CFP: "Otherness and the Arts," University of Aarhus, August 8-9, 2008.

"Nobody - that's my name" (Homer, The Odyssey, VIIII).

The Delphic injunction to know thyself, to understand oneself as self, entails alienating self-reflection and the awareness that the limits of any entity, hence its individuation, are determined by what lies outside these borders - otherness. But where is this division between the I and other located? How is this schism constructed? Or can this schism even be discerned? Instead, the injunction of the Arts articulates an inverse yet more immediate approach to the problem of knowing thyself. It entails an understanding of oneself as other: the boundary between "I" and "that which I am not," necessary for our constitution as subjects, dissolves in our Homeric hero's proclamation "Nobody - that's my name."

Invited keynote speakers:

• Luce Irigaray (video conference)
• Thomas Hylland Eriksen, University of Oslo
• Svend Erik Larsen, University of Aarhus
• Eugene O'Brien, University of Limerick
• Ann McCulloch, Deakin University

The conference is open to scholars and students of all disciplines. Those wishing to participate in the conference are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words to othernessconference@gmail.com by Thursday, 15 May, 2008. The convenors will let the proponents know whether their proposals have been accepted no later than 15 June, 2008. Papers may be given in English with citations in any language, and are limited to 20 minutes. Selected papers will be eligible for publication in a peer reviewed academic journal, and possibly a hard copy edited essay collection. More information may be found here: http://www.othernessandthearts.org/conference/.