CFP: Reclaiming Democracy (3/1/06; RPA, 11/3/06-11/6/06)

full name / name of organization: 
Jeffrey Paris
contact email: 

Call for Conference Submissions

Reclaiming Democracy: Visions and Practices from the
Radical Left

The Seventh Biennial Conference of the Radical
Philosophy Association

November 3-6, 2006

Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska

The RPA Conference Program Committee invites
submissions of talks, papers, workshops, roundtables
discussions, posters, and other kinds of conference
contributions, for its seventh biennial conference, to
be held at Creighton University in Omaha Nebraska.

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, gays and lesbians, persons with
disabilities, poor and working class persons. We also
hope for submissions from other nations with social
movements against the present global order, and from
graduate students, who represent the future of radical
philosophy.

Conference Theme

We live in a time both dreadful and hopeful: dreadful
because the United States, under the control of a
powerful neo-conservative minority, has embraced and
instituted a global policy of militaristic
unilateralism under the pretense of spreading
Ademocracy@ and Afreedom@, hopeful because this very
approach has sparked unprecedented global protest and
has given rise to powerful networks of resistance.

In response to global injustice we, as radical
philosophers, serve as witnesses, stand in solidarity
with those who suffer, speak out against oppression,
and mourn the deaths that constitute the wake of
empire. We resist the cultural, economic, political,
social hegemony sought and imposed by the United
States and by all imperial superpowers. We reclaim
democracy B the power of individuals and communities
to shape their own lives and visions and futures.

In this the Seventh National Conference of the Radical
Philosophy Association, we seek to examine both the
dread and the hope by thematizing radical visions and
practices. We welcome papers that will provide visions
both of the present situation and of concrete
possibilities for our shared future; we welcome papers
that will discuss workable radical social, cultural,
political, or pedagogical practices that can be
implemented on the community, national, and/or
international level. We wish to avoid the kind of
theoretical or practical talk which, in its
over-generalization, often becomes hollow and idle, in
favor of substantive and serviceable ideas and
strategies which will help us to meet the challenges
of the present and build our shared future. Thinking
about the future should be sufficiently specific to
serve as a guide for drawing up projects of resistance
and for social change. We seek to come together in
order to understand the dreadful and to construct the
resistance that is our hope.

Guidelines for Submissions

In keeping with the spirit of radical thinking
embodied by the RPA, 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 (e.g.
presenting an outline, rather than reading a paper),
and that emphasize collective inquiry (e.g. organizing
a workshop). It should be noted that a selection of
the accepted papers will be published in Volume 5 of
Radical Philosophy Today.

To encourage discussion, papers should be limited to
3000 words.

Please note that participants will be selected for at
most one presentation (talk, workshop, poster session,
etc.) during the conference; submissions should be
presented with this in mind. (This limit does not
include chairing sessions.)

Individual Talk/Paper/Workshop/Poster Session/Other

Please submit all and only the following information:

   1. Name

   2. Address

   3. AffiliationCor independent scholar, activist,
educator, etc.

   4. Title of proposal

   5. Nature of proposal (talk, workshop, other)

   6. Abstract of 250-500 words only

Group

Note: Due to the length of sessions, we will only
consider panels of NO MORE THAN three persons. Please
submit all and only the following information:

   1. Name of panel contact person, and of each panel
member

   2. Address of all panel members

   3. AffiliationCor independent scholar, activist,
educator, etc.Cfor each

   4. Title of panel proposal

   5. Nature of proposal (talk, workshop, other)

   6. Abstract of 250-500 words only

   7. Titles of individual papers

   8. Abstract of 100-250 words for each paper (if
relevant)

Chairing a Session

If you would be willing to serve as a session chair,
please indicate this on your submission form. Session
chairs are responsible for timing presentations,
ensuring that each presenter gets her or his fair
share of the available time, and moderating discussion
when necessary.

Please send paper, workshop, poster, and other
proposals to RPA PROGRAM COMMITTEE, c/o Anne Pomeroy,
Philosophy and Religion, K150 Arts and Humanities,
Richard Stockton College, Pomona NJ 08240. You may
also submit proposals as email attachments: send to
anne.pomeroy_at_stockton.edu NOTE: Please do NOT submit
complete papers.
Deadline

All submissions must be postmarked by March 1, 2006

Local Arrangements

Information about local arrangements will follow.

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Received on Thu Nov 03 2005 - 12:46:46 EST