University of New Mexico’s Annual Philosophy Graduate Student Conference
Philosophy at the Boundary: Re-Examining the Divide Between Anglo-American and Continental Philosophy
April 10-11, 2014
Keynote Speaker: Graham Priest (CUNY Graduate Center/University of Melbourne)
Faculty Speaker: Paul Livingston
Submission Deadline: February 5, 2015
In his 1988 Presidential Address to the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, Richard J. Bernstein claimed, “Indeed, we are beginning to see how silly and unfruitful it is to think in terms of an Anglo-American/Continental split.” Was this pronouncement unduly optimistic, or did it point towards an age of cross-traditional pluralism? At a time when an increasing number of philosophers are doing work at the boundaries of multiple philosophical traditions and movements, and thinking about the status of philosophical traditions in the discipline of philosophy more generally, it seems an ideal time to host a forum on the question of the history, nature, and contemporary status of the split between Anglo-American and Continental philosophy. We are looking not only for papers that pose metaphilosophical questions about the split, but also for work embodying cross-traditional pluralistic practice and incorporating multiple traditions. Scholars offering both Western and non-Western philosophical perspectives on these questions are welcome. Paper topics might include or touch on the following:
- Examinations of why the split between Anglo-American and Continental philosophy, and the more general question of the classification of philosophical traditions, has remained a topic of enduring controversy
- Attempts, past or present, to reach across, problematize, or even reinforce the Anglo-American/Continental divide
- Questions about the very existence of a split between Anglo-American and Continental philosophy
- Incorporations of insights or resources from non-Western traditions into the context of traditionally Western problematics, or vice versa
- Issues of inclusiveness and the exclusion of non-Western traditions in academic philosophy
- Comparisons between figures or movements from disparate traditions
- Dialogues with figures and schools of thought not easily categorized within any of the above traditions
- Engagements with popular recent areas of research that bridge the gap, including phenomenology and philosophy of mind, philosophy of mathematics and political philosophy, pragmatism and hermeneutics, analytic feminisms and Marxisms, and others
We welcome submissions of no longer than 3,000 words from graduate students as well as advanced undergraduates. Please prepare submissions for blind review, and include name, title, and institutional affiliation on a cover page. Submissions and inquiries should be sent to: pgsa2014@gmail.com