There is a call for papers for the Annual Conference of the Dutch Society for Phenomenology on 14 February 2020.
Annual Conference of the Dutch Society for Phenomenology: Phenomenology, Existentialism & Realism
14 February 2020, Radboud, University Nijmegen
Keynote: Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel (University of Bonn)
Recent continental philosophy is marked by a renewed interest in realism. Newly emerged genres such as new materialism, new realism, and speculative realism are characterized by a metaphysical impetusto theorize reality as it would exist beyond the limits of human access.
Such theories are sometimes presented as explicit breaks with the phenomenological tradition (e.g. Tom Sparrow’s The End of Phenomenology).Yet at the same time, these new realisms heavily draw on thinkers such as Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas (e.g. Graham Harman’s Tool-Being and Guerilla Metaphysics). Moreover, a renewed existentialist view of human beings seems to be one of the more promising candidates for the philosophical anthropology that would match these new realisms (e.g. Markus Gabriel’s Neo-Existentialism).
This testifies to an interesting dynamic of continuity as well as rupture between the phenomenological tradition on the one hand and the recent turn to realism on the other hand. This year’s conference of the Dutch Society for Phenomenology explores this tension. We invite contributions on realism and existentialism in the phenomenological tradition, as well as contributions on the role of phenomenology and existentialism in the new realisms.
We invite scholars from all backgrounds and academic ranks to submit abstracts (in English or Dutch) of max. 300 words before the 1st of October 2019. Please send them to [email protected] in a .doc or .pdf file. Please include a brief biographical statement in the same file.
Notices of acceptance will be sent out before the 1st of November 2019. Speakers will be asked to prepare a 25 minute presentation. Participation and attendance are free of charge, but no funds are available to cover the costs of travel and accommodation.
The Center for Contemporary European Philosophy in Nijmegen is the Netherlands’ main center for teaching and research in 20th and 21st century continental philosophy. Our members specialize in a variety of fields, including phenomenology, metaphysics, hermeneutics, psychoanalysis, critical theory, political philosophy, and virtue ethics.