In Why I am Not a Secularist, political theorist William Connolly
suggests
that the secular/religious divide constructs a binary opposition between
public reason and "irrational" morality. He argues that a dogmatic
attachment to liberal secularism in late modernity effectively excludes
the
"visceral register" from the public sphere, constraining the cultivation
of
a democratic pluralism that can effectively engage moral and religious
belief. It is clear, however, that late modernity has also been marked
by a
surge of discourses that urge a return to moral values to suture or
renew
the foundations of society. Whether the appeals are grounded in a
foundationalist narrative that invokes God or nature, or in a secularist
appeal to prudence or social utility, moral discourses often inspire
individuals to discipline themselves in accordance with ethical norms.
When
these norms are articulated in a field of power, they often construct a
moral/immoral binary which marginalize individuals, generate categories
of
behavioral and moral "deviance" and abnormality, effectively
constructing
morality's "other." Is "othering" an inevitable consequence of moral
discourse ? When and how do moral norms become exclusionary ? What are
the
social, economic, historical, and political antecedents and consequences
of
these exclusions ? How have theologians, philosophers and others
historically envisioned moral and ethical norms to be inclusive and
express
care for difference and particularity ?
The Morality and Its Other(s) conference invites scholars to participate
in
an interdisciplinary effort to address these questions and to critically
examine how moral norms operate in domestic and international spheres.
We
seek empirical, historical, theoretical and theological explorations
from a
variety of disciplines including, but not limited to, Theology,
Philosophy,
Anthropology, Literary Criticism, Political Theory, Political Science,
Sociology, Women's Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, History,
Visual
Arts & Media Studies. We welcome proposals for papers, panels,
roundtables
and public debates between scholars on a range of themes including:
Moral Autonomy and Subjectivity - Family Values - Human Rights -
Sexual
Ethics - Virtue and Corruption-
Moral Psychology - Postmodern Divinities -Ethics in Colonial and
Post-colonial contexts -Jeremiads -Ethics of Justice/Care International
Ethics -The "Morality" of the Market -Theology and contemporary social
movements -Toleration -Black Theology -Moral discourse and the
construction of race, gender, sexuality -Moral norms and the politics of
censorship -Just War theory -Welfare and economic dependency -Political
obligation -Biomedical ethics -cultural pluralism- Women and nation-
Legal
norms and social justice -Secular/Religious -The role of confession in
public life (or theology) -Historical or other critical works on
individuals or groups that have strategically decentered moral or
ethical
norms -The Superego -the problem of "evil" comparative moral/ethical
theory -critical reflections on the politics of morality -comparative
theology -
Ethnography and Moral Diversity-
Secular Humanism -Women & Theology -The Holocaust - Normalized Citizens
Selected papers and transcripts of public exchanges will be reviewed for
publication in an edited volume. The closing date for all paper
abstracts
and panel proposals is June 30, 2000. Please submit your proposal by FAX
:
(517) 629 -0991, or by mail to one of the addresses below :
Dr. Kathy Purnell, Political Science Department, Albion College, Albion,
MI
49224
OR
Dr. Mimi Schippers, Anthropology/Sociology Department, Albion College,
Albion, MI 49224
Albion College, through the development of Centers for Interdisciplinary
Studies (CIS), seeks to promote an integrated learning experience for
students and scholars through the cultivation of critical inquiry and
the
promotion of research that contests the boundaries of academic
disciplines.
This conference is sponsored by the Albion College CIS in Meaning and
Value
E-mail queries may be forwarded to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Work is love made visible" -Kahlil
Gibran
****Call for Papers and Panel Proposals****
Morality and Its Other(s): A National Conference on Moral Norms and
Public
Discourse
November 9-11, 2000, Albion College, Albion, MI
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