Mirror Sites:
CSUDH Habermas UWP

Submission deadline: 31 January 2002

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Created: April 27, 2001
Latest update: April 27, 2001
jeannecurran@habermas.org

The RPA Conference Program Committee invites submissions of talks, papers, workshops, roundtables discussions, posters and other kinds of conference contributions, for its fifth biennial conference.

In the spirit of collaboration, and in the recognition that radical philosophy is often done outside traditional philosophical settings, we invite submissions not only from philosophers inside and outside the academy, but also from those who engage in theoretical work in other academic disciplines-such as ethnic studies, women's studies, social sciences and literary studies-and from those engaged in theoretical work unconnected to the academy.

We especially welcome contributions from those often excluded from or marginalized in philosophy, including people of color, glbt persons, persons with disabilities, poor and working class persons.

The Radical Philosophy Association is approaching its 20th year. It is appropriate that we reflect on radical philosophy-the endeavor that has brought members of the RPA together for a generation. Accordingly, the theme for its sixth national conference will be radical philosophy itself, its relation to social and political activism, and its potential to contribute to one or more counter-hegemonies.

Despite (and often because of) differences in the kinds of activism in which we engage, in our philosophical styles and emphases, and even in our far-reaching goals, we in the RPA seem still to have an affinity that makes collaboration fruitful. We are all concerned about oppression-generating inequalities, about the limits of reform that is oblivious to the need for structural change, and about philosophies that leave no room for reflection on their own roots.

But is this affinity strong enough to be the basis for cooperating both among ourselves and with other broad social groups to create an effective movement? Or is this affinity so unsuited for that kind of cooperation that we can only wish each other luck in our separate struggles?

Does the conception of "radical philosophy" travel intact across borders, or does it have a distinctive meaning in the US? What sort of meaning, for example, does radical philosophy now have as a practice in Eastern Europe? Or China? Or the former Soviet Union? Or Cuba? When Marxist philosophy has been the establishment philosophy of state socialism, what has that meant for the concept of radical philosophy in that context?

Does radical philosophy have to be inclusive (i.e. address all forms of social domination, such as racism, class exploitation, male dominance, heterosexism, able-ism, etc.), or can someone be a radical philosopher if they critique only one kind of social domination? Must radical philosophy support identity politics or must it insist on a solidarity politics beyond identity?

As radical philosophers, we face with particular urgency the barrier between the theoretical work of philosophers and the practice of activists. How are we doing so? How might we do so?

We encourage submissions that employ formats and media that challenge the standard conference presentation. For instance, we urge presenters to use formats that allow for greater interaction between participants and audience. Please consult the web page for detailed information about submissions.

E-mail enquiries: heldke@gac.edu

Website: http://www.uvm.edu/~radphil/rpa2002call.htm

Submission deadline: 31 January 2002

Organized by: Radical Philosophy Association

(This conference announcement distributed by ConferenceAlerts.com.)

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