"The Idea of Europe: Memories and Postcoloniality," Utrecht University, October 29-30, 2009.

THE IDEA OF EUROPE: Memories and Postcoloniality is a two-part event to discuss how Europe can be rethought from a postcolonial and postsecular perspective. The first day brings together memory thinking, heritage practice and postcolonial theory to explore challenges and potentialities in the making of a new European memory which can account for its multicultural past. The second day discusses from different intellectual traditions and perspectives the idea of Europe as an imagined and actual space. It focuses in particular on the relationship between ‘Occidentalism, Orientalism, and the idea of a postcolonial Europe’ which requires a further understanding of the contemporary postsecular climate both within and beyond Europe’s borders. Thursday 29 October, 2009 "The Ethics of European Memory: what is to be done?" Chair: Ann Rigney (Utrecht University, on behalf of Culture and Identities) Keynote Speaker: Luisa Passerini (Prof. Cultural History, Turin University, Italy) Discussion Speaker: Luisa Passerini, Irit Rogoff (Prof. Cultural History, Turin University, Italy & Prof. of Visual Cultures, Goldsmith University, UK) Friday 30 October, 2009 "Occidentalism, Orientalism, and the Idea of a Postcolonial Europe" Chair: Sandra Ponzanesi (Utrecht University, on behalf of AHRC, UK) Keynote Speakers: Avishai Margalit (Kennan Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton University/ Schulman Professor of Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem) and Paul Gilroy (Anthony Giddens Professorship in Social Theory, London School of Economics, UK) Respondents: Max Silverman & John McLeod (Professor of French, University of Leeds & Reader in Postcolonial and Diaspora Literatures, University of Leeds) Discussion Speakers: Luisa Passerini & Simon Glendinning (Prof. Cultural History, Turin University, Italy & Reader in European Philosophy, London School of Economics, UK).

Cfp: "Thought in Science and Fiction," ISSEI, Çankaya University, August 2-6, 2010.

12th International Conference, International Society for the Study of European Ideas (ISSEI).

Scientific knowledge is so vitally important for the welfare of mankind that it no longer needs any justification. Nevertheless, the negative consequences of science and technology require continual vigilance. This vigilance need not necessarily lead to the radical reductionism that posits science as just another ‘fiction’. As suggested by the theme of the 11th ISSEI conference in Helsinki, 2008, Language and the Scientific Imagination, we must foster the dialogue between science and literature in order to show their crucial interdependence. The pivotal role of language in ‘the two cultures’ is based on our conception of thought and is commonly believed to originate in sense perception. What we call fiction is thus the free rearrangement of our perceptual thought in language. Historically, the great works of western literature preceded philosophical speculation on knowledge and science. Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides came before Plato and Aristotle, just as Dante, Cervantes, and Shakespeare came before Galileo, Descartes and Newton, and Flaubert, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky before Einstein. The organizers of the 12th conference of ISSEI, to be held at Çankaya University, Ankara, Turkey invite scholars from various disciplines such as History, Politics, Literature, Art, Philosophy, Science, and Religion, to re-examine, redefine and reassess the scope of interdisciplinary dialogue in the past and present. The conference is divided into five sections: 1. History, Geography, Science 2. Politics, Economics, Law 3. Education, Sociology, Women’s Studies 4. Literature, Art, Music, Theatre, Culture 5. Religion, Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology, Language

Visit the conference webpage here: http://issei2010.haifa.ac.il/.

"Towards a European Political Thought: in the Footsteps of Herodotus," European University Institute, Florence, July 6-7, 2009.

For further information on the inaugural conference of the European Society for the History of Political Thought, including the programme, please visit: http://europoliticalthought.wordpress.com/inaugural-conference/.

Cfp: "The Roots of Europe," Institute of Philosophy Edith Stein, International Academy of Philosophy, Granada, June 30-July 2, 2009.

In celebrating 150 years of Edmund Husserl´s birth, and 55 years of the complete publication of The Crisis of European Sciences, the Institute of Philosophy Edith Stein and the International Academy of Philosophy are organizing an International Conference in Granada under the title "The Roots of Europe." The conference aims to join specialists in Husserl's work, in phenomenology and in European studies to reflect on the cultural, moral and spiritual roots of Europe. Visit the conference webpage here: http://www.if-edithstein.org/actividades/ing/Acticongreso2.php.

Cfp: "Beyond Boundaries: Media, Culture and Identity in Europe," Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, October 2-3, 2009.

What is Europe according to its others? An essence, an origin, a center? Or is it nothingness, a void or chiasm? Where is Europe? In diasporic or migrant spaces? How is Europe different from the West? Can an identity be made European? Could it be Eurocentric or Euro-chiasmic? Can one leave one's cultural frame to take on another? Can one transnationalize and/or regionalize a national identity or vice versa? Can the European Union create a single entity or a grand signifier of Europe out of multiple differences? What is the role of communication, media, and culture in such exchanges, transformations, processes and practices? Can we account for the similarities, proximities, and relations or should we focus on the differences, cleavages, and tensions? This conference aims to explore the questions above and how such questions surface in media and cultural texts, ranging from everyday practices to media representations. The papers may deal with various meanings of Europe and its relation to non-European cultures, and how these are experienced or altered at the level of media, culture, and identity. Possible paper topics are: Eurocentrism and its alternatives Transnationalism and nationalisms Global, regional, and local media and culture Diasporic and migrant culture and identities Gender equality and cultural diversity Tactics and strategies of dialogue between cultures Symbolic representations of Europe in various cultural practices Theories of European cinema, media and culture Challenges for European cinema, media, and cultural studies European communication studies and strategies The EU policies on media, communication, and culture Visit the conference homepage here: http://www.emcs.bahcesehir.edu.tr/conference.html.

Cfp: "Thought in Science and Fiction," International Society for the Study of European Ideas, Çankaya University, August 2–6, 2010.

12th International Conference of ISSEI. Scientific knowledge is so vitally important for the welfare of mankind that it no longer needs any justification. Nevertheless, the negative consequences of science and technology require continual vigilance. This vigilance need not necessarily lead to the radical reductionism that posits science as just another ‘fiction’. As suggested by the theme of the 11th ISSEI conference in Helsinki, 2008, Language and the Scientific Imagination, we must foster the dialogue between science and literature in order to show their crucial interdependence. The pivotal role of language in ‘the two cultures’ is based on our conception of thought and is commonly believed to originate in sense perception. What we call fiction is thus the free rearrangement of our perceptual thought in language. Historically, the great works of western literature preceded philosophical speculation on knowledge and science. Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides came before Plato and Aristotle, just as Dante, Cervantes, and Shakespeare came before Galileo, Descartes and Newton, and Flaubert, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky before Einstein. The organizers of the 12th conference of ISSEI, to be held at Çankaya University, Ankara, Turkey invite scholars from various disciplines such as History, Politics, Literature, Art, Philosophy, Science, and Religion, to re-examine, redefine and reassess the scope of interdisciplinary dialogue in the past and present. The conference is divided into five sections: 1. History, Geography, Science 2. Politics, Economics, Law 3. Education, Sociology, Women’s Studies 4. Literature, Art, Music, Theatre, Culture 5. Religion, Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology, Language Colleagues interested in organizing a workshop on a topic from their discipline related to the general conference topic are invited to submit a one-page proposal to: Ezra Talmor at the address below. The deadline for submitting a proposal is July 31, 2009. Conference Co-Chairs: Cem Karadeli Cankaya University Political Science and International Relations Ogretmenler Caddesi 14 B Blok oda 13/1, 100. Yil, 06530 Ankara. Turkey karadeli@cankaya.edu.tr Ezra Talmor Kibbutz Nachshonim D.N. Merkaz, 73190 Israel Tel: +972-3-938-6445; Fax: +972-3-938-6588 Email: ISSEI@nachshonim.org.il For further information on ISSEI, visit the website of its journal here: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/issei.asp.