CfP: The 5th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Philosophy (EACP)
The 5th Biennial Conference of the
European Association for Chinese Philosophy (EACP)
University of Iceland, Reykjavík, June 26-28, 2025
This conference is part of the academic event series:
“European summer of Chinese philosophy”
taking place in Ljubljana, Reykjavík, and Berlin in the summer of 2025
Confirmed keynote speakers:
Roger T. Ames, Peking University
Mercedes Valmisa, Gettysburg College
Theme: “Selfhood and Exteriority”
How should selfhood be described and what is the nature of its relationship with exteriority (other people and beings, the environment as such)? Can the “I” be considered a distinct individual or should it rather be understood as a system of multiple agents? What is the nature of our relationship as “selves” with our society? How responsible are we for our actions vis-à-vis our exterior being(s)? What, if anything, does it mean to be free?
What is, has been, and could be Chinese philosophy’s take on these and other questions relating to selfhood? How have they been tackled throughout the history of Chinese philosophy? What different approaches are found in the various Chinese philosophical schools? What can be learned from Chinese philosophy for improving our adopted ways to approach our world? How can Chinese philosophy engage in meaningful dialogues on such and related issues with other philosophical traditions of the world?
Among suggested topics to be discussed are:
- Individualism and collectivism
- Ego and its own
- Non-self (wuji)
- Overcoming selfhood
- Relational selfhood
- Individual and society
- Autonomy and agency
- Agency and co-agency
- Co-creativity
- Emotions and reason
- Self and body
- Rights and responsibilities
- The meaning of freedom
- Freedom and responsibility
- Consciousness and the subconscious
- Interiority and exteriority
- Self-cultivation and other-cultivation
- Human vs. nature
- Etc.
Scholars working on Chinese philosophy and philosophy in China are invited to submit proposals for individual papers or panels to Geir Sigurðsson (University of Iceland), <geirs[at]hi.is>. Topics are not restricted to the conference theme.
Official languages of the conference are English and Chinese.
Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Panel proposals should include the title and a brief description of the panel and the names, affiliations, email addresses of the participants, and the titles of each participant’s presentation with abstracts of max. 250 words. Panels can be composed of three or four presentations. Each paper presentation has 30 minutes, including discussion.
The deadline for submission is November 30, 2024. Notice of acceptance of proposals will be sent to your email address at latest by early January 2025, with instructions on how to register and submit the conference registration fee.
To encourage the participation and inclusion of young researchers, the EACP offers a Young Scholars Award. PhD candidates and early postdoctoral researchers (up to three years after PhD defense) should submit a full paper and indicate that they wish to compete for the award. Up to three winners of the award will receive a certificate and free accommodation during the conference. Additionally, the first prize winner will be awarded the possibility to publish their paper in the now Q1 international academic journal Asian Studies: https://journals.uni-lj.si/as/about.
The conference fee for EACP members is 100 EUR for scholars and 40 EUR for students. For non-members the fee is 140 EUR for scholars and 60 EUR for students.
The 5th biennial conference of the EACP is the middle (second) event of the “European Summer of Chinese Philosophy” in 2025. The first is the 24th International Society for Chinese Philosophy (ISCP) Conference, which will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 20-23 with the theme “Addressing Global Crises and Reimagining Solutions through Chinese Philosophy.” The third event is the 1st Education Network of the European Association for Chinese Philosophy (EN-EACP) Conference at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, July 4-6, with the theme “Mirroring Civilizations: Paths Between Daoist and pre-Socratic Philosophies.”
This sequence offers a unique opportunity for scholars traveling from outside Europe to engage deeply with Chinese philosophy at three closely interconnected events. Participants can explore significant issues related to the influence of Chinese philosophy in the contemporary world while visiting three distinct, geographically, and historically intriguing locations in Europe. Europe, with its vibrant mosaic of cultures, languages, and philosophies, provides an ideal setting for fostering transcultural dialogues between Chinese and Western philosophies. Hence, the 2025 European Summer of Chinese Philosophy, bridging three distinct while fascinating European cultures and environments in Ljubljana, Reykjavík and Berlin, encourages a rich exchange of ideas and philosophical theories, enhancing the potential for meaningful transcultural interactions.