Location: University of Edinburgh
Conference Dates: July 22-23, 2013
Plenary Speakers: Tom Cochrane (Philosophy, Sheffield University); Marc Leman (Musicology, University of Ghent); Nikki Moran (Music, University of Edinburgh); Rebecca Schaefer (Music, University of Edinburgh)
The purpose of this conference is to stake out the possibilities of a distinct research field for embodied music cognition. Over the past few decades, developments in cognitive science – especially the 4E paradigms of understanding cognition as an embodied, enactive, extended, and embedded process – have slowly but surely reshaped our understanding of the relationship between the brain, body, and world. While these movements have developed concurrently with experimental and theoretical work on “embodied” human activities, such as various forms of artistic practices and sensorimotor tasks, they must also be understood in a broader context. For instance, important historical and contemporary roots of embodiment research include philosophical traditions such as phenomenology and pragmatism and psychological traditions such as psychoanalysis and ecological psychology.
Possible questions include, but are not limited to, the following:
– What role does music play in human cognition?
– Can the study of music generate real insights into the functioning of the mind?
– How can we distinguish embodied music cognition from dis-embodied music cognition?
– What does it mean to say we can “listen” to music with our bodies, through dance or other forms of movement?
– In what ways do our bodies shape musical affordances?
– What is the relationship between music and entrainment?
– How do our bodies impact the way we shape our musical technology, and how does musical technology change our relationship with our bodies?
– If music has a syntax and semantics, what is its relation to embodied accounts of semantics?
CALL FOR PAPERS
We are now accepting submissions for both paper and poster presentations. Papers will consist of a 20-25 minute presentation followed by a 10 minute discussion period. Posters will be displayed and browsing times scheduled after final selections have been made.
All submissions should be prepared for blind review in either PDF or Word form and sent to EMuCogSubmissions@gmail.com with the subject title “Embodied Music Conference Submission”. Please include a cover sheet with the following: name, status (student, postdoctoral researcher, etc.), contact details, and title of submission. Preferred format of the submission should also be specified (poster/paper). Selections shall be made based on submission of an abstract, approximately 500-750 words for papers or 250-350 words for posters. Please also include the title of the submission with the abstract.
**The submission deadline is June 1st and notifications of acceptance shall be sent out by June 14th.**
For general information, please refer to the conference website at http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/philosophy/events/view/embodied-music-cognition-emucog-conference
Contact: Kevin at K.J.Ryan@sms.ed.ac.uk