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Werbung:
Call for Papers
Theme: Re-inventing/reconstructing cosmopolitanism in contested spaces and post-conflict zones
Type: International Conference
Institution: Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe, University of Rijeka-Cres
Location: Cres (Croatia)
Date: 25.–27.5.2022
Deadline: 15.9.2021
The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (University of
Belgrade), The Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe
(University of Rijeka-Cres), The George and Irina Schaeffer Center
for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights and Conflict Prevention, The
American University of Paris (Paris), the Centre de relations
internationales (SciencesPo-CERI) and The Faculty of Media and
Communications (Belgrade) invite to the International Conference:
Re-inventing/reconstructing cosmopolitanism in contested spaces and
post-conflict zones
“The life of the other, the life that is not our own, is also our
life, since whatever sense ‘our’ life has is derived precisely from
this sociality, this being already, and from the start, dependent on
a world of others, constituted in and by a social world”. The other
of Judith Butler is the universe of others to whom we are inescapably
intertwined, irrespective of the arbitrariness of birth, borders and
the cultural particularisms that segment social space, and to whom we
are joined in “unchosen cohabitation” through the proximities wrought
by the historical encounters, frictions, and collisions of people(s).
The purpose of this international conference is to encourage a multi-
and transdisciplinary discussion of one of the core analytical and
normative problems of our troubled present: the challenge of
cultivating inclusive civic and social spaces at a moment when
difference is ubiquitously threatened by exclusionary
ethno-nationalisms, the construction of material and symbolic walls
of separation, spaces of conflict, and violence-laden representations
of the essential alienness of cultural, political, and religious
others.
We welcome critical examinations of this problem in various
socio-spatial and temporal contexts – refugee flows and transnational
migrations generated by poverty and war, civil conflicts and
interactions in the world’s border areas and megacities where “North
and South” and “East and West” uneasily meet, post-conflict zones at
the edges of and in the interstices of states and empire(s)…We aim to
broaden the scope to reflections on the necessary
rethinking/reinvention/reconstitution of cosmopolitan space(s)
challenged by social conflicts, war and/or mass violence.
A summer school will be held in conjunction with the conference. More
information on the program, calendar and registration will be
provided in the Fall.
Venue
The Cres antenna of the Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe
of the University of Rijeka is an emblematic venue for these themes:
the Adriatic has always been a crossroads of transnational
circulations (people, ideas, and goods), with multiple overlapping
and intersecting cultural belongings and political identities. As
Anita Sujoldžić has pointed out, until the early twentieth century,
there were “firmly connected social spaces”' in the Habsburg Empire
“that cut across anachronistically drawn linguistic and
ethno-national lines”, and “in which multiple allegiances (imperial,
national, provincial or local) with both cosmopolitan and culturally
contingent loyalties could be found.” The region has also, of course,
been a locus of sharp ethno-nationalist divisions and armed
conflicts, which have submerged the cosmopolitan lifeworlds that
today should be purposely reconstituted.
Suggested Topics
- Theoretical and philosophical foundations of cosmopolitanism
- Social science inquiry into the dynamics and precursors of social
violence leading to disassembling of cosmopolitan space(s)
- Historical examination of inclusive societies; their establishment
and disassembling
- Innovative interventions and other forms of social activism
designed to reconcile conflict and promote co-existence
- Memory controversies and efforts to address conflicting readings of
the cosmopolitan past
- Cosmopolitan critiques of globalisation and problems of global
justice
- The crisis of hospitality and the sociohistory of the labels of
“othering” (refugees, immigrants, expatriot, asylees, displaced
persons, IDPs (internally displaced persons), PRSs, stateless
persons etc)
- Rethinking Jewish cosmopolitanism in historical and contemporary
contexts
- Peace theory and cosmopolitanism
Eligibility
Applicants should be researchers, post-graduate students, and
post-docs interested in or working on the above topics. We also
welcome applications from civil society activists bringing particular
insights to the conference’s content. Applicants from all countries
are eligible to apply.
Application
- All applicants should send a short bio and abstract to
cosmocres2022@gmail.com no later than September 15th 2021. We will
get back to you by November 15th 2021.
- Abstracts should be 500 words max. for a presentation not exceeding
20 mins.
- Participation fee: 180€ for faculty members; 100€ for students
(limited financial aid can be made available to select participants
in need, upon examination of their requests).
Information
Organizers will facilitate arranging accommodation in Cres city and
its surroundings on the island of Cres but we kindly ask participants
to emphasize if they opt for this option in their application. If any
further details are needed, please contact us at:
cosmocres2022@gmail.com
A venue and forum for various scientific and research activities, the
University of Rijeka’s Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe
welcomes visiting students and artists wishing to withdraw for a
moment to a serene and inspiring collaboration setting.
We very much hope this event can happen in person. As the
epidemiological situation shifts, we will need to decide what is
feasible by the end of 2021. If need be we are technically equipped
and prepared to transition our event to an online hybrid format.
Contact: cosmocres2022@gmail.com