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Call for Papers
"Philosophical Perspectives on Peace:
Turkey, Germany, Europe"
International Workshop
Technische Universität Berlin
Berlin (Germany)
23-26 October 2008
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Organised by Kai Gregor and Sergueï Spetschinsky
In the frame of the "Peace-Project"
(www.peace-realspace.net), which takes place the entire
month of October 2008, the workshop "Philosophical
Perspectives on Peace" aims to pro-duce a reflection on the
idea of peace on the basis of concrete and multidimensional
contemporary approaches.
Content of the Workshop
Following the Kantian tradition, we call the method we
propose for the workshop "transcendental". It means that we
are not simply examining peace as it can be observed (or
not) in the world: instead we are looking for the conditions
of the possibility of a concrete peace in our concrete
reality. We are looking for what peace ought to be, and how
it can or cannot be real-ised in human existence.
The Workshop is an event of applied philosophy. It seeks to
develop philosophical reflections on peace, based on
concrete contemporary cases. The topic we propose is broad
and we want to leave a wide field of possibilities for
thinking. With the title "Turkey, Germany and Europe",
participants can investigate one or two themes, or even all
three of them. The aim of this investigation is to highlight
the complex relations involved in this triangle. The
interroga-tions could be for example the following ones:
What are the contemporary understandings that Turkey has of
itself? What is the role of Europe in such an understanding?
What are the tension points in this understanding? On the
other side, how can Germany understand itself now, since a
big part of its population is originally from Turkey? What
can a national identity mean, in Germany or Turkey, at the
European epoch? What can Europe mean for both Germany and
Turkey? What could it mean for Europe as well as for Turkey
to get closer? These kind of concrete questions could bring
an analysis dealing with political matters and topics in the
national and international field, such as the nature of
identities, cultures, religions, social and class issues,
nationalism, ideologies, cosmopolitanism, capitalism,
democracy and justice.
Although based on an empirical matter, each contribution or
discussion must also have some philosophical content,
instead of loosing itself in historical, empirical,
political, eco-nomical or social considerations. First and
foremost, it should be an interrogation of peace as an idea
or a concept. We will question what peace can mean today as
a strong ideal under the historical conditions that
determinate our epoch.
The challenge of the workshop is to address different
important contemporary problems, and to be able to keep an
equilibrium between empirical facts and transcendental
inquiry. Also, the use of empirical facts can be for example
the following ones: an empirical problem is discussed, which
needs a new kind of philosophical analysis in order to be
solved. The empirical fact can also be a paradigm, an
example or an occasion for philosophical reflection. It can
as well provide a new point of view on an already existing
philosophical problem. In any case, the concrete problem has
to be subjected to a strong philosophical inquiry.
Form of the Workshop
We strive for new ideas and visions around the conditions of
possibility of peace. In this sense the Workshop understands
itself as a sort of think tank for new philosophical
perspec-tives of peace and its application. We intend to
focus on a more discursive way of research than in common
congresses. Hence each speaker should talk for 15 to 20
minutes in order to leave ample time for critical
discussion. The Workshop will start in the early afternoon
there will be 3-4 short-lectures a day. Each day there will
be a central keynote-lecture in the begin-ning and a general
discussion at the end. All lectures and discussions will be
in English.
Please send a short abstract (150 words maximum) and a title
before the 15th of August 2008.
Contact:
Kai Gregor
[email protected]
Sergueï Spetschinsky
[email protected]
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