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Conference Announcement "Visions and Limits of Pluralism" Interdisciplinary Workshop Washington University St. Louis, MO (USA) 6-7 April 2006 __________________________________________________ In every part of today's world, theorists, social scientists, and public figures develop ideas and approaches concerning the forms of cultural, ethnic, and religious difference in their midst. We use "pluralism" as shorthand for these diverse forms of difference as they are apprehended in theories and in social policies. In our workshop we consider the ways in which theory, empirical configurations, and policies shape each other in each of several countries. As a group we will draw on specific presentations to pose a number of broader questions: - How do prevailing approaches to politics and society say, French Republicanism or Anglo-American liberalism shape the ways that specific institutional structures, such as schools or electoral systems, treat pluralisms? - Can we discern "tacit theories" of pluralism underlying everyday institutional practices, such as teaching school, legislating, developing new religious institutions, or simply encountering one another on the street? - How adequate are current theorized visions of pluralism in taking account of these local configurations of tacit theories and institutional structures? - The basic contrastive matrix for our workshop includes Canada (and in particular Québec), the United States, and France, but perspectives from other countries will add to our discussions. The first panel will set out some ideas about the "visions and limits" of pluralism in Europe, the United States, and Canada, concentrating on ways in which liberal and other visions treat specific challenges. The next two sessions will examine issues arising in two domains: that of schooling and education, and that of the political representation of groups. In the last session we will reflect on the practical implications of what we have learned for developing and sustaining multi-ethnic societies. The workshop is just that: a setting for working out ideas, convergences and differences, and projects for future research. Each participant will present a set of ideas, findings, questions and problems for 10-15 minutes, and participate in all the discussions across the two days. Contact: John Bowen Department of Anthropology Campus Box 1114 Washington University St. Louis, MO 63130 Tel. +1 (314) 935-5680 Fax +1 (314) 935-8535 Email: [email protected] Web: http://artsci.wustl.edu/%7Ebisci/PluralismWorkshop/ __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org/ Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://agd.polylog.org/cal/
