Cfp: "Concepts of Health and Illness," University of the West of England, September 1-3, 2010.

Keynote Speakers:

• KWM Fulford (Warwick, UK), "Delusion and Spiritual Experience: Facts, Values and Concepts of Disorder in Mental Health"
• Lennart Nordenfelt (Linköping, Sweden), tba
• Fredrik Svenaeus (Södertörns högskola, Sweden), "What is phenomenology of medicine? Embodiment, illness and being-in-the-world"

Over the past three decades, various accounts of health, illness and disease have been proposed by researchers from history, sociology, law, philosophy, public health and economics. Often, however, proponents of various accounts have been isolated within their own discipline with an apparent unawareness of competing accounts. As a result, while there are now a number of different accounts of health, illness and disease available, there is no consensus about which, if any, of these accounts is ultimately acceptable and what implications each account may have.

This three-day international conference will explore differences and overlaps between these different accounts. The conference aims to bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to create dialogue between them, as well as between researchers and healthcare practitioners, on the concepts of health, illness and disease.

We welcome contributions from philosophers, historians and sociologists of medicine on any topic that falls within the broad remit of the conference title. Each paper will be allotted 20 minutes for presentation, followed by a ten-minute discussion. We aim for the conference to be inclusive and to represent a broad range of views and approaches. We particularly welcome contributions from healthcare practitioners. There will be a number of slots reserved for graduate papers and graduate bursaries will be available.

Please send proposals (500 word abstract) via email by Monday 12 April, 2010 to both organisers:

• Dr Havi Carel havi.carel@uwe.ac.uk
• Dr Rachel Cooper r.v.cooper@lancaster.ac.uk