The phenomenological movement, to which authors from extremely diverse traditions and of utmost heterogeneous provenances—directly or indirectly—can be counted, has since its foundation at the beginning of the 20th century developed into one of the central currents of contemporary philosophy that entails not only fundamental considerations regarding, for instance, epistemology or ontology, but also critically and crucially touches upon (all) other fields of human agency. Phenomenology has, from its initial predominantly methodological reflections, through constant confrontation with opposing standpoints, evolved into a stringent, comprehensive inter- and trans-disciplinary philosophical theory capable of offering invaluable insights into phenomena concerning both science as well as religion, both technology as well as arts, etc. However, it should not be overlooked that—beyond all the transformations—one of the principal problem realms of phenomenological research has been, and is, the exploration and elaboration of the various dimensions of sociality, which—through time tracing (out) always shifting accents and evermore discerning nuances—connect its inception with the 21st century and, thus, co-constitute its entire history. Yet, beside by purely theoretical deliberations on sociality, the movement of phenomenology is also essentially defined, as the destinies of certain personalities—with paradoxically manifold, sometimes tragical outcomes—demonstrate, by attempts at their practical and even political implementation.
The phenomenological discussions of sociality, precisely because of the immense variety of approaches, conclusions, and consequences, deserve—perhaps expressly with regard to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that seems, with its exigencies, to threaten the fragile fabric of co-existence amongst human beings—a specific attention and focused elucidation, which could, linking—through the present—the past with the future, ensure not only subsequent advancement of phenomenology, but contribute to society of humanity as such.
The Institute Nova Revija for the Humanities and the Phenomenological Society of Ljubljana intend to organize in collaboration with the Central and East European Society for Phenomenology an international conference dedicated to the problematic of “Phenomenology and Sociality.” The thematic scope of the conference scheduled to take place in Ljubljana in (early) December 2021 includes the following topics:
- the phenomenological conceptualization and understanding of sociality;
- sociality, intersubjectivity, and the experience of alterity;
- phenomenology and social communication (information technology, media, culture, academia, science, education, religion, etc.);
- social violence and conflict resolution: a phenomenological perspective;
- the phenomenological account of plural subject theory: the question of collective intentionality and shared emotions;
- the naturalization of the phenomenology of sociality;
- phenomenological authors in confrontation with political totalitarianisms and authoritarianisms with special emphasis on philosophers from the Central and East European region (Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Patočka, Walther, Kolnai, Stein, Noica, Tischner, Veber, etc.);
- social perspectives in Europe after the crisis of the COVID-19 outbreak: a phenomenological re-consideration.
The organizers would hereby like to cordially invite you to apply for the participation in the planned conference and submit a proposal for the discussion of suggested themes.
Accepted submissions
– Individual papers
Please submit an abstract of the proposed contribution (max. 3000 characters) as well as a short CV with affiliation and contact information.
The speaker will have 40 minutes at their disposal (30 min for presentation + 10 min for discussion).
– Thematic panels
The proposal should consist of abstracts for 3 presentations as part of one panel (max. 3000 characters per abstract) as well as short CVs of the panelists with affiliations and contact information.
The panelists will have 120 minutes in total at their disposal for the discussion of the proposed topic.
– Roundtable discussions
The submitted proposal should address a recent publication in the field of phenomenology. The publication should be discussed by 2 presenters in the presence of the author or the editor.
The allotted time for the presentation of the publication is 60 minutes.
Possibility of Publication
The organizers would like to offer to the participants of the conference a possibility to publish their contributions. The presented individual (full-length) papers, or a selection thereof, will be published in a special thematic issue of the Slovenian Journal of Phenomenology and Hermeneutics Phainomena scheduled to appear in June 2022. Please indicate in the application, should you wish to have your contribution considered also for publication in the journal. With regard to the Phainomena manuscript submission guidelines, please consult the website: http://www.phainomena.com/en/journal/manuscript-submission-guidelines/.
Language of the conference: English
Registration Fee: 70 €
Submission Deadline: May 31, 2021
Decision Notification Deadline: June 30, 2021
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Date: December 2–4, 2021
Note published on The Open Commons of Phenomenology
