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Call for Papers Theme: The Future of Culture Type: International Conference Institution: Academy of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran University of Tehran University of Isfahan Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies Allameh Tabataba'i University Location: Tehran (Iran) Date: 19.–20.5.2015 Deadline: 21.12.2014 __________________________________________________ Until a few decades ago, a widespread development in science and technology as well as some of the social, political and economic processes drew a positive and reassuring picture of the future. However, despite these intensive changes and ever-growing scientific and technological advancements, there does not seem to be real grounds for an optimistic imagination of the future of mankind and their culture. The heightening of tensions and relentless wars in various parts of the world in recent years has often raised fundamental questions about the future of global, local and indigenous cultures. The disruption in natural balance and growing political and socio-economic problems were among the factors that gradually transformed the people’s attitude and their conception about the future. In other words, the contemporary human beings, more than any other time in history, are witness to the transformation in their means of life hence; have a mixture of fear and hope with regard to their future. In such circumstances, today, the future of culture is a fundamental question before thinkers and researchers. “What will be the future of the mankind and the world?” is the question that presses us, more than before, to think and search for an appropriate answer. The future of technology, experimental sciences, humanities, arts, economy, politics and religion are among the most important domains of modern researches. Today, no cultural, political, economic, educational and pedagogical plan, it seems, can be drawn up without having a clear conception about the future. In other words, having an image or a possible prospect of the future of culture is an inevitable prerequisite of a research in humanities. Methodologically, the research in these domains is conducted in an interdisciplinary-intercultural manner. As such, prominent scholars in different fields of humanities need to study various aspects of their subjects by exploring common questions in the course of their discussions. It should also be noted that the future of culture/cultures is a problem of all human beings living on this planet. Considering this fact, scholars from different cultures and nations need to discuss and share their understandings on this issue and thereby prepare the ground for further researches. Such researches, necessarily, are intercultural in which, representatives of different cultures present their findings to each other for critical evaluations and with joint efforts contribute to the possibility of a fruitful debate. Dialogue among representatives of divergent cultures about the fundamental issues encountered by the contemporary world could serve as an instance of the steps necessary to achieve mutual understanding and cooperation. Iranian culture, as one of the ancient and rich of humankind, relying on its rich heritage, could actively contribute in the efforts to find a possible answer to the aforementioned question. To this end, Iranian thinkers and scholars, too, should participate in this dialogue and interact with thinkers from other cultures in order to provide more fertile ground to such researches. The International Conference on the Future of Culture has been planned primarily with this approach. We call on scholars and researchers in various academic fields around the world to participate in this collective effort. The list below includes the main themes of the conference, although any suggestions from interested researchers are also welcome. Main Themes & Discussion Domains A. Philosophy and Methodology - Various methods and approaches for research on culture and its future. - “Philosophy of culture” and various paradigms to analyze culture and its constituents. - Contemporary philosophical thoughts and their attention to culture and its future. - Theories of culture and their prospects of future. - Intercultural philosophy and the future of culture. B. General Debates on Cultures - The end or decline of cultures in future. - Possibility or impossibility of managing or engineering cultures. - The most important forms of cultural transformation in future. - Various methods and approaches to cultural pathology. - The trend of transformations in science and technology and its impact on culture. - The future of international cultural relations and national-regional cultures. - Reactions of different cultures to the globalisation processes. - Possibility and extent of impact of intercultural thoughts on the future of cultural relations. C. Language, Literature and Arts - Conception of the future in literary and artistic domains. - The image of future man in art and literature. - Language and the future of cultures. - The function of literature and arts in presenting paradigms for the future of culture. - The future of linguistic plurality. - Translation as an intercultural problem. D. Society, Politics and Economy - Future studies in social, political and economic research. - The future of social, political and economic relations. - The future of international bodies. - The relation of power to culture and inequality. - Globalisation of economy and politics and its impact on culture. - Development and the future of cultures. - The relation of development and culture in the future. - The future of the commercialisation of culture. - The role of culture in social backwardness or development. - Non-development as a cultural condition. E. Communications and the Media - Transformations in communication methods and the media. - The future of communication techniques and its role in cultural relations. - Culture and socialisation in the virtual arena. F. Ethics and Education - Transformation of values and the future of cultures. - Ethical systems and the future of individual and collective morality. - Principles, methods and objectives of education in the future. - Possible scenarios of morality in the future culture. G. The Future of Iranian Culture - The image of future in the Iranian culture. - The future of elements and constituents of the Iranian culture. - Future possibilities for the Iranian culture. - The future of Iranian culture’s relation with international culture. Requirements for Paper Submission and Acceptance Procedure Interested participants must have published books or papers in authentic academic journals on the topics related to the conference. The accepted submissions will be divided into three groups: 1. Publication of abstract, 2. Publication of abstract and complete paper, and 3. Publication of abstract and complete paper as well as oral presentation in the conference. Papers can be submitted in three languages: Persian, English and German. Deadlines & Submission Procedure Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 21, 2014 Deadline for submission of complete papers: January 21, 2015 The Conference will be held on May 19-20, 2015 Registration fee for Iranian participants: 3,000,000 Rials Registration fee for non-Iranian participants: € 120 Individuals willing to participate in the conference may send their abstracts (with maximum 400 words) along with their CVs to the Conference Secretariat in one of the following two ways: Upload requirements to the conference website: www.interculturalstudies.ir/en Email to: [email protected] Conference Organiser: The conference is jointly organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran, University of Tehran, University of Isfahan, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies and Allameh Tabataba’i University. The Address of the Conference Secretariat: The College of Literature and Foreign Languages Allameh Tabataba’i University Allameh Jonoobi Street Chamran Expressway Tehran, Iran Conference secretary: Dr. Ali Asghar Mosleh Associate Professor of Allameh Tabatabai University Research Institute Director for Contemporary Culture, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies Conference website: http://www.interculturalstudies.ir/en/?p=110 __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
