; 27 April.
\nPaper proposals must follow these guidelines:
\nAn anonymized abstract of 400 to 600 words in Word format\, specifying the title of the paper\, the chosen axis\, and the thesis defended\, accompanied by an indicative bibliography.
\nA brief bio-bibliographical note (name\, affiliation\, current position\, thesis supervisor where applicable) should be included in the body of the email. To facilitate the archiving and processing of your submission\, we kindly ask you to format the subject line of your email as follows: [Seminar Application] Surname &ndash\; Title of the Paper. Formatting guidelines for the (anonymous) abstract: Times New Roman or Arial\, 12-point font\, 1.5 line spacing.
\nWe wish for the papers to be delivered in person\, in order to facilitate the discussions that lie at the heart of the seminar spirit of this initiative. A link will nevertheless be available for those who wish to follow the event remotely\, where applicable.
\nThe seminar has no dedicated budget for the reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses\, and in-person participation is at the speakers' own expense. We therefore encourage them to explore\, as a first step\, the funding available from their research unit\, doctoral school\, or home institution.
\nSelected speakers will be invited to submit a preparatory text (25\,000 characters maximum)\, to be circulated to participants one week before the session\, and sent to the contact address (seminaire.actualites.ricoeur@gmail.com).
ORGANIZER;CN=Barberousse Tristan;CN=Hu Kexin;CN=Lodi Martina;CN=Chen Qiyu: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260930T234500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260930T234500 SUMMARY:Translation—Semiotics—Music UID:20260812T152323Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London DESCRIPTION:Title:
\nTranslation&mdash\;Semiotics&mdash\;Music
\n\nGuest editors:
\nAnna Rędzioch-Korkuz (University of Warsaw)
\nMałgorzata Grajter (The Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Music in Lodz)
\n\nJournal:
\nStudia Semiotyczne (Semiotic Studies)
\n\nhttp://studiasemiotyczne.pts.edu.pl/
\n\nDeadline for submissions:
\nthe 30th of September 2026
\n\nDescription
\nStudia Semiotyczne (Semiotic Studies) invites submissions for a special issue of the journal. Papers should be written either in English or in Polish and prepared for blind review.
\n\nThe field of translation and music has been attracting increased attention recently: this is evident in numerous monographs\, research papers\, and conferences focused on the complex relationship between words and sounds (see also Bennett\, 2025: 1). As Susam-Sarajeva (2008: 189-190) has noted\, this relationship appears at best challenging\, since translation scholars are &ldquo\;more comfortable dealing with written texts\,&rdquo\; and consequently\, &ldquo\;end up sliding into a predominantly textual analysis.&rdquo\; Similarly\, Desblache (2019: 58) argues that the two fields\, which are genuinely interested in that relationship &ndash\; namely\, translation studies and musicology &ndash\; remain separate because both are practice-oriented disciplines that primarily focus on either verbal translation or music.
\n\nAgainst this backdrop\, we would like to bring the two fields together through semiotics-based research on musical texts\, believing that this perspective has the potential to create resonance for general translation studies. It has been argued that semiotics is good for translation studies (Stecconi 2007\; Marais 2019\; Kourdis 2023)\, which means &ndash\; at least potentially &ndash\; that there is a good deal of methodological and theoretical capital that can be utilized. Research on translation and music can definitely espouse a movement away from words\, verbal artefacts and textual research towards the understanding of the performative\, enacted\, embedded and embodied nature of meaning making within translation\, i.e. towards a deeper understanding of material processes of cultural practices\, which necessitate moving beyond the verbal fixation and concentrating on more semiotically-informed approaches.
\n\nIn the special issue\, we would like to see how the actual go-between of semiotics bridges the fields of translation studies and musicology. We encourage scholars from across the academy to explore and provide their unique insight within the suggested thematic focus of translation\, music and semiotics. We welcome both conceptual and empirical research. Possible topics include\, but are not limited to the following questions:
\n\n● Can (and if yes\, then how can) semiotics contribute to solving the conceptual confusion within translation studies as exemplified by translating musical texts?
\n\n● How can translation and music capitalize theoretically on various theories of semiotics and vice versa?
\n\n● Can we (and if yes\, then how can we) apply conceptual frameworks developed by various schools\, e.g. the Moscow-Tartu School of Semiotics\, Paris School\, Eco&rsquo\;s interpretative semiotics\, Groupe &mu\;\, Peircean semiotics\, etc. to the study of translating musical texts?
\n\n● What methodologies can we use to research the synergy of semiotic systems in musical texts?
\n\n● How can the concept of &ldquo\;textuality&rdquo\; be rethought when applied to musical compositions as texts to be translated?
\n\n● How can the study of translating musical texts through semiotics help to challenge the traditional hierarchy between linguistic and non-linguistic forms of meaning-making?
\n\n● How can semiotics challenge the literal and the human in translating musical texts?
\n\n● How can semiotic approaches account for the performative\, enacted\, embedded and embodied dimensions of musical translation?
\n\n● How can semiotics bridge the disciplinary gap between musicology and translation studies?
\n\nIn order to submit the paper\, one is kindly asked to submit the manuscript by sending it to:
\nannaredzioch@uw.edu.pl\, malgra@amuz.lodz.pl and studiasemiotyczne@pts.edu.pl
\n\nAll submitted papers will be double-blind peer-reviewed.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261001T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261001T140000 SUMMARY:AFK in Florida: The 5th Annual Philosophy of Video Games Conference UID:20260812T152324Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:Boca Raton\, United States DESCRIPTION:The Department of Philosophy at Florida Atlantic University invite submissions for the fifth annual AFK in Florida: The Philosophy of Video Games Conference.
\nThis interdisciplinary conference brings together philosophers\, artists\, and educators to explore the ethical\, aesthetic\, metaphysical\, social\, and political dimensions of games and play. We welcome papers that approach video games as philosophically rich texts and experiences\, as well as work that examines the broader philosophical implications of interactive media and ludic culture. \;
\nWe are delighted to welcome Dr. Alexandre Declos\, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Neuchâ\;tel\, as our keynote speaker. Dr. Declos has published extensively on the ontology and aesthetics of games and digital objects\, with articles appearing in journals such as Journal of the Philosophy of Games\, Synthese\, Erkenntnis\, The Philosophy Quarterly\, and The British Journal of Aesthetics.
\nAlthough the primary focus is on video games\, we also encourage submissions on related domains of play&mdash\;board games\, puzzles\, amusement and theme parks\, and other forms of play&mdash\;inasmuch as they raise meaningful philosophical questions. Preference will be given to papers that engage directly with video games. \;Also\, please note this conference will be entirely in person and there is no funding available to assist witih conference travels. \;
\nTopics may include\, but are not limited to:
\nPlease submit an anonymized abstract of 500&ndash\;750 words.
\nA separate cover sheet should include your name\, paper title\, institutional affiliation\, and email address.
\nThe conference will also include poster sessions. Submissions will be considered for both full presentations and poster presentations. Authors should indicate in their submission:
\nSend submissions as a single document (Word or PDF) to: nbaima@fau.edu
\nPresentation of the Seminar
\nThe seminar "Actualité\;s de Ric&oelig\;ur" ("Ric&oelig\;ur Studies Today") aims to offer a space for discussion and development for early-career research on Ric&oelig\;ur. Hosted at the É\;cole Normale Supé\;rieure for the 2026&ndash\;2027 academic year\, it welcomes proposals from doctoral students\, postdoctoral researchers\, and early-career scholars who wish to explore\, extend\, or put to the test the resources of Paul Ric&oelig\;ur's philosophy.
\nThe first edition of this seminar is entitled "Ric&oelig\;ur\, Dead or Alive?" &mdash\; a deliberately ambiguous formulation\, one that invites us to question both the internal vitality of his &oelig\;uvre and its capacity to nourish the philosophical\, ethical\, and political debates of today.
\nIs Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutic phenomenology not defined\, in essence\, by its defense of &mdash\; and\, as it were\, its "vow" (v&oelig\;u) in favor of &mdash\; life\, the living\, and the lively? But is he still a living interlocutor\, or has his thought sedimented into heritage?
\nThe seminar will follow this format: two speakers per two-hour session\, with 30 minutes of presentation and 30 minutes of discussion for each speaker.
\nFor paper proposals\, we welcome submissions engaging with three thematic axes.
\nAxis I. Life as Resistance &ndash\; Language\, Time\, and Action
\nHow does life affirm\, narrate\, and configure itself in the face of what negates it? Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutic phenomenology is traversed by a fundamental tension between the power to act and the multiple forms of its hindrance. Confronted with evil\, forgetting\, or indeed death\, Ric&oelig\;ur explores the diverse forms of resistance at work within life &mdash\; metaphors\, narratives\, memories\, history. These resistances\, as actions\, possess an intrinsic logic and continue to create the meaning of life.
\nSuggested Lines of Approach
\n1. Language as resistance: How does the "living metaphor" (The Rule of Metaphor\, 1975) constitute a form of resistance to the "entropy of language\," which freezes meaning? In what sense is semantic innovation a vital act\, a "revival"?
\n2. Narrative as resistance: In Time and Narrative (1983&ndash\;1985)\, emplotment is presented as a provisional victory over temporal discordance. How are we to think this victory in the face of the radicality of Heideggerian "being-towards-death"?
\n3. Memory as resistance: Memory\, History\, Forgetting (2000) distinguishes between forgetting kept in reserve and forgetting through effacement. In what way does this distinction commit us to an ethics of memory as a form of fidelity to life?
\nAxis II. A Life of One's Own &ndash\; Selfhood\, Vulnerability\, Ethicity
\nHow might vulnerability\, far from being a limit of subjectivity\, be its very condition of ethical possibility? Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutics of the self is built upon the recognition of a constitutive fragility: narrative identity is always exposed to rupture\, to suffering\, to undergoing the action of the other &mdash\; the other inscribing at the very heart of the self. This axis proposes to deepen reflection on the relation between the self and the other\, and to explore the modes by which a "good life" may be accomplished\, starting from the concrete ordeals of vulnerability: trauma\, the quest for mutual recognition\, and the precariousness of existence.
\nSuggested Lines of Approach
\n4. The ordeal of narrative identity: Oneself as Another (1990) articulates idem-identity and ipse-identity around the self-constancy under trial. What becomes of this articulation when the trial is that of identity's collapse &mdash\; serious illness\, exile\, trauma? Ric&oelig\;ur's hermeneutics of narrative identity also resonates with debates on the performativity of identity and with gender studies (Butler).
\n5. The reciprocity of recognition: In The Course of Recognition (2004)\, Ric&oelig\;ur moves from self-recognition to mutual recognition. How might this course enter into dialogue with contemporary theories of vulnerability (Weil\, Levinas) or of care?
\n6. The ethical life: The "ethical aim" defined in the "ethical studies" (Oneself as Another\, Studies 5-7) seeks to realize a "good life." Does this notion remain operative in the face of situations of thwarted life\, precarity\, or desubjectivation?
\nAxis III. Ric&oelig\;ur&rsquo\;s Survival &ndash\; Present Legacies
\nRic&oelig\;ur maintained a singular relationship with his own era\, marked as much by fruitful resonances as by sharp conflicts. This axis seeks to interrogate the philosophical actuality of these past debates: what extensions\, what corrections\, and what ruptures does Ric&oelig\;urian thought call for today? Proposals will place Ric&oelig\;ur's texts in critical dialogue with contemporary problematics\, without confining themselves to historical reconstruction.
\nSuggested Lines of Approach
\n7. Radical alterity in phenomenology: Ric&oelig\;ur engaged in a twofold critical dialogue with Derridean deconstruction and Levinasian ethics &mdash\; two distinct contestations of the autonomy of the self\, the one through the play of language\, the other through the ethical injunction of the face. How do these confrontations\, taken together\, illuminate the limits and the resources of the hermeneutics of the self in the face of the contemporary challenges of hospitality\, communication\, and responsibility?
\n8. Philosophical anthropology: Is the human being\, understood as the "capable human being" (From Text to Action\, 1986)\, in a position to accommodate new forms of agency &mdash\; collective\, distributed\, digital &mdash\; or do its anthropological presuppositions constrain it? In this regard\, Ric&oelig\;urian philosophy could enter into fruitful dialogue with the theories of Stiegler (tertiary retention) and Arendt (collective action).
\n9. Justice today: How might Ric&oelig\;ur's reflections on justice\, collective memory\, and forgiveness (Memory\, History\, Forgetting\, Epilogue) be articulated with the contemporary stakes of memory conflicts\, politics of reconciliation\, or postcolonial reparations? Ric&oelig\;ur's philosophy is bound up with figures such as Halbwachs\, Derrida\, and Honneth. His reflection on memory and forgiveness continues to shed lasting light on the practices of transitional justice.
\nSubmission Guidelines
\nTo submit a proposal or for any inquiries\, please write to us at the following address: seminaire.actualites.ricoeur@gmail.com. Proposals are welcome from doctoral students\, postdoctoral researchers\, and early-career scholars of any discipline (philosophy\, literary studies\, theology\, social sciences\, law)\, provided that they are grounded in Ric&oelig\;ur's texts and in contemporary debates for which Ric&oelig\;urian theory could be fruitfully mobilized. Comparative and transdisciplinary proposals are welcome. We will accept proposals in French and in English.
\nPractical Information
\nSubmissions: seminaire.actualites.ricoeur@gmail.com
\nSubmission deadline: 20 September 2026
\nVenue: É\;cole Normale Supé\;rieure\, 45 rue d'Ulm\, Paris (75005)
\nFrequency: monthly (2026&ndash\;2027 academic year)\, normally on the last Tuesday of each month\, beginning however on Tuesday 6 October.
\nSchedule: 6 October\; 27 October\; 24 November\; 15 December (due to the holiday break)\; 26 January\; 23 February\; 30 March\; 27 April.
\nPaper proposals must follow these guidelines:
\nAn anonymized abstract of 400 to 600 words in Word format\, specifying the title of the paper\, the chosen axis\, and the thesis defended\, accompanied by an indicative bibliography.
\nA brief bio-bibliographical note (name\, affiliation\, current position\, thesis supervisor where applicable) should be included in the body of the email. To facilitate the archiving and processing of your submission\, we kindly ask you to format the subject line of your email as follows: [Seminar Application] Surname &ndash\; Title of the Paper. Formatting guidelines for the (anonymous) abstract: Times New Roman or Arial\, 12-point font\, 1.5 line spacing.
\nWe wish for the papers to be delivered in person\, in order to facilitate the discussions that lie at the heart of the seminar spirit of this initiative. A link will nevertheless be available for those who wish to follow the event remotely\, where applicable.
\nThe seminar has no dedicated budget for the reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses\, and in-person participation is at the speakers' own expense. We therefore encourage them to explore\, as a first step\, the funding available from their research unit\, doctoral school\, or home institution.
\nSelected speakers will be invited to submit a preparatory text (25\,000 characters maximum)\, to be circulated to participants one week before the session\, and sent to the contact address (seminaire.actualites.ricoeur@gmail.com).
ORGANIZER;CN=Barberousse Tristan;CN=Hu Kexin;CN=Lodi Martina;CN=Chen Qiyu: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261009T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261010T170000 SUMMARY:2026 Southern Aesthetics Workshop UID:20260812T152326Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:University of South Carolina\, Columbia\, United States DESCRIPTION:The Southern Division of the American Society for Aesthetics is pleased to announce a two-day\, pre-read workshop at the University of South Carolina in Columbia\, SC\, October 9-10\, 2026. Each paper will have two commentators. The program will include a performance and keynote by a local artist.
\nQueries can be sent to SouthernAestheticsWorkshop@gmail.com
ORGANIZER;CN=Angela Sun;CN=Michael Dickson;CN=Kyle Kirby;CN=Jeremy Killian;CN=Zachary Weinstein;CN=Tyler Olsson;CN=Guy Rohrbaugh: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261015T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20261015T170000 SUMMARY:JAM (Junkyard Anniversary Meeting) - Philosophy of Imagination Conference UID:20260812T152327Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Los_Angeles LOCATION:The Kravis Center\, Claremont\, United States\, 91711 DESCRIPTION:A philosophy of imagination conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of The Junkyard blog. In addition to the invited speakers\, there will be a number of contributed sessions.
\nCall for Papers
\nJAM will include parallel sessions for submitted papers selected via an open call. Papers should be anonymized and no more than 3000 words (not including references). Philosophical papers on all topics concerning imagination are welcome. The submission deadline is October 15. Notification of paper status will be provided by December 1. A limited number of partial travel stipends are available for early career researchers and scholars residing outside the United States.
\nCall for Symposium Proposals
\nJAM also has limited spots for submitted symposia selected via an open call. Symposia on all philosophical themes concerning imagination are welcome. The submission deadline is October 15. Notification of proposal status will be provided by December 1. A symposium should contain 3 papers and may also include up to two discussants and a chair (if you do not specify a chair\, one will be assigned to you). \; \;Symposium proposals should be anonymized\, and they should \;explain the theme of the symposium and include extended abstracts of each of the three symposium papers (1000 words each). \; \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Amy Kind: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261105T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261107T170000 SUMMARY:2026 Latinx Philosophy Conference UID:20260812T152328Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Chicago LOCATION:College Station\, United States DESCRIPTION:For questions reach out to Sofia Landaeta (sofialandaeta@tamu.edu) or Nora Tsou (noratsou@tamu.edu)
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261112T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261114T170000 SUMMARY:RADIATION: Connection Across Distance\, A Cross-disciplinary Conference UID:20260812T152329Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/London LOCATION:Arnolfini Arts\, Bristol\, United Kingdom\, BS1 4QA DESCRIPTION:RADIATION: Connection Across Distance
\nA Cross-disciplinary Conference
\nArnolfini\, Bristol\, UK 12 &ndash\; 14 Nov 2026
\nWe commonly understand radiation as the circulation of energy in the form of light\, heat\, and radio waves\, illumination and glow\, or the emission of particles from radioactive substances. This includes ultraviolet radiation\, X and gamma rays and radioactive materials. The early 20th century medical use of X-rays was exquisitely captured by Duchamp in his 1910 painting Portrait of Dr. Dumochel. In this work\, the French physician is shown with a red aura &ndash\; presumably depicting the erythema of radiation &ndash\; while parts of his body are missing to connote the mysterious ability of X rays to invisibilise flesh while making bones and internal organs visible. A little over a century later\, diagnostic mammograms\, full-body airport security scans\, even personal radiation-emitting devices (mobile phones) are the norm. Ionising radiation is used in Heritage Studies to identify underdrawings while gamma radiation eliminates bacteria that threaten to damage cultural objects\, books and statues.
\n\; \; \; \;However\, this source-process-effect frame\, prevalent in many\, if not most disciplines\, is not the only way to think radiation. Several years ago\, researchers from the University of Regensburg\, Germany\, discovered a phenomenon akin to negative radiation. When an electron moves through a material it often collides with other electrons. This causes de-acceleration. Although an electron with negative mass loses energy in the same way that an electron with positive mass does\, the effect of that loss is\, counterintuitively: acceleration. In other words\, if a ball with negative mass falls into water\, it is not slowed down by friction but instead sped up. Using a new type of semiconductor and irradiating it with a red laser\, the Regensburg team found that\, surprisingly\, the electrons emitted a blue glimmer. This signalled a conversion of low-energy red light into the high-energy blue light arising from electrons with negative mass (Lin et al 2021). Experiments such as these beg the question of the scope of &lsquo\;negative&rsquo\; radiation\, caused by phenomena like negative force.
\n\; \; \; \;In the cultural and socio-political realms\, the invisible working of radiation is captured by two past-laden concepts: aura and hauntology. As a &lsquo\;strange tissue of space-time\,&rsquo\; and a &lsquo\;unique apparition of distance in proximity&rsquo\; (Benjamin 1979)\, aura amplifies energies accruing in everyday practices as affective presence. It turns sedimentations of mnemonic processes into &lsquo\;weakly radioactive materials&rsquo\; (Sloterdijk 2016)\, as can be seen from the so-called &lsquo\;merged objects&rsquo\; &ndash\; such as the Salish blankets\, made of mountain goat\, dog hair\, and vegetation\, that are part animal\, part hunter\, part weaver\, and part wearer (Tepper 2017). Their purpose is to gather cross-species and cross-temporal relations into a single\, culturally energised object. Similarly\, accrued medial aura is the topic of much contemporary art\, such as Kubisch and Norment&rsquo\;s sonic installations\, which rely on the medial memory of transmitters. The crackling of an old record\, inscribed through cycles of use\, and remediated in a sound installation\, creates fulcrums of energy similar to that of &lsquo\;merged objects.&rsquo\;
\n\; \; \; \;Hauntology\, along with spectrality\, was initially a rumination on ontology. It suggested that being is displaced by the shadow of the spectre of being (Derrida 1993)\, and that past-orientated resurgences undermine the solid foundations of the present (Jameson 1999). This can be felt in the residual working of obsolete hegemonies that continue to exert influence on the material and psychic spaces of social life. Unlike trauma\, which is marked by a rupture\, hauntological radiation is a form of low-frequency persistence that lingers in habits and inherited assignments of energy\, imperceptibly turning the past into the behavioural and cognitive architecture of the present. Carrying the frequencies of absent systems\, and of that which &lsquo\;has not yet happened but is already effective in the virtual &ndash\; as an attractor shaping current behaviour&rsquo\; (Fisher 2012: 19)\, hauntings co-constitute energy fields. But this is not to say that all hauntings are immaterial\, as is often thought. In Barad&rsquo\;s reading\, they are an &lsquo\;ineliminable feature of existing material conditions&rsquo\; (Barad 2017: 107)\, as\, from the perspective of quantum physics\, haunting is not about human experience\, but rather about &lsquo\;indeterminacies of time-being\, materially constitutive of matter itself&rsquo\; (113).
\nSimilarly\, in this conference\, we are interested in the less visible actual and potential radial arrangements &ndash\; as forms of agencement of actual or virtual objects and un-objects\, spaces and negative spaces\, organisms\, pre- and post-organic matter\; proto-techniques and technologies that can be assimilated into what is often called &lsquo\;third nature.&rsquo\;
\nWe invite contributions from Media Studies\, Art and Art-Science\, Philosophy (including Philosophy of Science)\, Cultural and Heritage Studies\, Materials Science and Environmental Studies in the form of individual panel presentations (theoretical or practice-based) or curated panels that address but are not limited to the following topics:
\n&bull\;Contemporary alchemy (the notion that every being and/or thing can potentially produce or store energy)
\n&bull\;Art-science experiments with cross-medial radiation (e.g. sonic lasers)
\n&bull\;Projective radiations of new materials or new uses of existing materials\, plants and environments (e.g. graphene and hyperaccumulators)
\n&bull\;Biological and geometrical radial arrangements (e.g. radical versus networked spread)
\n&bull\;Explorations and genealogies of radio-enabled technologies and engineering practices (e.g. GPS\, Galileo\, Wi-Fi and RFID)
\n&bull\;Propelling or accelerating processes arising from a re-configuration or re-alignment of forces and technologies
\n&bull\;Counterintuitive readings of radiation (e.g. the use of radioactive waste as a source of energy despite obvious dangers)
\n&bull\;Political and ideological radiation (soft power\, influence) \;
\n&bull\;Infrastructural radiation (capital\, energy networks) \;
\n&bull\;Computational and algorithmic radiation (data\, AI\, virality)
\n&bull\;The post-industrial sublime (e.g. hydrogen colliders and sites of industrial devastation)
\n&bull\;Radiation as action-at-a-distance (conceptual History of Physics) \;
\n&bull\;Novel readings of the work of Henri Becquerel\, Marie Curie\, J.M. Maxwell\, Richard Feynman and Rudolf Peierls beyond the &lsquo\;environmental damage of positivistic science&rsquo\; approach
\nPlease send 250 w proposals for individual papers or artistic interventions of 15 min in length\, accompanied by a 100 w bio and a concise list of AV requirements to ENERGYPhilosophyofPractice@dundee.ac.uk by 23:59 GMT on 20 July 2026. Proposals for panels of no more than 1500 w in length (including abstracts and bios) should be sent by 23:59 GMT on 12 July 2026. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by 30 July 2026. \;
\nThis conference\, supported by Arnolfini and UWE Bristol\, is part of the 2023 &ndash\; 2027 AHRC-funded research project ENERGY: A Philosophy of Practice (AH/X009114/1).
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261113T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261115T170000 SUMMARY:Another Sense of Earth at the End of Worlds: Environmental Humanities in the Face of Crises UID:20260812T152330Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Chicago LOCATION:1704 W Mulberry St\, Denton\, United States\, 76201 DESCRIPTION:Another Sense of Earth at the End of Worlds: Environmental Humanities in the Face of Crises
The Fourth Philosophy and Religion Graduate Student Conference \;
at the University of North Texas (UNT) \;
In a time of crises overshadowed by impressions of the precarity and contingency of the plurality of worlds we live in\, we invite interdisciplinary\, critical reflection on the meaning and stakes of our senses of world and ending. While totalizing narratives of crises oscillate between techno-optimistic visions of geoengineering and dystopic pessimism\, this conference seeks to contextualize dominant understandings of endings to envision new conceptions of time\, relations\, and finality beyond the hegemonic imaginaries.
For whom and what do the apocalyptic bells of the end of the world sound? What does it even mean to conceive of &ldquo\;our&rdquo\; world as ending? Who&rsquo\;s included and excluded from this sense of world? What does it mean for traditions in which the end of the world is inevitable\, cyclical\, or has already come to pass? What would this so-called &ldquo\;end of the world&rdquo\; even mean for people who&rsquo\;ve already endured innumerable ends to their ways of life?
Taking up the gauntlet thrown by Thomas Nail in Theory of the Earth\, we ask for submissions that problematize static\, dominant conceptions of world and think with him on what it means\, in the context of crises\, to imagine how &ldquo\;this stable ground is becoming increasingly unstable&mdash\;for some of us more than others.&rdquo\; In this spirit\, the conference seeks to engage with forms of thought that emphasize the radically plural character of sense-making\, ways of knowing\, and temporal existence. We welcome submissions that build upon these critical and marginalized perspectives to challenge assumptions of crisis and delimit what worlds are at stake. Within these broad thematic horizons\, we aim to bring together a diverse set of perspectives into dialogue and reconceptualize our relationship to planet Earth. \;
\n\nWe cordially invite graduate students from all fields and disciplines to submit their research and perspectives on the following themes:
\nIndigenous &\; non-Western conceptions of world-making\, cataclysm\, and/or time
\nFeminist/Queer theories on resistant subjectivities and spaces in the face of precarity
\nGeophilosophical approaches from traditions historically excluded from philosophy (ex. Sikhism\, Buddhism\, Hinduism\, etc.) \;
\nPhilosophies of science and normative theories that utilize a planetary approach \;
\nRelational ontologies\, specifically those with nonhuman and more-than-human beings
\nPhenomenological accounts of temporality\, &ldquo\;world collapse\,&rdquo\; and futurity
\nCritical theories on the &ldquo\;Anthropocene&rdquo\; and the role of capitalism in the ongoing environmental crisis
\nEcocritical perspectives on the role of technology and natural science in organizing our sense of the Earth
\nConference Details
\nThe conference will be held in-person at the University of North Texas\, Denton\, TX\, from November 13th-15th. This conference does not require registration fees. \;\nThe conference will feature Thomas Nail\, a Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Denver\, as the keynote speaker\, whose materialist interventions in conceptions of earth and planet\, particularly in Theory of the Earth\, pose deep and transformational reflections on imaginaries of time\, space\, and world for our context of apocalypse and crisis.\n ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Bucharest:20261119T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Bucharest:20261121T170000 SUMMARY:Phenomenology and Media: Mapping the Structures of Post-Cinematic Experience UID:20260812T152331Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Europe/Bucharest LOCATION:Str. Matei Voievod 75-77\, Bucharest\, Romania\, 021452 DESCRIPTION:In the wake of profound technological and cultural transformations\, cinema no longer names a stable medium but rather a shifting constellation of practices\, dispositifs\, and experiential forms. The proliferation of streaming platforms\, algorithmically curated feeds\, immersive installations\, AI-generated imagery\, VR and AR environments\, conversational agents\, and multi-screen ecologies compels us to rethink the very structures of our lived experience. Under the still-contested but heuristically productive concept of \;&ldquo\;post-cinema\,&rdquo\; recent scholarship in film and media studies has sought to come to grips with this transformed media landscape in ways that are still waiting to be fully appropriated by phenomenological reflection.
\nThe present conference invites contributions that bring phenomenology into sustained dialogue with contemporary media theory in order to interrogate the \;manifold facets of our current \;post-cinematic situation \;and map the experiential\, affective\, embodied\, and critical structures that characterize our current media ecology.
\nBuilding primarily on traditions of film phenomenology associated with \;Vivian Sobchack \;and \;Jean-Pierre Meunier\, and drawing on the philosophical resources of\, among others\, \;Edmund Husserl\, \;Martin Heidegger\, \;Maurice Merleau-Ponty\, and \;Jean-Paul Sartre\, as well as Emmanuel Levinas&rsquo\;s ethics of the Other\, Hermann Schmitz&rsquo\;s New Phenomenology\, Don Ihde&rsquo\;s post-phenomenology of technology\, or Mark Coeckelbergh&rsquo\;s phenomenologically informed ethics of human-robot interaction\, we aim to extend phenomenological inquiry beyond the classical cinematic dispositif toward emerging &ldquo\;families of images&rdquo\;: algorithmic visuals\, deepfakes\, TikTok feeds\, immersive environments\, AI image synthesis\, and hybrid human-machine interfaces.
\nBy bringing together philosophers\, film and media scholars\, as well as artists\, we aim to foster a rigorous interdisciplinary conversation about how phenomenology can illuminate\, and be transformed by\, the evolving media landscape.
ORGANIZER;CN=Christian Ferencz-Flatz;CN=Alexandru Bejinariu;CN=Remus Breazu: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20261124T090000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20261124T170000 SUMMARY:Reading philosophies of nature and beauty: close reading as method in the history of philosophy UID:20260812T152332Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Australia/Sydney LOCATION:Paramatta Rd\, Camperdown NSW\, Sydney\, Australia\, 2006 DESCRIPTION:Graduate students and early career researchers are invited to submit expressions of interest for &ldquo\;Reading philosophies of nature and beauty: close reading as method in the history of philosophy&rdquo\;\, a workshop taking place at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 24 November 2026.
The event is the product of a collaboration between "Extending New Narratives" SSHRC (Canada) major award and &ldquo\;Women Philosophers on the Natural and the Human" ARC Future Fellowship (Dalia Nassar)
Overview
\nAs historians of philosophy\, we are directly acquainted with the method of &lsquo\;close reading&rsquo\;\, but are rarely challenged to articulate what\, exactly\, this methodology entails\, and how it can be better practiced. This one-day event brings together senior scholars with early career researchers within the history of philosophy to discuss the role of close reading in our own work and its implications for our discipline. The day will begin with a masterclass conducted by an experienced historian of philosophy\, and will conclude with a workshop of presentations from graduate students and ECRs showcasing their research and the role of close reading within it. \;
\nThe masterclass and workshop is complementary to the conference &ldquo\;The Natural and the Beautiful: Women Philosophers on Nature\, Beauty\, and Art&rdquo\; hosted at the University of Sydney over 25-27 November\, and will take place the day before the conference begins: Tuesday 24 November 2026.
\nIt is open to early career historians of philosophy working on theories of nature\, organic life\, beauty\, and environmental aesthetics (and adjacent fields)\, with a particular interest in the philosophical contributions of women and other underrepresented figures. This workshop aims to provide an opportunity for scholars to showcase their own textual practices and to work collaboratively to articulate how strategies of close reading serve as a specific method of philosophical analysis. \; \;
\nAs such\, key questions include:
\nLocation:
\nThe event will take place in-person only at the University of Sydney.
\nEligibility:
\nThe workshop is open to ECRs and graduate students working on any or all of the following topics:
\nParticipants are invited to submit a 150-200 word abstract for a talk showcasing their work and reflecting on the textual practices that inform their historical and philosophical research. Speakers are encouraged to conduct a guided close reading of a short passage as part of their presentation. \;
\n(ECR is defined as up to five years post-PhD\, and up to seven years with career interruptions. Career interruptions include childcare\, working out of academia\, prolonged uncertain and casual work within academia.)
\nExpressions of Interest:
\nIf you wish to present at the workshop\, please submit an abstract with your EOI at the link below. Please also fill out the EOI if you wish to simply attend. DEADLINE EXTENDED: Abstracts are due 1st of September 2026. \;
ORGANIZER;CN=Campbell R: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20261125T100000 DTEND;TZID=Australia/Sydney:20261127T170000 SUMMARY:The Natural and the Beautiful: Women Philosophers on Nature\, Beauty\, and Art UID:20260812T152333Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:Australia/Sydney LOCATION:Paramatta Rd\, Camperdown NSW\, Sydney\, Australia DESCRIPTION:The Natural and the Beautiful: Women Philosophers on Nature\, Beauty\, and Art
\nAn International Conference at the University of Sydney
\nA collaboration between "Extending New Narratives" SSHRC (Canada) major award and &ldquo\;Women Philosophers on the Natural and the Human" ARC Future Fellowship (Dalia Nassar)
\nOrganisers: Dalia Nassar and Campbell Rider
\n25th&ndash\;27th of November\, 2026
\n10:00 &ndash\; 5:00 pm
\nIn-person only at the University of Sydney
\nVere Gordon Childe Centre\, Room 495\, Madsen Building F09
\nOverview:
\nThis conference proposes that women philosophers made important and distinctive contributions to thinking about both the natural and the beautiful &ndash\; and their relation &ndash\; and aims to uncover these contributions and their continuing significance.
\nWomen were often identified with &lsquo\;nature&rsquo\; and the &rsquo\;natural&rsquo\;\, and they had to negotiate their status as both natural and human. How did they do this? And in what ways and to what extent did their status as both &rsquo\;natural&rsquo\; and &lsquo\;human&rsquo\; influence their thinking about nature and the place of the human within it?
\nIn turn\, when women turned to writing philosophy\, they often berated their male colleagues for failing to grapple with and locate philosophical questions in lived experience. In contrast\, they sought to give philosophy a more concrete\, more &lsquo\;lived&rsquo\; character. They often did this through aesthetics\, understood both in the general sense\, as the study of perception\, and in a more limited sense\, as the study of the experiences of beauty. How did their interest in aesthetics support their aims of grounding philosophy in lived experience? And in what ways were their philosophies of art and beauty connected to their philosophies of the natural and the human? This conference invites speakers to consider some or any of these questions.
Call for papers:
The conference is open for abstract submissions from anyone working on the fields of history of women philosophers\; philosophy of nature\; environmental aesthetics or ethics\; or philosophy of art or beauty. \;Abstracts can be submitted at the registration link below by 1st of October 2026:
Early Career Researcher Workshop:
There is a separate workshop for early-career researchers to present their work\, taking place one day before the beginning of the conference. The event is entitled: "Reading Philosophies of Nature and Beauty: Close Reading as Method in the History of Philosophy".
\nThis event is also open for abstracts and papers. For more information and to apply\, email campbell.rider@sydney.edu.au. \;
\nRegistration:
\nSpace is limited\, so please register to attend at the link: \;"Women Philosophers on Beauty\, Nature\, and Art" &ndash\; Fill in form
Supported by the British Society of Aesthetics and the Scots Philosophical Association
\nKEYNOTE SPEAKERS
\n--Professor Eileen John (Philosophy\, University of Warwick)
--Professor Pierre Bayard (Literature\, Université\; Paris 8 - Saint-Denis)
From Plato&rsquo\;s indictment of the tragic poets as misrepresenting the truth\, to Sir Philip Sidney&rsquo\;s famous claim in the Defence of Poesy that &lsquo\;the Poet\, he nothing affirms\, and therefore never lieth&rsquo\;\, to current debates about fictionality and factuality\, the relationship between \;fiction \;and \;lies \;has been a focus of scholarly attention. Both \;fiction-makers and liars make things up and misrepresent the truth. But it is traditionally assumed that with \;fiction\, the invention is non-deceptive. As Margaret Macdonald (1954\, 170) put the point\, &lsquo\;The conviction induced by a story is the result of a mutual conspiracy\, freely entered into\, between author and audience. A storyteller does not \;lie\, nor is a normal auditor deceived&rsquo\;. Macdonald proposed that instead\, \;fiction-makers engage in a non-deceptive pretence of assertion\; but other approaches also distinguish between fictionality and deception\, from philosophers who associate \;fiction \;with an invitation to make-believe rather than to believe to narratologists who treat fictionality as a rhetorical mode of communication that overtly signals fabrication. If \;lies \;are assertions aimed at deception\, perhaps \;fictions \;are incapable of \;lying.
Yet a sharp distinction between fictionality and deception confronts numerous challenges. Scholars across disciplines have considered the many ways in which \;fictions \;can affect our beliefs\, for good or ill. Even if \;fictions \;cannot \;lie \;in some technical sense\, they can certainly mislead\, insinuate\, obfuscate and so on. Works of \;fiction \;may be instances of propaganda which misrepresent the facts\; think of Oliver Stone&rsquo\;s film JFK (1991) or Michael Crichton&rsquo\;s \;novel \;State of Fear (2004). And the distinctions between the \;fictional \;and factual are under increasing pressure in the current culture of disinformation and &lsquo\;fake news&rsquo\; &ndash\; a category not so easy to distinguish from &lsquo\;fictional \;news&rsquo\;.
This three-day international conference aims to explore the relationship between \;fiction \;and \;lies \;from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives\, including philosophy\, literary history and theory\, narratology\, film and media studies\, psychology and cognitive science. Proposals may address fiction in general\, or any historical period or cultural tradition. We also encourage studies of fictional works in a variety of media (including video games\, comics\, film\, and television series).
Possible topics include but are not limited to:
\n&bull\;The possibility of lying in/through fiction
\n&bull\;Other modes of deception and dissimulation in fiction (in particular works\, in different media\, etc.)
\n&bull\;Fiction and fictionality as (tools for) propaganda
\n&bull\;The relationship between fiction and fake news
\n&bull\;Differing historical or cultural conceptions of the relationship between fiction and lies
\n&bull\;Representations of deception within fiction (e.g.\, unreliable narrators\, lying protagonists\, forgers)
\n&bull\;Fictions that (seem to) deceive about their own status (e.g.\, mockumentary)\, and more generally\, questions of &lsquo\;framing&rsquo\;
\n\nPlease note: There may be a conference registration fee (discounted for students) depending on the outcome of grant funding applications.
\n\nSubmission guidance
\n&bull\;All submissions should be sent by attachment in Word or pdf to fictionlies2026@gmail.com by 15 December 2025. \;
\n&bull\;Papers: Abstracts should be no longer than 350 words\, in English or French. Bear in mind that sessions scheduled for paper presentations will be 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation\, 10 minutes questions and answers). \;
\n&bull\;Symposia: Proposals\, in English or French\, should be no longer than 500 words and should include a description of the topic/theme\, the names/affiliations of participants and brief abstracts of the papers. Sessions for symposia will be 1.5 hours or 2 hours depending on the schedule and thus should typically have no more than three speakers. \;
\n&bull\;We encourage submissions from\, and symposia including\, members of groups underrepresented in their disciplines\, including women in philosophy. Symposia in philosophy should ensure that the proposal follows the Good Practice Policy of the British Philosophical Association and the Society for Women in Philosophy (see bpa.ac.uk/resources/women-in-philosophy/good-practice). Please also take note of the BPA&rsquo\;s Environment/Travel Guideline Scheme (bpa.ac.uk/policies).
\n&bull\;Funding may be available towards the cost of arranging childcare for speakers who may require it. Please ask for details.
\n&bull\;Participants in the conference will be expected to become members of the Association if they are not already (www.fictionstudies.org).
\nEarly career prize
\nThe ASIFF/SIRFF will offer a prize for the best paper by an early-career scholar (doctoral student or scholar who has received their PhD within the last 3 years)\, to be presented at the conference. The winner will receive a monetary award of &euro\;1\,000 (euros). If you would like to be considered for this award\, please submit your completed conference paper (no more than 3\,500 words/20\,000 characters) by 28 February 2026 to fictionlies2026@gmail.com. The article must be unpublished.
\n \; ORGANIZER;CN=Stacie Friend: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20270212T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20270213T170000 SUMMARY:Biophilia: The Ethics\, Politics\, and Aesthetics of Love for the Living World UID:20260812T152335Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Chicago LOCATION:Starkville\, United States\, 39762 DESCRIPTION:Biophilia refers to humans&rsquo\; love of nature and the living world generally. The Mississippi Philosophical Association invites scholars to explore the ethical\, political\, and aesthetic questions related to this theme in a two-day conference at Mississippi State University\, February 12th and 13th\, 2027. Two keynote speeches shall be delivered by \;Paula Casal \;and Andrew Williams.
\nE.O. Wilson defines biophilia as an evolutionarily developed tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes\; an innate human desire to affiliate with other forms of life\, including plants and animals. We invite scholars to engage with this definition of biophilia as well as a broader understanding of the concept. Papers need not assume that all humans are biophilic. In fact\, the apparent diversity in biophilic feelings across society (the presence or absence of such values\, varying levels of biophilia\, and love for different natural entities) is of interest in political philosophy. Should the government tolerate a reasonable amount of pluralism in citizens&rsquo\; appreciation of nature (or lack thereof)? How might fair terms of social cooperation be drawn up between biophilic and non-biophilic citizens?
\nIdeas for presentations include but are not limited to:
\nEthics: Is life the source of moral value? What is the moral status of the abiotic components of nature? How should &ldquo\;relational values&rdquo\; feature in Environmental Ethics? What is the proper unit of moral concern for nature: individual animals\, ecosystems\, or life itself? Should the natural (red in tooth in claw) be supplanted by the just?
\nPolitics: Should the state attempt to inculcate an appreciation of nature in its citizenry? Could biophilia be considered a civic virtue? What are the implications of love for nature and specific natural entities for distributive justice? Should states recognize eco-sovereignty claims? Attachment-based claims?
\nAesthetics: Is there a connection between aesthetic value and life? Is the current fascination with robots and A.I. an expression of necrophilia\, or perhaps a perverted form of biophilia? What did Kant mean when he said that the &lsquo\;feeling of life&rsquo\; is fundamental to our perception of beauty? Could there be beauty in a dead world?
\nPlease email an anonymized abstract of around 500 words to Susan Erck (serck [at] philrel [dot] msstate [dot] edu) no later than September 1st\, 2026.
\nThe MPA Student Presentation Prize:The winner will receive a cash prize of $250. If you are a student and wish to be considered for this prize\, please indicate so in your application email.
ORGANIZER;CN=Susan Erck: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270226T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270227T170000 SUMMARY:AFK in Florida: The 5th Annual Philosophy of Video Games Conference UID:20260812T152336Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/New_York LOCATION:Boca Raton\, United States DESCRIPTION:The Department of Philosophy at Florida Atlantic University invite submissions for the fifth annual AFK in Florida: The Philosophy of Video Games Conference.
\nThis interdisciplinary conference brings together philosophers\, artists\, and educators to explore the ethical\, aesthetic\, metaphysical\, social\, and political dimensions of games and play. We welcome papers that approach video games as philosophically rich texts and experiences\, as well as work that examines the broader philosophical implications of interactive media and ludic culture. \;
\nWe are delighted to welcome Dr. Alexandre Declos\, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Neuchâ\;tel\, as our keynote speaker. Dr. Declos has published extensively on the ontology and aesthetics of games and digital objects\, with articles appearing in journals such as Journal of the Philosophy of Games\, Synthese\, Erkenntnis\, The Philosophy Quarterly\, and The British Journal of Aesthetics.
\nAlthough the primary focus is on video games\, we also encourage submissions on related domains of play--board games\, puzzles\, amusement and theme parks\, and other forms of play&mdash\; and issues related to technology--virtual reality\, social media\, robots--inasmuch as they raise meaningful philosophical questions. Preference will be given to papers that engage directly with video games. \;Also\, please note this conference will be entirely in person. \;
\nTopics may include\, but are not limited to:
\nFor questions\, random thoughts\, cat pictures\, and fun conversation\, contact Nicholas Baima\, nbaima@fau.edu
ORGANIZER;CN=Nicholas Baima;CN=Sarah Malanowski: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270402T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20270404T170000 SUMMARY:JAM (Junkyard Anniversary Meeting) - Philosophy of Imagination Conference UID:20260812T152337Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Los_Angeles LOCATION:The Kravis Center\, Claremont\, United States\, 91711 DESCRIPTION:A philosophy of imagination conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of The Junkyard blog. In addition to the invited speakers\, there will be also be a book symposium on Luke Roelofs' \;Empathic Reason\, with commentaries from Heidi Maibom\, Colin Marshall\, and Eric Peterson. \; There will also be contributed papers selected via a CFP.
ORGANIZER;CN=Amy Kind: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260812T080437Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:29990101T033000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:29990201T120000 SUMMARY:POSTPONED - Creativity and Improvisation in Thought\, Practice\, and Mind: An Interdisciplinary Conference UID:20260812T152338Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:9c6d:bdff:fec2:4d5c%3 TZID:America/Chicago LOCATION:6001 Dodge Street\, Omaha\, United States\, 68182 DESCRIPTION:*Please note that this event has officially been postponed. More information will be made available asap in the near future*
\nMany human cognitive capacities and processes may be deployed creatively\, from unique choices made for oneself up through novel cultural shifts. Similarly\, large swaths of our daily lives are taken up with performing spontaneous\, on-the-fly\, and unplanned activities that are\, in a word\, improvised. \; Charting out the nature of both creativity and improvisation\, taken individually or together\, remains an open and pressing issue. In this conference\, we will delve into various philosophical\, theoretical\, empirical\, and interdisciplinary issues that are related to creativity and improvisation. A non-exhaustive list of related questions and themes for this topic include:
\n- What is the relationship between improvisation and creativity?
\n- What is the relationship between creative activity and well-being?
\n- What is the best way to model individual and collective creativity?
\n- Is creativity in the arts the same thing as in other domains\, such as in science or business?
\n- What are the pros and cons of different scientific operationalizations of creativity and improvisation?
\n- Provide a conceptual analysis of creativity and/or improvisation.
ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR