‘The ends of Phenomenology’: Graduate Conference in Phenomenology, 19-20 May 2011, University of Sussex, Brighton (UK)

Over 50 years ago, Merleau-Ponty began his great work The Phenomenology of Perception with the words: ‘what is phenomenology?’ It may seem strange that this question had still to be asked half a century after the first works of Edmund Husserl appeared. But after Husserl’s project of turning phenomenology into a science that would provide a transcendental theory of meaning, phenomenology diverged in various directions: from Heidegger’s existential analytic to Sartre’s existentialism and Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception, to the radicalization of Levinas and Derrida. Most phenomenologists agree that phenomenology is a philosophical movement that began with Edmund Husserl (1859-1938). However, there is no consensus as to the end of phenomenology, in the sense of its possible limits and outstanding goals.

Within this broad understanding of the practice of phenomenology, we invite papers that seek to continue and/or reconfigure its legacy, or perhaps seek to critically draw its limits and end. ‘The Ends of Phenomenology’ is a graduate conference in Phenomenology, organized by graduate students for graduate students. It aims to bring together postgraduates who are engaging in original research on phenomenology and thus to promote contemporary studies in this field.




Keynote Speakers:


- Professor Charles Guignon (University of South Florida)

- Professor Robert Bernasconi (Pennsylvania State University)



Abstract and paper format:

300-word abstracts and a brief CV should be sent to Jana Elsen (J.Elsen@sussex.ac.uk) no later than the 30th March 2011. Accepted papers should not exceed 3000 words or 20 minutes in their delivery.
Accepted papers will be considered for publication in our e-journal whose launch will coincide with the occasion of this conference.


Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• New initiatives in phenomenology;
• Phenomenology and the notion of ‘end’;
• Phenomenology and inheritance;
• The unfinished nature of phenomenology;
• The hermeneutic limits of phenomenology;
• Phenomenology and analytic philosophy;
• Phenomenology and meta-philosophy (phenomenology reflecting upon its own nature);
• Phenomenology and poetry;
• Phenomenology and the body;
• Phenomenology and the political;
• Phenomenology and religion.



Best Paper Prize:

The best graduate paper will receive a prize. In order to be eligible for the prize you must submit the paper in full by the 13th of May 2011.



Useful information:

-The deadline for abstract submission is 30th March 2011.
-Speakers will receive confirmation by the 7th of April 2011.
-Each speaker shall be allocated 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes in which to deliver their talk and 20 minutes for Q&A. This format should allow graduate students to get essential and useful feedback on their work.
-The conference fee is £25 for each accepted speaker.
-This event is open to the public.
-For further information concerning travel and accommodation, please contact Jana Elsen (J.Elsen@sussex.ac.uk).