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Call for Papers "Modernity, Critique, and Humanism" International Conference California State University, Los Angeles Universidad Michoacana Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Los Angeles, CA (USA) 12-13 February 2011 __________________________________________________ This conference is the result of a close collaboration between faculty from Cal State L.A., Universidad Michoacana (México), and the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa (México). The aim of the conference is to present a forum for the discussion of ways in which modernity, critique, and humanism can be contemplated, imagined, and practiced in a world that has become increasingly interdependent. The conference organizers welcome debates centered on critical theory and modernity, including the implicit challenges to its singular possibility, thus open to the consideration of synchronous but dissimilar modernities, new forms of global communication, and diverse challenges to University curricula. The conference organizers also wish to reach beyond the limits of current and established debates, encouraging an interdisciplinary dialogue to consider and reflect on the experiences and theoretical models that have been recorded in print or other formats by scholars, artists, and writers with innovative representations of global modernities. The conference will critically examine how the meanings of modernity, critique, and humanism are interconnected. Transdisciplinarity is thus highly encouraged. We invite papers from a diverse range of disciplines of the humanities and the social sciences. Suggested areas of critical examination include (a) practices of interaction in civic, communitarian, national, and global communication; (b) pedagogical forms of instruction that are emergent and innovative in the fields of the humanities and the social sciences in modern Universities across the world; (c) challenges to humanism and the humanities by current research and world historical changes; (d) theoretical innovations in the fields of literature and the arts, criticism, social theory, politics, and philosophical and humanist thought. More specifically, the organizers of the 2011 Conference on Modernity, Critique, and Humanism invite papers on the following topics: I. HUMANISM AND THE HUMANITIES - The problematics of humanism, cultural traditions, and historical change. - Humanism or plural humanisms? - From the critique of humanism to post-humanism. - The meaning of humanism from ancient to modern civilizations. - The ethics of humanism and critique in non-Western world cultures. - Modernity, critique, humanism, and religion. II. MODERNITY, CRITIQUE, HUMANISM, AND SOCIAL THEORY - Contemporary debates about modernity in social theory. - Globalization and the challenges for critical theory. - Postcolonialism, humanism, and social theory. - Reconsidering urban space in social theory. - Humanism and institutions. Towards a theory of responsibility. - Is there a humanist-turn in social theory? III. EXPERIENCES AND RESEARCH IN A GLOBAL MODERNITY - Migrant labor and the law: World workers with no legal protection. - Human life in the world’s megacities. - Intersocial communication in the Electronic Age. - The question of humanism and ethics in a global context: case studies. - Global border conflicts. - Humanism, the arts, and the corporate culture industry. - The rise of megacities and the decline of the nation. - Humanism, critique, and modernity in relation to global ecosystems. IV. THE MODERN WORLD: QUESTIONS AND CHALLENGES - Humanism, critique, and the modern family structure. - Humanism and gerontology: aging and living through tradition and change. - Human values in societies facing political anarchy and violence. - Humanism and technology: toward a critique of understanding. - The meaning and function of humanism and modern art in world megacities. The deadline for a one-page abstract of conference papers is December 12, 2010. The submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed, and their acceptance or rejection will be communicated by e-mail on or before December 15. If you live in Mexico, send your abstract as an electronic attachment to Dr. Oliver Kozlarek, <[email protected]>; if in the United States or abroad, send to <[email protected]> or mail to the following addresses: Dr. Roberto Cantú Professor of Chicano Studies and English California State University, Los Angeles 5151 State University Drive Los Angeles, CA 90032 USA Dr. Oliver Kozlarek Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo Francisco J. Mújica S/N Morelia, Mich., CP 58030 México Website: http://modernitycritiquehumanism.wordpress.com __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
