Call for Proposals
Nihilism.Hope
Cultural, Social and Political Thought Graduate Student Conference
University of Victoria, Coast Salish and Straits Salish Territories
April 22-24 2016
What is nihilism? What is hope? Can one have both? Are they sentiments? Systems of belief? Realities? Are they the same reality? This conference will grapple with the concepts of ‘nihilism’ and ‘hope’ as two fundamentally inseparable ideas—in contrast to the notion of these two terms being diametrically opposite and/or mutually exclusive, as they are sometimes understood.
In a time when everything is questioned—faith, science, politics, identity, ideology, truth, meaning—roadmaps, guidelines, stability, are rare. Despite this, it is also a time of social movements, and a striving for ‘the new’. Situated amidst the backdrop of the crumbling grand metanarratives that have previously defined us (who is ‘us’?), where are these groups finding meaning, truth, hope? Are they searching for it, fighting against it, or both?
This conference will use a critical and interdisciplinary approach on these topics in order to explore the theme of nihilism.hope. Potential topics of exploration could include, but are not limited to:
● Poetry/Literature/Art/Film
● Social movements and social justice
● Boundaries/Borders/Transgression
● Indigeneity
● Identity and affinity
● Colonialism and decolonisation
● Apocalyptia and/or theorizations of despair
● Utopia/Dystopia
● Technology and Digital Theory
● Emotion/Affect Theory
● Postmodernity and the postmodern condition
● Humanism/Posthumanism/ Transhumanism/Cyborgs
● Environment and ecology
● Capitalism, risk society and transitions to postcapitalism
● Anarchism, postpolitics and alternative political forms
● Intersectionality
● Religion/secularization theory
● Sex, sexuality and gender
● Aesthetics
● Other related topics
Please submit an abstract of no more than 200 words with your proposed topic and type of presentation, which could be a paper, workshop, panel discussion, or something else. These abstracts/samples can be sent to csptstudents@uvic.ca, and the deadline is February 29 2016.