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Archive 2013 → 2012 → 2011 → 2013 Seminar Seminar: Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Psychology: The Sickness unto Death *On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Kierkegaard’s birth and of the forthcoming translation of The Sickness unto Death* into Icelandic. University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Institute of Philosophy May 22-24, 2013** Hosted by the Institute of Philosophy, University of Iceland Sponsored by The Nordic Network of Kierkegaard Research (NordForsk) In cooperation with The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre (Copenhagen) The Sickness unto Death is scheduled to appear in Icelandic translation in late 2013, at the advent of Kierkegaard’s 200th anniversary. The work will be published by the Icelandic Literary Society, which was founded in Copenhagen in 1816. The society has previously published Kierkegaard’s Repetition and Fear and Trembling. The goal of the seminar is to explore various themes in Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death, doubtless one of Kierkegaard’s most systematic and philosophical works. Not only did it capture the dynamics and deep structures of consciousness, but it has also provided a grounding for subsequent philosophical analysis of imbalances and tensions within the self deriving from the conflict between the finite and the infinite, the free and the determined dimensions of human existence. The seminar will include a session on the Icelandic theologian Magnús Eiríksson (1806-1881), one of the first critics of Kierkegaard’s philosophy. Program Wednesday, May 22 Auditorium: Oddi 101 9:15-9:30 Opening Words: Vilhjálmur Árnason Morning Session I: Psychology. Chairperson: Vilhjálmur Árnason 9:30-10:15 Keynote Speaker: Arne Grøn (University of Copenhagen), “The Subjectivity of Despair” 10:15:10:45 Discussion 10:45-11:15 Coffee/Tea Break 11:15-11:45 Claudia Welz (University of Copenhagen), “Conscience, Self-Knowledge and Self-Deception in Kierkegaard and Freud” 11:45-12:15 Tamar Aylat-Yaguri (University of Tel Aviv), “A New Conception of Self in The Sickness unto Death” 12:15-12:45 Discussion 12:45-14:00 Lunch Break Afternoon Session: Theology. Chairperson: Jon Stewart 14:00-14:30 Roe Fremstedal (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), “Kierkegaard on Despair, Hope, and Faith” 14:30-15:00 Knut Alfsvåg (School of Mission and Theology, Stavanger), “Incarnation and Offense: A Reading of The Sickness unto Death” 15:00-15:30 Discussion 15:30 Reception Thursday, May 23 Auditorium: Oddi 101 Morning Session: Psychology. Chairperson: Róbert Haraldsson 8:45-9:30 Keynote Speaker: Sigrídur Thorgeirsdóttir (University of Iceland), “Multiple and Relational Selves in Light of Kierkegaard’s Sickness unto Death” 9:30-10:00 Discussion 10:00-10:30 Coffee/Tea Break 10:30-11:00 Edward F. Mooney (Syracuse University), “The Philosophical Psychology of Abyss and Grounding Power in Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death” 11:00-11:30 Jennifer Elisa Veninga (St. Edward’s University, Austin, Texas), “Imagining Toward Wholeness: The Kierkegaardian Self and Contemporary Trauma Theory” 11:30-12:00 Discussion 12:00-12:15 Coffee/Tea Break 12:15-14:00 Lunch Break Afternoon Session: Exegesis. Chairperson: K. Brian Söderquist 14:00-14:30 Laura Liva (Università G. D’Annunzio, Chieti), “The Demonic in The Sickness unto Death” 14:30-15:00 Jakub Marek (Charles University, Prague), “On Phantasy And Its Role In The Sickness unto Death” 15:00-15:30 Discussion 15:30-15:45 Coffee/Tea Break 15:45-16:15 Frances Maughan-Brown (Boston College), “The Thorn in the Poet’s Flesh” 16:15-16:45 Pia Søltoft (University of Copenhagen), “Self-Love and Despair” 16:45-17:15 Discussion Friday, May 24 Auditorium: Oddi 101 Morning Session: History of Reception. Chairperson: Björn Þorsteinsson 9:00-9:30 Hans Herlof Grelland (University of Agder), “The Sickness unto Death and the Works of Henrik Ibsen” 9:30-10:00 Esben Lindemann (Professionshøjskolen UCC), “The Influence of The Sickness unto Death on Martin A. Hansen” 10:00:10:30 Discussion 10:30-11:00 Coffee/Tea Break 11:00-11:30 K. Brian Soderquist (University of Copenhagen), “If The Human Self Were Self-Established” 11:30-12:00 Jon Stewart (University of Copenhagen), “Kierkegaard, Hegel and the Notion of Spirit” 12:00-12:30 Discussion 12:30-14:00 Lunch Break Afternoon Session: Magnus Eiríksson. Chairperson: Vilhjálmur Árnason 14:00-14:45 Panel Discussion on Magnus Eiríksson 14:45-15:15 Discussion 15:15-15:45 Coffee/Tea Break 15:45-16:15 Gerhard Schreiber (Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main), “Eiríksson’s Relation to Kierkegaard Reconsidered” 16:15-16:45 Discussion 16:45-17:00 Closing Words: Vilhjálmur Árnason Dinner Download the program here → Contact Björn Thorsteinsson (bjorntho@hi.is) and Jon Stewart (js@sk.ku.dk) Conference "Med Kierkegaard som anledning” May 3, 2013 1:00-6:00pm Aarhus University, Department of Education (DPU) Campus Emdrup Tuborgvej 164, Copenhagen NV Room D174 Read more and see the program → Conference "Jornadas internacionales en conmemoración del bicentenario del nacimiento de Søren A. Kierkegaard" University of Grenada, Faculty of Psychology and Sociology, Spain May 8 and May 15, 2013 Read more and download the program → Event "Seducer's Diary": A Festive Evening Celebrating 200 years since Kierkegaard’s Birth Tel Aviv Yafo Central Library, Cultural Center Israel May 9, 2013 7:30-9:30pm Read more and download the program in Hebrew → Read more and download the program in English → Congress "Kierkegaard Reconsidered in a Global World" Jubilee Congress May 6-8, 2013 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen The conference runs from Monday through Wednesday with sessions in the University premises in the inner city. Several sessions will run simultaneously and be organized both by subject and nationality. Read more → Download the program here → Conference and Other Events "For Søren! Kierkegaard 1813-2013" Place: Oslo, Norway April 12-14, 2013 I år er det 200 år siden Søren Kierkegaard ble født. Vi markerer jubileet for filosofen, teologen og forfatteren 12.-14. april. For Søren! er en samlet pakke av aktiviteter viet det berømte dansken. Fondet for dansk-norsk samarbeids eiendom Lysebu i Oslo er hovedarena, men det blir også innslag på Munch-museet, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Den Norske Opera & Ballet og i Oslo Domkirke. Det blir foredrag og forfattermøter, boklansering, opera, teaterpremiere, omvisninger, kveldsmesse og debatt. Møt Trond Berg Eriksen og Vigdis Hjorth, Joakim Garff og Gro Dahle, Thor Arvid Dyrerud, Niels Jørgen Cappelørn, Marius T. Mjaaland, Morten Jostad, Jon-Ove Steihaug, Inge Lønning, Øystein Røger og mange andre. Arrangører: Fondet for dansk-norsk samarbeid/Lysebu og Det Norske Søren Kierkegaard Selskap i samarbeid med Munch-museet, Nasjonalbiblioteket, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, Oslo Domkirke, Utdanningsforbundet, Oslo universitetssykehus Programkoordinator: Einar Solbu Deltakeravgift: Uten overnatting med alle måltider kr 1500. Med overnatting i enkeltrom og fullpensjon på Lysebu kr 2200 (i dobbeltrom kr 1800). Særskilte stipendplasser for studenter. Påmelding skjer ved å fylle ut det enkle skjemaet på www.dansk-norsk.no/Forms/Kierkegaard2013.html. Programmet er lagt på www.dansk-norsk.no/kalender/Kierkegaard.html og på Facebooksidene til Fondet og Lysebu. For ytterligere informasjon se www.dansk-norsk.no eller: www.kierkegaard.no Download the program here → Conference Celebrating Søren Kierkegaard at 200 "Personages, Objects and Places in Kierkegaard’s Thought: Why or How They Matter" Trinity College, University of Toronto Combination Room April 5-6, 2013 Contact Professor Abrahim H. Khan Trinity College 6 Hoskin Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5S 1H8 416-978-3039 (Off) khanah@chass.utoronto.ca Download the program here → Call for Papers The Single Individual Before Himself International Conference Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Søren Kierkegaard's birth. April 2-4, 2013 Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City "Every individual begins anew, and in the same moment he is at the place where he should begin in history." Søren Kierkegaard We are pleased to invite you to participate in the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Søren Kierkegaard's birth (1813-1855) by presenting unpublished papers examining the relevance of Kierkegaard's thought and works concerning the human being and his worth as an individual. Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes. Those interested should send a summary of their paper along with a CV to maria.nextle@ibero.mx no later than January 31, 2013. Papers to be read will be selected taking into consideration the pertinence of the papers and the number of participants. All presenters will receive a certificate of participation. The conference will take place at Universidad Iberoamericana located in Prolongacion Paseo de la Reforma 880, Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City. Hosted by Universidad Iberoamericana Embassy of Denmark in Mexico Sociedad Iberoamericana de Estudios Kierkegaardianos Papers should be preferably submitted in Spanish. For more information, please contact maria.nextle@ibero.mx Download the call for papers here → Call for Papers SLAGMARK–Journal of the History of ideas no. 68: Søren Kierkegaard 200 years to appear: autumn 2013 Deadline for submissions: March 1, 2013 Articles and/or questions should be directed to the editors: Birgitte Eskildsen (eskildsen@hum.ku.dk) or Matias Møl Dalsgaard (filmmd@hum.au.dk) Download the call for papers here → Conference "Socratic Atopia: Kierkegaard's Idea of the Religious Author" Organizing Institution: Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach in cooperation with the Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt Organization: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hermann Deuser, Dr. Markus Kleinert, Dr. Marcel Lepper Place: University of Erfurt February 14-16, 2013 Contact: Dr. Markus Kleinert (markus.kleinert@uni-erfurt.de) Call for Papers Kierkegaard's Legacies MLA in Boston January 3-6, 2013 In the bicentennial year of the great Danish philosopher's birth, the MLA Discussion Group on Scandinavian Languages and Literatures invites papers for the 2013 MLA in Boston (January 3-6, 2013) that consider Kierkegaard's legacy in a variety of intellectual and comparative contexts. These can include literary studies, philosophy, political science, religious studies, rhetoric, psychology and others; submissions comparative across language and historical period are particularly welcome. Send a 250-350-word abstract to lindqvis@fas.harvard.edu by March 15; responses will be issued by April 1. Those included in the panel must become members of the MLA by April 7, 2012. Call for Papers Kierkegaard Circle Conference: Personages, Objects and Places in Kierkegaard’s Thought: Why or How They Matter? Trinity College, University of Toronto 6 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto CANADA , M5S 1H8 April 6, 2013 Papers take as point of departure literary, historical, and scholarly names and showing their relevance to Kierkegaard’s thought, by making connections with his theories or the intention of his writings. Examples of person and personages might include women in love, Don Juan, Nero, Ermeita, Emmeline, Hamann, Schopenhauer, the Wandering Jew, Lessing, Heiberg, Adler, Goldschmitt, Moller, Taciturnus, Martensen, Mynster, Beck, Spinoza, Descartes, Goethe, etc. Of course, include Kierkegaard on Kierkegaard – but which one? Examples of objects: Kierkegaard’s writing desk, his cupboard, ring to Regina, umbrella, baggy pants, etc. Places, for example, are Berlin, Roskilde, Gribskov, Jutland. What connections can be made with them to his ideas? Other topics are welcome. Five presentations, each a 30 minute presentation + 10 minutes discussion 10 short presentations, each a 15 minute presentation + 5 minutes discussion Professor Mark Kingwell (Philosophy, University of Toronto) to give open lecture Submit tile and 150 word abstract by September 30, 2012 ( indicating long or short paper) to Professor Abrahim H. Khan (khanah@chass.utoronto.ca) 416-978-3039 Or Kierkegaard Circle, address above. Conference Registration Fee: $20. Let’s make the occasion a celebrative-fun one with our ideas. Birthday celebrations generally are. Come up with some interesting topics that you might have jokingly considered. What about SK and jokes? 123, bang! The world is round. Download the call for papers here → See also the Kierkegaard Circle's webpage for upcoming events → Back to the top of the page 2012 The annual lecture given in memory of Julia Watkin will take place at St. Olaf College on November 15, 2012. The Friends of the Hong Kierkegaard Library will hold their fall meeting on the same day at 3:30 PM with dinner following at 5:15. If you wish to attend the meeting and dinner, please contact Jamie Lorentzen, Chairperson of the Friends, at jalorentzen@k12.redwing.mn.us. November 15, 2012 The Seventh Julia Watkin Memorial Kierkegaard Lecture - 7:00 PM. Dittmann Center 305. To be presented by Ronald M.Green, Eunice and Julian Cohen Professor for the Study of Ethics and Human Values, Department of Religion, Dartmouth College, on the following subject: Inherited Sin: Kierkegaard on Guilt across Generations Professor Green offers the following summary of his forthcoming lecture: "In Either/Or and The Concept of Anxiety Kierkegaard endeavors to rehabilitate the Christian concept of hereditary sin. He does this by reinventing the Antigone story. I seek to interpret Kierkegaard’s arguments and illustrate their validity by drawing on a modern fictional source, the 2010 Oscar-nominated film “Incendies,” by the Quebec director Denis Villeneuve. With the Lebanese civil war as its focus, “Incendies” provides a vivid illustration of how sexuality can entwine with human sinfulness, perpetuate it, and perhaps even redeem it. SPOILER WARNING: This presentation reveals the plot of this surprising film." For further information, please contact Gordon Marino at marino@stolaf.edu or Cynthia Lund at lundc@stolaf.edu. Conference Biblioteca Kierkegaard Argentina Instituto Universitario Isedet organizan VIII Jornadas Kierkegaard 2012 “Conocimiento y existencia” 8, 9 y 10 de noviembre Camacuá 282 – Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina Download the program here → International Conference Kierkegaard: Philosophy, Literature and the Challenges of Infinitude Philosophy Center of the University of Lisbon Faculty of Humanities Translation of Kierkegaard’s Works 1838-44 October 25- 26, 2012 For further information, please contact: elisabetemdesousa@gmail.com josemmjusto@gmail.com c.filosofia@fl.ul.pt Download the program here → International Conference Kierkegaard Today or The Topicality of Kierkegaard Guadalajara, Mexico October 11, 2012 See the program here → Announcement PhD Course: Kierkegaard in Social Theory and Modern Worklife Copenhagen Business School November 1-2, 2012 Course Instructors: Camilla Sløk Dept. of Management, Politics and Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School Jon Stewart Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen University Course Coordinator and Contact Camilla Sløk: cs.lpf@cbs.dk Prerequisite Students enrolled in a PhD program. Prior to the course students are expected to have read the texts and should come prepared to discuss them. Aim and content Søren Kierkegaard is a multifaceted author who has continued to interest, provoke and intrigue thinkers from a vast range of disciplines. Regarded both as a philosopher, a theologian, a psychologist, and a literary critic and theorist, Kierkegaard created a complex authorship that defies traditional categories and simple interpretations. He was deeply interested in exploring some of the important challenges to social life and even inspired contemporary thinkers in social science such as as Lacan, Derrida, Rollo May, Bataille, etc. The reason for this inspiration is Kierkegaard’s ability to reflect on the relationship between individuality and the social. This issue is highly relevant for contemporary business and leadership theories in which individuality is a core issue for modern work life, e.g. with regard to creativity, innovation, profession, self-management, etc. This seminar is designed to give an insight into Kierkegaard’s understanding of different forms of subjectivity human relations and interactions with a special eye towards how these ideas might be used in the context of management. While Kierkegaard is often hailed as a champion of the individual, his understanding of the individual is often related in a dialectical manner to relations with others in society or community. The following issues will be explored: (1) Is it possible to fully maintain one’s creativity and individuality if one conforms to the traditional rules and customs of society? Can one realize one’s full potential in a workplace that demands conformity of this kind? These issues will be examined in connection with Judge William’s response to the anonymous aesthete in Part 2 of Either/Or. 2) In modern democracies, we believe that everyone is equal and has the same rights and obligations. Kierkegaard noted that this apparently positive view turns negative when it is transformed into what he calls “leveling.” Is it possible in a work situation to respect the basic principles of fairness and equality, while at the same time to encourage talented individuals to fully develop their talent and receive recognition for it above and beyond what is given to others? This topic will be explored in connection with Kierkegaard’s A Literary Review. 3) Shakespeare says, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” But what is the proper role of the manager or leader. While some degree of professional distance seems proper, nonetheless it seems cynical to conceive of this as a sheer act. Most people expect a degree of honesty and authenticity in their basic interactions with other people, and a workplace is no exception. To what degree should one, as a manager or leader, “be oneself” and to what degree should one play a role? This issue will be explored based on a reading of Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death, where he explores different forms of what it means to be oneself. Deadline for registration: September 17, 2012 Read more→ Conference International Conference: Kierkegaard on Love and the Passions August 22-24, 2012 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen Conference venue: Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen Købmagergade 44, aud. 7 and 11 There is no doubt that passion and love play an important role in Søren Kierkegaard's authorship. But what is love? Is it a rigorous duty, a religious commandment that makes Kierkegaard's view on love agapistic? Or is love a feeling? An overwhelming urge with a life of its own? And are feelings less worthy than reason? Is love a passion? But what is a passion? A dialectic between suffering and joy? What does it mean to Kierkegaard that God is love? And in what sense - if any - has the Platonic concept of eros shaped Kierkegaard's notion of love? It is these and many other questions regarding love and the passions that we wish to debate and discuss. Over the last decade or two there has been a focus in Kierkegaard research on Works of Love, and of course the conference should reflect the growing interest in this work, but we also wish to encourage papers concerning love and the passions in other parts of the authorship. We invite papers of a length 30 minutes reading time. Along with the conference The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre will also host a PhD workshop where it will be possible for PhD students to present and discuss their current work in or related to Kierkegaard's thoughts. For those who wish to participate in the PhD workshop we invite proposals with a reading time of 20 minutes. An abstract of 2000 characters together with a CV must in any case be sent to sec@sk.ku.dk no later than March 15, 2012 Conference Conference: Kierkegaard and the Philosophical Traditions Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Trondheim, Norway August 9-10, 2012 Sponsored by The Nordic Network of Kierkegaard Research (NordForsk), in cooperation with The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre and NTNU’s Theory of Science Forum Kierkegaard’s role as a philosopher has long been a disputed one. While he has been hailed as the forerunner of existentialism, he has also been described as a poet-philosopher and dismissed by proponents of analytic philosophy as “not a real philosopher.” But in recent years scholars have begun to reconsider many of the established views about Kierkegaard’s relation to philosophy. Today Kierkegaard is gradually making his way into central discussions in mainstream philosophy such as debates about narrative identity, ethics, religion, and philosophy of mind. At the same time he remains an important figure in historical studies of 19^th-century philosophy, theology, and literature as well as in his relation to the leading figures of the existentialist movement. This conference has as its goal to explore these various relations by opening up for studies in source-work research, history of reception, and current debates within philosophy and related fields such as theology and literature. We plan to include special sessions dedicated to the following: Kierkegaard and Antiquity, the Patristics and the Middle Ages Kierkegaard and Kantianism, Romanticism, and German Idealism Kierkegaard and Danish Golden Age Philosophy, Theology, and Literature Kierkegaard and Existentialism Kierkegaard and Contemporary Debates For further information contact Roe Fremstedal (roe.fremstedal@ntnu.no) or Jon Stewart (js@sk.ku.dk) Deadline for Registration: June 15, 2012. Register at sec@sk.ku.dk Download the program here → Soren Kierkegaard Society of the UK Study Day 2012 This year’s study day and AGM will take place in Sheffield on Saturday May 19th from 10.30-4.00. The venue will be the Humanities Research Institute, Gell Street, Sheffield (maps and travel advice available at http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/visitors/mapsandtravel. We are delighted to welcome two speakers this year who have both recently written highly original studies where Kierkegaard is a significant conversation partner. Marcus Pound’s Theology, Psychoanalysis and Trauma stages a conversation between Kierkegaard and Lacan which throws new light on both. Andrew Shanks’s exploration of the religious dimensions of the thought of Gillian Rose reveals the importance of Kierkegaard in her philosophical and theological development, again providing new perspectives on Kierkegaard’s work. In the afternoon, Kate Harrington and Paniel Reyes from Sheffield have kindly agreed to lead us all in reading a passage from Kierkegaard’s writings; details of the passage in question will follow. The AGM of the Society will take place at the end of the day. There will be a nominal cost of £10 (£5 students) for the day to cover our expenses, payable on arrival by cheque or cash. Tea and coffee will be provided and there are a number of options for lunch nearby. For further information or to indicate that you intend to come, please email h.pyper@sheffield.ac.uk. Conference Europe, Christianity and the Encounter with Other Religions in Kierkegaard and 19th Century Religious Thinking Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, May 9-11, 2012 Faculty of Theology, Købmagergade 44-46, 1150 Copenhagen The 19th Century was a dynamic period in European cultural and religious thinking since it was the time when Europe came into contact with a series of nonEuropean religions. In the wake of Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign, this was the period that marked the birth of Egyptology as a science and the deciphering of the hieroglyphics. Through contact with the Ottoman Empire in Central Europe and the Balkans, Islam took on a greater importance in the European mind than ever before. British colonists researched in detail the culture and religion of India, while Friedrich von Schlegel and other German philologists translated Sanskrit texts into European languages for the first time. Studies on the ancient Persian language and religion, Zoroastrianism, also became popular during this period. Primarily through the work of missionaries in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, Europe was also introduced to Buddhism and Taoism of ancient China, but it was in the 19th century that serious scholarly work on this material first began. The spread of the Haskalah movement throughout Europe created new possibilities for the dialogue between Christian and Jewish intellectuals. These developments raised new challenges for traditional Christian belief that was still reeling from the criticisms issued by the Enlightenment. When the importance of these other religious traditions began to be appreciated, Christianity’s absolute claim to truth seemed to be made problematic, and thinkers such as Voltaire very intentionally made use of it to undermine the authority of the Church and the clergy. Many of the major philosophers, theologians and writers of the day were profoundly influenced by this new wealth of information. Figures such as Nietzsche and Schopenhauer were eager to co-opt elements of Eastern religion in their own thinking. Voltaire, Herder, Schlegel and Hegel tried to create theories of historical and cultural development that included these other traditions. Writers such as Goethe and Montesquieu used the Oriental perspective to develop cultural criticism of European beliefs and values. The new contact with nonEuropean religions was also important for Kierkegaard and others in the Danish Golden Age, although these connections remain little explored. This conference has as its goal to explore this fascinating encounter between Europe and nonEuropean religions during this period and the results of this encounter today. A special emphasis will be given to Kierkegaard's understanding of these religions and their meaning for Christianity's absolute claim to truth. Program Wednesday, May 9 Auditorium 13:00-13:15 Words of Welcome Afternoon Session: Hegel and Kierkegaard 13:15-14:00 Keynote speaker: István Czakó (Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Hungary), “Von der Ewigkeit des Geistes zur Subjektivität der Existenz: Die Unsterblichkeitsproblematik in Hegels religionsphilosophischen Vorlesungen und in Kierkegaards Climacus-Schriften” 14:00-14:20 Discussion 14:20-14:45 Coffee/Tea Break 14:45-15:15 Jon Stewart (University of Copenhagen), “Hegel’s Account of the Ancient Egyptian Religion as a Transition from Nature to Spirit” 15:15-15:30 Discussion 15:30-16:00 Jørgen Huggler (Danmarks Pædagogiske Universitet), “The Interpretation of Ancient Greek Religion in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit” 16:00-16:15 Discussion 16:15-16:40 Coffee/Tea Break 16:40-17:10 Curtis L. Thompson (Thiel College, USA), “The Encounter with Other Religions in Hans L. Martensen’s Theology” 17:10-17:35 Discussion Thursday, May 10 Auditorium Morning Session: Nietzsche: Buddhism and Zoroastrianism 9:00-9:45 Keynote speaker: Darío González (University of Copenhagen), “Nietzsche and the Myth of Zarathustra” 9:45-10:00 Discussion 10:00-10:25 Coffee/Tea Break 10:25-10:55 Zoltán Gyenge (University of Szeged, Hungary) “Nietzsche und die Religionen (Heidentum, Buddhismus und Christentum)” 10:55-11:10 Discussion 11:10-11:50 William McDonald (University of New England, Australia), “Nietzsche’s Understanding of Buddhist Psychology with Constant Reference to Christian Psychology” 11:50-12:05 Discussion 12:05-13:30 Lunch Break Afternoon Session: Islam 13:30-14:00 Sean Turchin (University of Edinburgh), “Christianity and Islam: A Martyrdom of Love” 14:00-14:15 Discussion 14:15-14:45 Ian Almond (Georgia State University), “A South Asianist’s Perspective on the Encounter with Islam in Nineteenth-Century German Thought” 14:45-15:00 Discussion 15:00-15:30 Coffee/Tea Break 15:30-16:00 David Thomas (University of Birmingham), “The Reception of Muhammad in Nineteenth-Century England: Age-Old Attitudes and New Insights” 16:00-16:15 Discussion 16:15-16:45 Timothy Hall (The Franklin Academy, USA), “The Sanctification of History: A Catholic Historian’s Perspective of 19th-Century Encounters” 16:45-17:00 Discussion Friday, May 11 Auditorium Morning Session: Kierkegaard and Judaism 9:00-9:45 Keynote speaker: Tamar Aylat-Yaguri (Tel Aviv University), “Kierkegaard and Judaism” 9:45-10:15 Discussion 10:00-10:25 Coffee/Tea Break 10:25-10:55 Peter Šajda (Slovak Academy of Sciences), “The Evolution of Buber’s Philosophical View on Mysticism” 10:55-11:10 Discussion 11:10-11:50 Roe Fremstedal (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim), “Kant on Statutory and Moral Faith, Judaism and Christianity” 11:50-12:05 Discussion 12:05-13:30 Lunch Break Afternoon Session: Kierkegaard Ph.D. Panel 14:15-17:00 to be announced Download the program here → Conference Kierkegaard’s Late Upbuilding Discourses The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Oxford University, and University of Sheffield Conference dates: May 4 – May 6, 2012 Conference venue: Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen Købmagergade 44, aud. 11 This is a call for papers for the third international conference in a series of three gatherings concerning Kierkegaard’s upbuilding discourses. The first gathering took place in Oxford from April 16-18, 2010 and was focused on Kierkegaard’s early upbuilding discourses. The second was held in Sheffield from May 6-8, 2011 and had as its topic Kierkegaard’s upbuilding discourses up to 1847 including Works of Love. The third conference will take place in Copenhagen from May 4-6, 2012. This time we are concerned with Kierkegaard’s late upbuilding discourses from 1848 and onwards, and we encourage especially papers with a focus on the discourses on communion. Back to the top of the page 2011 Announcement Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen Farvergade 27 D, Copenhagen Inauguration of The Nordic Network of Kierkegaard Research Seminar: “Kierkegaard Studies in the Nordic Countries” Friday, December 2, 2011 Download the program here → Notice Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre Faculty of Theology University of Copenhagen On the occasion of the celebration of the 200 year anniversary of Søren Kierkegaard, one PhD scholarship is available from 1 September 2011 at The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Faculty of Theology, including enrollment at the University as a PhD student, and 1 “free place”. Subject to the necessary funding, The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre at the Faculty of Theology hereby gives notice of one PhD scholarship available at the University of Copenhagen. The scholarship is for a period of three years and due to start 1 September 2011 ending 31 August 2014. In addition a “free place”, which includes enrolment and the expenses involved in studying for a PhD, but does not include a salary, is available. Applications are invited for research in all fields and subjects of Søren Kierkegaard studies. The grant of a scholarship carries with it enrollment as a PhD student in the research school at the Faculty of Theology. Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre is an interdisciplinary institution and therefore welcomes applications from all Faculties. Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or similar qualification. The Centre will give priority to applicants who have demonstrated special aptitude for scholarly work, usually in a thesis, an award-winning dissertation or publications. Appointment to these PhD scholarships is subject to the terms of the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations, AC. Under this agreement, a holder of a PhD scholarship is obliged to reserve for other duties a total of 840 working hours over the three-year period at the discretion of the Centre and the Faculty. The scholarship holder must also be willing to take an active part in the research activity at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, www.skc.ku.dk The application must be submitted on a special form which can be downloaded from the Faculty’s website, www.teol.ku.dk -> English->Research-> Ph.D- programme ->Application forms. The application must be accompanied by: a certified copy of diploma of degree(s), a brief curriculum vitae and a draft outlining the program of study (with a description of the research project) If available, the following documents should also be included with the application: Master’s thesis, academic references and a list of any publications. The draft outlining the program of study should contain (max. 6500 words) both a description of the planned research project and a realistic plan for the fulfillment of the requirements under the Ministerial Order on PhD degrees with regard to participation in courses and periods of study at other institutions. The application should also specify extraordinary financial requirements, e.g. for travel, equipment, or external expert assistance. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts. Applicants will be informed of the composition of the panel. Applications will be judged on the basis of both the quality and relevance of the project, and the applicant’s documented qualifications and ability to complete the PhD program within the time prescribed. Each applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him or her. Four copies of the application and all supplementary documents are required, though only one copy of the thesis is necessary. The Faculty of Theology reserves the right to disregard incomplete applications. Applications must reach The Faculty of Theology by noon Thursday 5 May 2011. The Ministerial Order on PhD degrees and other relevant documents are available for download from the Faculty’s website, http://www.teol.ku.dk/english/research/phd_programme/ or may be requested from the Office of the Faculty of Theology, Købmagergade 44-46, 1150 Copenhagen K. Questions relating to this posting may be directed to Niels Christian Tolvang-Nielsen on (+45) 3532 3605 or by email to Pia Søltoft at ps@sk.ku.dk. Call for Papers Kierkegaard at Year Two Hundred The Challenge of the Single Individual in the Present Age A Special Issue of The European Legacy Edited by Mark Cauchi and Avron Kulak “Whatever one generation learns from another, no generation learns the essentially human from a previous one. In this respect, each generation… has no other task than what each previous generation had, nor does it advance further….” -Kierkegaard, from the Epilogue to Fear and Trembling “The present age is essentially… devoid of passion, flaring up in superficial, short-lived enthusiasm and prudentially relaxing in indolence.… [W]e must say of the present age that it is going badly.” -Kierkegaard, from “The Present Age,” in Two Ages This special issue of The European Legacy, to be published in 2013, is dedicated to celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Kierkegaard (1813-1855) by posing two questions: first, the relevance of his thought for, and the challenge that he directs to, the single individual in the present age; second, the challenge that the present age directs to the thought of Kierkegaard. In light of these questions, it is worth recalling Kierkegaard’s conception both of the present age and of the single individual. For Kierkegaard, because all generations share the same task, each age, and each individual in each age, is like every other in that they must take upon themselves, singularly and distinctly, the tasks of their time. The present age thus encompasses the history in which single individuals respond to the issues and debates that distinguish their time by establishing as its most fundamental priority what Kierkegaard calls, in Fear and Trembling, the essentially human – what he also calls faith, love, the neighbor, God: the absolute relation to the absolute. Yet, according to Kierkegaard, the present age and the single individual are characterized by their already having shunned their essentially human task, by their being divided against themselves, alienated from themselves, in their superficiality and indolence. The present age, for Kierkegaard, is thus an age of despair in which the single individual who goes badly must engage in what he describes as the task of coming historically into existence as the genuine contemporary – the task of loving God and neighbor. How, then, do we assess the pertinence today of Kierkegaard’s assessment of and prescription for the present age – both his own and ours? From what standpoint do we even pose the question of the relevance of Kierkegaard at year two hundred? In asking about the ways in which Kierkegaard’s thought challenges us today, must we not also ask about the ways in which, or the principles in light of which, we respond to Kierkegaard? At issue is what it would mean, today, to be a genuine contemporary – of Kierkegaard, of the present age, of ourselves. For this special issue of The European Legacy we invite contributions on a wide range of issues that examine the implications of Kierkegaard’s thought for debates, issues, and questions that are central to the challenge of the single individual in the present age. Topics might include, but are not limited to, the following: · the relationship between Kierkegaard’s critique of the present age and contemporary critics of the present age; · the relationship between Kierkegaard’s concept of single individuality and contemporary questions of pluralism, cosmopolitanism, and globalization; · the relationship between, on the one hand, what Kierkegaard explicates as Christian ideals, concepts, and values, and, for example, on the other hand, deconstructive, postmodern, feminist, and LGBTQ approaches to the problems of the present age; · the relationship between the religious and the secular, between the divine and the human, between faith and reason; · the relationship between ethics and divine command; · the relationship between art and the indirect communications of the religious imagination; · the relationship between truth as subjectivity and truth as alterity. Timetable: · Proposals of one single-spaced page in length should be submitted either to Mark Cauchi (mcauchi@yorku.ca) or to Avron Kulak (akulak@yorku.ca) by January 1, 2012. · Authors will be informed about the status of their proposals by March 1, 2012. · Final drafts of essays – 6000 words in length, not including footnotes – will be due on September 1, 2012. · Suggestions for revisions will be made, where necessary, by November 30, 2012. · Final revised essays will be expected within two months of authors having received suggestions for revisions. Call for Papers *Acta Kierkegaardiana VI: Kierkegaard and Human Nature* One of the key charges Kierkegaard makes against “Hegel,” “Hegelians,” “objectivists,” and “speculative thinkers” is that their views are deficient with respect to our natures as human beings. Specifically, the above views are said to leave us wanting with regards to our natures as creatures subject to: “existence,” “actuality,” and “the ethical.” Yet, Kierkegaard’s alternative conception of human nature is not immediately evident from his writings. Indeed, throughout the history of Kierkegaard’s reception, commentators have differed markedly when it comes to the question of his view of human nature. From those who gave him the label "the father of existentialism," and widely took him to hold man to have no nature at all other than what he makes for himself, to those that have taken him to hold a realist, atomistic, and essentialist view of the theological nature of human beings. The question of Kierkegaard’s conception of human nature is brought to the fore by recent historical work, which suggests that Kierkegaard’s views are essentially related to his immediate intellectual, cultural, and theological context. Key in this respect is the question of whether Kierkegaard’s work contains a conception of human nature separable from his Christian theological motivations, commitments, and agenda. Can a purely philosophical, naturalistic, and secular conception of human nature be found in his work, and if so just how far can it get us in explaining his ideas? (The figures of Socrates, and the pagan philosophers, would seem to suggest the presence of such a conception, but is the matter so clear cut?) Or is Kierkegaard’s conception of human nature theological ‘all the way down’? The aims of this volume are: to attempt to bring clarity to Kierkegaard’s conception of human nature; to outline his views on this front; and to determine, as far as possible, the nature of human nature in Kierkegaard’s thought. This, it is hoped, will make a lasting contribution to the continuing debate about the nature, significance, and legacy of Kierkegaard’s thought and work to our own self-understanding. The deadline for submissions will be the 1st of December 2011. Read more → Call for papers at American Academy of Religion (AAR) "Kierkegaard, Religion, and Culture Group" November 19-22, 2011, San Francisco, California, USA This Group invites proposals for three sessions on the following topics: Kierkegaard, the religious imagination, and esthetics — throughout his authorship, Kierkegaard distinguishes rigorously between the religious and the esthetic. Yet he also holds that all religious speech, including that of the Bible, is metaphorical. We invite proposals that respond to the question of whether a proper esthetics can be developed in light of what Kierkegaard understands as the religious imagination Christology and Kierkegaard — for a possible cosponsored session with the Christian Systematic Theology Section (please submit proposals to both units) Faith and knowledge in Kierkegaard — are faith and knowledge mutually exclusive for Kierkegaard? If there is religious knowledge, how is it related to knowledge generally? How is the quest for knowledge linked to personal transformation for Kierkegaard? For a possible cosponsored session with the Philosophy of Religion Section Adjudication is by a process of blind review. Read more → Jornadas Iberoamericanas de Estudios Kierkegaardiano Biblioteca Kierkegaard Argentina Instituto Universitario Isedet "LA CONTEMPORANEIDAD DE KIERKEGAARD" 3 – 5 noviembre 2011 Camacuá 282 - Buenos Aires Participan - Sociedad Iberoamericana de Estudios Kierkegaardianos (México) - Sociedad Hispánica de Amigos de Kierkegaard (España) - Sociedade Brasileia de Estudos de Kierkegaard (Brasil) - Biblioteca Kierkegaard Argentina - Instituto Universitario ISEDET - Ciafic - Centro de Investigaciones en Antropología Filosófica y Cultural JUEVES 3 16:00 APERTURA OFICIAL a cargo de José García Martín, Álvaro M. Valls y María J. Binetti 17:00 - Mesa I Coordina: Ana Fioravanti - Élodie GONTIER – Francia (Universidad de la Sorbona - París) Existencia y praxis: una reflexion fenomenológica entre Kierkegaard y Patočka - José GARCÍA MARTÍN – España (Universidad de Málaga – SHAK) El problema del tiempo: a propósito de Kierkegaard y Heidegger 18:00 - Mesa 2 Coordina: Nassim Bravo Jordán - Gabriel ROSSATTI – Brasil (Univ. Federal de Santa Catarina) Søren Kierkegaard y el problema del nihilismo - Matías TAPIA WENDE – Chile (Universidad de Chile) Acerca del pensamiento que retrocede para avanzar: un alcance kierkergaardiano en la filosofía de Martín Heidegger VIERNES 4 10:00 - Mesa 1 Coordina: María J. Binetti - Samir ALARBID – Venezuela (Universidad Católica Cecilio Acosta) El hombre de hoy desde el concepto de existencia en Søren Kierkegaard - Fabián ALLEGRO – Argentina (Universidad de Buenos Aires) Una mosca, cuando existe, tiene tanto ser como Dios: A propósito de una nota al pie de página sobre Spinoza 11:30 – Mesa 2 Coordina: Pablo Uriel Rodríguez - Cristian BENAVIDES – Argentina (Universidad de Cuyo - CONICET) El pensar metafórico de Kierkegaard sobre la libertad como enfermedad mortal - Inácio PINZETTA – Brasil (Universidad Unisinos) Caída y edificación del hombre. Kierkegaard, Hegel y Schelling 13:00 - Almuerzo 15:00 – Mesa 3 Coordina: Oscar Cuervo - Alicia BENJAMIN – Argentina (Universidad John F. Kennedy) Kierkegaard y la clínica de lo demoníaco - Ana FIORAVANTI – Argentina (Biblioteca Kierkegaard Argentina) Kierkegaard y la religión, Simone Weil y Raymond Panikkar 16:00 – Mesa 4 Coordina: Alvaro M. Valls - Daniel ARRUDA NASCIMENTO – Brasil (UFPI) Ley y libertad en el último paso de Kierkegaard - Guadalupe PARDI – Argentina (Universidad de Buenos Aires) La contemporaneidad de Kierkegaard: existencia, individuo y comunicación indirecta - Oscar CUERVO – Argentina (Universidad de Buenos Aires - BKA) La vida verdadera: Sócrates, Diógenes, Kierkegaard y Foucault 17:30 – Mesa 5 Coordina: Guadalupe Pardi - Nassim BRAVO JORDÁN – México (U. N. Autónoma de México) El Sócrates hegeliano y el Sócrates kierkegaardiano en “El concepto de ironía” - Álvaro MONTENEGRO VALLS – Brasil (Unisinos) Kierkegaard en la Sorbonne. Notas sobre los trabajos de Hélène Politis 19:00 Presentación de Los primeros Diarios. 1834-1837, vol. I, traducido por María J. Binetti, Universidad Iberoamericana, México, 2011. Panelistas: Nassim Bravo Jordán – Eduardo Fernández Villar SÁBADO 5 10:00 – Mesa 1 Coordina: Gabriel Rossatti - María Sol RUFINER – Argentina (Universidad Católica Argentina) El problema de la Cristiandad hoy: análisis de Retorno a Brideshead de Evelyn Waugh desde el problema del devenir cristiano - Thiago FARÍA – Brasil (Pontificia Univ. Católica de Río de Janeiro) Misericordia, una obra del amor 11:30 – CIERRE Conferencia a cargo de la Dra. Elisabete DE SOUSA (Universidad de Lisboa - Portugal) Harold Bloom y Søren Kierkegaard: influencias y angustias www.sorenkierkegaard.com.ar Conference Conference: Narrative, Identity and the Kierkegaardian Self University of Hertfordshire, 4-5 November 2011 Narrative accounts of selfhood have been a major, if heavily contested, feature of personal identity theory in the last quarter-century, driven by the work of thinkers as diverse as MacIntyre, Ricoeur, Schechtman, Dennett and Velleman. In the last decade, it has further been claimed that Kierkegaard (despite MacIntyre's controversial reading of him in After Virtue) also holds a narrativist conception of the self - and that his work holds valuable resources for getting to grips with the normative dimensions of narrative identity. However, Kierkegaard's work also brings some of the serious questions about narrative identity into stark focus: What makes the attainment of narrative identity normative? Do selves exist prior to their narration? How can the narrative self be something we both are and are ethically enjoined to become? How can we understand our lives as a narrative when the ending of our story - our death - is necessarily unknown to us? Are metaphysically realist or anti-realist versions of the narrative selfhood hypothesis more tenable - and what of the claim that practical and metaphysical identity cannot be separated at all? Are narrative conceptions of self consistent with any strong form of free will? This conference, organised under the auspices of the EU-funded FP7 project Selves In Time aims to address some of these problems both within Kierkegaard Studies and within the broader debate on narrative selfhood. Confirmed speakers are: Read more → Colloquium Series, Fall 2011 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen Thursdays, 13:00-15:00 All talks will take place at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Farvergade 27 D. Everyone is welcome to attend Thursday, September 15th Maria J. Binetti (Conicet–Argentina): “Kierkegaard as Idealist” As a subject of inquiry, Kierkegaard offers many possibilities, perspectives, and levels. He is a singular existent, and as such, concrete and actual. He is a writer, and as a writer, a Romantic poet. He is a believer, and so a Christian theologian. He is a thinker, and therefore, an idealist. Why, as philosopher, Kierkegaard would be an idealist? Because he thinks the self is the first principle of the actuality; freedom is the foundation; and the eternal Idea is constitutive of the totality. Because, for him, the actual moves to itself through the dialectics of its own negation, and therefore, any affirmation of the unity repeats the contradiction of the other. Finally, Kierkegaard is an idealist thinker because the Absolute is neither the one nor the other, but the third term of its own reduplication. Thursday, September 22nd David Possen (Yale University): “The Secret of Fear and Trembling” There are numerous indications that Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling is a text with a hidden message that readers are expected to discern for themselves. Commentators largely agree that the book bears such a message, but disagree about what its content might be. My paper proposes an innovative reading focused on the figure of Isaac. On my account, Fear and Trembling prompts its ideal reader to identify with Isaac—and so to discern, in a way that the book’s own pseudonymous author does not, the personal significance of Abraham’s enigmatic words: “God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.” Thursday, September 29th Stine Zink Kaasgaard (Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre): “Opening to an Authorship, the Plurality Begins” In some ways Kierkegaard’s authorship may be said to begin with Either/Or, which is also one of his best-known works. Many know such loose quotations from it as “Marry or marry not, you will regret either way” and “only the truth which is upbuilding is truth to you.” A common reading of this work is to strongly emphasize the aesthetic character of A (purportedly the author of the first half of the book) as purely aesthetic, and indeed to read A as he is presented through the eyes of B or Judge William in the second half of the work. In this manner it would appear to be a work which falls into an indirect criticism of some mainly Romantic features. My intention is to suggest a way of reading Either/Or which allows for a broader understanding of what this work entails. We will focus on the very beginning of the work, with the introduction by the pseudonym Victor Eremita, and the first part of A’s papers entitled “Diapsalmata,” and through these short pieces of text discuss the way in which the plurality of Kierkegaard’s authorship begins. Thursday, October 13th Antonella Fimiani (University of Salerno): “In the Flesh of Existence. Feminine, Otherness and Desire in Kierkegaard” The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the theoretical role played by desire in Kierkegaardian thought. The theme of desire is analyzed starting from its indissoluble link with the feminine. The aim is to restore a more authentic and fertile dimension to the philosopher’s thought, with the intention of freeing the thinker from a line of reading which for too long has pigeonholed him as a precursor to existentialism or a Hegelian. Far removed from the feminist debate of the time, Kierkegaard was among the first to take into consideration the ontological range of the male-female relationship and to reflect on it from a personal and subjective viewpoint rather than on the abstract and impersonal plane. Desire, in its sensual and spiritual form, is probed and placed under the spotlight through pseudonyms. Reflection on the sexes is adopted as an integral part of subjective experience. Thursday, October 20th Sophie Wennerscheid (Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster): “Kierkegaard, Zizek and Badiou on the Politics of Truth” In my talk I want to point out how and why Kierkegaard’s thoughts today are made topical by contemporary political theorists like Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou. Comparing Kierkegaard’s concept of the single individual and the leap of faith with Zizek’s and Badiou’s concept of decision that “follows its inherent necessity, disregarding all opportunistic considerations” (Badiou), we will discuss the political impact of Kierkegaard’s religious thinking as well as the religious dimension of today’s “politics of truth.” Thursday, October 27th Trine Amalie Fog Christiansen (Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre): “The Silence of Abraham and the Word of God—the Trial of the Akedah in Fear and Trembling” Proposed as “Dialectical Lyric” the pseudonymous work Fear and Trembling by Johannes de Silentio is a—highly imaginative—retelling of the biblical narrative of Abraham’s response to the divine command to sacrifice his son, Isaac. This paper will be a reading of the story of Abraham, or perhaps better, a reading of the readings presented in Fear and Trembling and selected Midrashic teachings. The worried voices of these Midrashic teachings, disturbed by God’s ethically indefensible demand, emphasize the absurdity underlying a narrative that is often praised in Judaism, Islam and Christianity for its portrayal of faithful obedience. Attentive to the disturbing implications of the divine command to slaughter a child, our reading will suggest that a threefold test is at stake in Fear and Trembling. All three trials are radicalized by the absurdity that, in our reading, remains unresolved and thus keeps alive the fear and trembling. Thursday, November 17th Mads Sohl Jessen (Society for Danish Language and Literature, Copenhagen): “The Relation between Heiberg and Kierkegaard” This talk will highlight Kierkegaard’s complex relations to Johan Ludvig Heiberg with specific regard to Repetition from October 1843. In the history of reception this work has never been related to Kierkegaard’s wish to polemicize against Heiberg. But Heiberg in fact conducted a hidden polemic against Kierkegaard in the summer of 1843 in his journal Intelligensblade, and Repetition can in fact be read as Kierkegaard’s hidden reply to Heiberg. The talk will present these perspectives, thereby emphasizing Kierkegaard as a brilliant and subtle literary satirist. Thursday, December 1st Esben Lindemann: “Kierkegaard’s Pedagogy” In contemporary literature on pedagogy one rarely recognizes references to the work of Kierkegaard, but in fact Kierkegaard can be said to anticipate many of these contemporary theories. This paper discusses why Kierkegaard’s connection to modern pedagogy has not always been adequately appreciated. Through a discussion of concepts such as childhood, teacher, sympathy and empathy it seeks to establish a dialogue between Kierkegaard and modern theories on pedagogy. I Jornadas Iberoamericanas de Estudios Kierkegaardianos La Contemporaneidad de Kierkagaard 3-5 noviembre 2011 Camacuá 282 - Buenos Aires The topic of this conference will be Kierkegaard’s influence on the contemporary age. It will take place in Buenos Aires (November 3-5, 2011). This will be the first time that all of the Iberoamerican societies (México, Brazil, Argentina and Spain) will organize a conference on Kierkegaard. Read more → Narrative, Identity and the Kierkegaardian Self University of Hertfordshire Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November 2011 Narrative accounts of selfhood have been a major, if heavily contested, feature of personal identity theory in the last quarter-century, driven by the work of thinkers as diverse as MacIntyre, Ricoeur, Schechtman, Dennett and Velleman. In the last decade, it has further been claimed that Kierkegaard (despite MacIntyre's controversial reading of him in After Virtue) also holds a narrativist conception of the self - and that his work holds valuable resources for getting to grips with the normative dimensions of narrative identity. However, Kierkegaard's work also brings some serious questions about narrative identity into stark focus, which this conference aims to explore Plenary speakers: * Kathy Behrendt (Wilfred Laurier University) * John J. Davenport (Fordham University) * John Lippitt (University of Hertfordshire) * George Pattison (University of Oxford) * Anthony Rudd (St Olaf College) * Marya Schechtman (University of Illinois at Chicago) * Patrick Stokes (University of Hertfordshire) Parallel session speakers: * Jeremy Allen (Fordham University) * Roman Altshuler (SUNY Stonybrook/Marymount Manhattan) * Bojan Blagojevic (University of Niš) * Daniel Conway (Texas A&M) * Matias Møl Dalsgaard (University of Aarhus) * Alfonso Munoz Corcuera (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) * Thomas Grimwood (University of Lancaster) * Lisa Grover (University of the Witwatersrand) * Jeffrey Hanson (Australian Catholic University) * Leslie Howe (University of Saskatchewan) * Laura Llevadot (University of Barcelona) * Michael J. Sigrist (George Washington University) * Michael Strawser (University of Central Florida) * Walter Wietzke (Fordham University) Registration is £50 or £30 student/unwaged Single day registration is £25/£15 The conference programme, registration form and practical details can be found at http://www.patrickstokes.com/narrative2011.html To register, please complete and return the registration form to p.stokes2@herts.ac.uk by email by Monday 31st October 2011 Faith and Self-Deception Tel Aviv University, Philosophy Department 9-10 November 2011 The existential challenge of attaining and preserving faith is as difficult today as ever before, and perhaps even more so in a rational, scientifically-oriented oriented culture. Yet the means by which a believer can defy his/her self-deceptions have not changed much since Kierkegaard's era. The conference aims to present Kierkegaardian notions of a believer's answers to the existentially haunting questions of faith and self-deception. Why wasn't Abraham concerned that he might be mad when he heard the voices that ordered him to sacrifice his son? Why did not Job curse God when his suffering was unbearable? Why does a believer nullify his objective cognition in the face of a non-factual unknown? Why in his deepest suffering does the believer stay loyal to his non-reciprocal relationship with God? Why subordinate rational immanence to metaphysical transcendent perception? In other words: How does a believer handle the possibility that he errs? How does he/she tackle self doubt, the possibility that his/her faith is merely a form of self-deception? Kierkegaard explores answers to these and related questions. The conference will examine and elaborate on these answers and questions. For further information contact: Tamar Aylat-Yaguri: tamiay@netvision.net.il Download the program here → Søren Kierkegaard y su crítica al orden establecido Universidad Iberoamericana de la Ciudad de México 7-8 September 2011 Los días 7 y 8 de septiembre de este 2011, en la Universidad Iberoamericana de la Ciudad de México, se llevará a cabo el Coloquio: Søren Kierkegaard y su crítica al orden establecido. El propósito de este evento es poder hacer una breve revisión de la crítica propositiva que Kierkegaard realizó en los ámbitos social, filosófico y religioso, y cómo dicha crítica puede seguir teniendo actualidad en nuestra época. El coloquio estará organizado en mesas de discusión sobre cada uno de los ámbitos de su crítica. Contact person: Luis Guerrero: luis.guerrero@uia.mx Read more→ The 3rd Annual Bergen Educational Conversation: Existentialism and Education University of Bergen, Norwegian Teacher Academy, Bergen National Academy of the Arts, and Bergen University College 21-22 September 2011 Educational challenges in the light of existentialism will be the central issue of this year’s ‘Bergen Educational Conversation.’ Back to Kierkegaard’s time, and right up to our time, existentialism represents a critique of placing the individual into a system, as we in our day institutionalise students for example. According to an existential thinker, any institutionalisation is a way to deprive the individual’s uniqueness. Thus existential education is something completely different from education as socialisation or cultivation where the individual is supposed to become part of something that is already established. Existential education, on the other hand, deals with issues about attitudes to life, ways of living, freedom, responsibility, meaning, choice, values, and the like. Attention to these existential matters in education is not common. Instead there is a substantial body of educational work on the qualification function of education, where the idea is that students shall qualify for something specific, be it a subject, a profession, or the like. And there is a substantial body of educational work that focuses on the socialisation function of education aiming at the insertion of individuals into existing social, cultural, political and other ‘orders.’ From Kierkegaard, Levinas and others we have been aware of a deep moral betrayal in relation to having responsibility for the other. Even today’s schools strengthen, through specific pedagogical practices, the students’ egocentricity and lack of responsible actions. Often we see that education is largely directed at self-gain, freedom and individual rights, which occurs at the cost of others. Against this perspective, which is about cultivating oneself in a competitive way, we wish to focus on existential matters and existential achievements where one meet one’s fellow human beings with kindness and responsibility. In this way we open for an existential education that stands in opposition to a type of education that undermines the importance of the other. All in all, we hope that this symposium will lead to a renewed appreciation of existential education. Read more → Research Seminar, August 24-26, 2011 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre will hold its annual Research Seminar from August 24-26, 2011 in Copenhagen. The topic of the seminar will be "Challenges to Religion and Its Later Echoes: Kierkegaard’s Diagnosis and Response." All interested parties are welcome. Registration is required. To register, please contact Bjarne Still Laurberg Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre Att: August Seminar 2011 Farvergade 27 D 1 1463 Copenhagen K Denmark sec@sk.ku.dk bsl@sk.ku.dk Download the program here→ Call for Papers Research Seminar, August 24-26, 2011 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen Challenges to Religion and Its Later Echoes: Kierkegaard’s Diagnosis and Response Søren Kierkegaard was educated in a period when the Hegel schools were struggling with each other over the proper interpretation of Hegel’s philosophy of religion and its implications for Christian faith. The discussions concerned a number of key doctrines: the immortality of the soul, the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, the Incarnation, etc. While the right Hegelians believed that Hegel’s thought could ultimately be reconciled with orthodox Christianity and could indeed serve as a defense of it against the criticisms of Enlightenment skepticism, the left Hegelians took Hegel to be undermining religion by showing it to be simply another product of human cultural development. Although these discussions were at their height in the 1830s and 1840s, the challenges that Hegel’s philosophy of religion addressed remained central to the development of philosophical and religious thinking throughout the 20th century, and indeed many of the key issues are still with us today. The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre invites papers that address Kierkegaard’s diagnosis and response to these discussions, broadly conceived. Papers can represent either source-work research, addressing Kierkegaard’s use of these figures and discussions as sources of his own thought, or history of reception, tracing these issues in the work of later philosophers and theologians or addressing how some of these critical discussions are still being played out today. Papers should have a reading time of circa 30 minutes. The Centre also invites papers for advanced Ph.D. students writing on any topic in Kierkegaard studies. For both the Ph.D. panel and the regular papers, please submit a 1-page abstract and a current cv to the Søren Kierkegaard Research Seminar at the address listed below. The deadline for submissions of proposals for papers is March 27, 2011. The conference languages are English and German. Bjarne Still Laurberg Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre Att: August Seminar 2011 Farvergade 27 D 1 1463 Copenhagen K Denmark sec@sk.ku.dk bsl@sk.ku.dk Announcement and Call for Papers Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook and *Kierkegaard Studies Monograph Series* It is our pleasure to announce that the Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook and Kierkegaard Studies Monograph Series will now be continuing publication with a new editorial staff and a somewhat revised profile. Both series will continue to be published by De Gruyter, and both will continue to be official publications of the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre. Both series will be available in book and electronic form. Starting from 2011 the coeditors of the series will be Heiko Schulz (Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main), Jon Stewart (Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen) and Karl Verstrynge (Vrije Universiteit Brussels). The editorial secretary will be Peter Šajda (Slovak Academy of Sciences). The editors will be assisted by an international advisory board consisting of the following members: Lee C. Barrett (Lancaster Theological Seminary), István Czakó (Pázmány Péter Catholic University), Joakim Garff (Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen), Darío González (University of Copenhagen), Markus Kleinert (Universität Erfurt), Darya Loungina (Moscow State University), Gerhard Schreiber (Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main), Pia Søltoft (Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, University of Copenhagen), Patrick Stokes (University of Hertfordshire), Johan Taels (University of Antwerp), and Michael Tilley (Georgetown College). The goal of these series is to advance Kierkegaard studies by encouraging top-level scholarship in the field. Moreover, the editorial and advisory boards are deeply committed to creating a genuinely international forum for publication which integrates the many different traditions of Kierkegaard studies and brings them into a constructive and fruitful dialogue. To this end both series will publish works in English, French and German. We wish to extend a special invitation to the Francophone Kierkegaard community to submit articles and monographs to these series since we are particularly keen to come into dialogue with this rich tradition of Kierkegaard studies. With regard to the change in profile, the Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook will from now on be an open submission journal. Potential authors should consult the homepage and carefully follow the guidelines for submissions at the De Gruyter homepage. All submissions should be sent to the editorial secretary Peter Šajda at the following e-mail address: kierkegaardstudiesyearbook@yahoo.com. All submissions will be blindly refereed by established scholars in the field. Only the very best papers will be accepted for publication. Potential authors should be prepared to make changes to their texts based on the comments received by the referees. Traditionally the material for the Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook has been taken from the lectures given at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre’s annual Research Seminar, held each year in August. This had the advantage of, among other things, giving each issue a clear thematic unity. We wish to continue this practice of using the Research Seminar as a source of articles, but with the qualification that the papers must also be submitted for blind review (just like the other submissions). The deadline for submissions for the 2011 issue of the Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook is March 30, 2011. (Please make sure that your submission is in conformity with the guidelines since if it is not, this will negatively effect the referee’s assessment of your paper.) Call for Papers Società Italiana per gli Studi Kierkegaardiani Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia 21 maggio 2011 In occasione del Convegno intitolato "Comunicare il cristianesimo nell'Europa del Novecento", che si terrà presso l’Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia il 19-20 maggio 2011, la Società Italiana per gli Studi Kierkegaardiani organizza una giornata di studi, nella forma del workshop, a cui sono invitati a partecipare sia coloro che sono già soci della SISK, sia coloro che prevedono di iscriversi alla Società. Scopo dell’incontro è principalmente quello di dare voce a giovani studiosi e ricercatori che abbiano trattato o che stiano lavorando sulla figura di Kierkegaard, con l’intento di favorire una loro attiva partecipazione alle attività della Società, il cui obiettivo primario è quello di diffondere il pensiero di Kierkegaard in Italia, creando al contempo una rete di scambi internazionali sia con la Danimarca che con le istituzioni culturali che promuovono attività di ricerca connesse allo studio di questo filosofo. Si bandisce pertanto un "Call for Papers" destinato a neolaureati, dottorandi e studiosi in genere, che vogliano esporre in una breve relazione lo stato delle loro ricerche, o proporre nuovi contributi che abbiano il requisito dell’originalità. Per tale ragione non viene data preferenza ad alcuna tematica specifica, ma si intende invece stimolare una partecipazione, anche interdisciplinare, quanto più larga possibile. I contributi possono vertere su un ampio ventaglio di argomenti, come l’analisi critica dell’opera di Kierkegaard, lo studio di concetti, le interpretazioni, la ricezione e influenza del suo pensiero sulla cultura contemporanea, il problema delle traduzioni o la comparazione con altri autori. Saranno accettati dai 6 agli 8 contributi, che verranno successivamente pubblicati in volume per i tipi della Orthotes Editrice (www.orthotes.com) nella collana di “studi kierkegaardiani” che sarà inaugurata con questo volume. Il relatore si impegna a presentare (20 minuti) e discutere (10 minuti) il proprio lavoro in occasione del workshop, e a consegnarlo in forma di articolo definitivo entro e non oltre il mese successivo alla conclusione dei lavori. Tutti i contributi saranno sottoposti a referaggio. Le relazioni accettate per la discussione (articoli provvisori) vanno inviate in formato elettronico al Segretario della SISK, Diego Giordano: digiordano@gmail.com entro e non oltre mercoledì 20 aprile 2011. È condizione di partecipazione l’iscrizione alla Società Italiana per gli Studi Kierkegaardiani (www.sisk.it). Il workshop si svolgerà nella mattinata di sabato 21 maggio 2011, con inizio fissato per le ore 9, presso l’Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia. Al termine dei lavori seguirà l’Assemblea annuale della Società Italiana per gli Studi Kierkegaardiani. Sia coloro che sono interessati a partecipare al workshop con proposte di lavoro, che coloro che vogliono assistervi, devono inviare formale richiesta al seguente indirizzo: digiordano@gmail.com. Per ulteriori notizie e aggiornamenti del programma di lavoro si prega di visitare il sito www.sisk.it. Si prega altresì di diffondere la notizia. Call for Papers Conference: Kierkegaard's 1847 Discourses This year's annual conference on Kierkegaard's 1847 Discourses will be held from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 May 2011 at the Humanities Research Institute, University of Sheffield. This conference explores Kierkegaard's Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits and Works of Love and follows last year's conference on Kierkegaard's Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses at the University of Oxford. It is the second of a trilogy of conferences which culminates in the 2012 conference at the University of Copenhagen on Kierkegaard's last discourses. The fee for the conference is £50/£25 waged/unwaged. Participants are asked to make their own arrangements for accomodation but a useful list of hotels is attached to this message. To book a place on the conference please email: skconference11@gmail The deadline for the Call for Papers is 28 February 2011. Short papers are invited on the topic of Kierkegaard's 1847 Discourses. To submit a paper proposal or to discuss a proposal please contact Professor Hugh Pyper: H.Pyper@sheffield.ac.uk or to Simon D. Podmore: simon.podmore@theology.ox.ac.uk For further details please contact Dr Simon D. Podmore Gordon Milburn Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College & British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford Conference on “Religion and Irrationality. Historical and Systematical Perspectives from Kant to Adorno” May 19-23, 2011 Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main/Germany The Department of Systematic Theology at Goethe University cordially invites you to its International Conference on “Religion and Irrationality. Historical and Systematical Perspectives from Kant to Adorno,” scheduled to take place at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main/Germany Campus Westend – Nebengebäude NG 1.701 Thursday-Saturday, May 19-23, 2011. Attached you will find a program. To register for the conference as well as for further information about program and other material, we invite you to visit our website: http://www.evtheol.uni-frankfurt.de/st/irrationalism Download the program here→ Kierkegaard Society Group Meeting: Pacific APA April 20-23, 2011, San Diego, California, USA Session Title: Kierkegaard, Subjectivity, and Love Chair: George Connell (Concordia College) Presenters: 1. Brock Bahler (Duquesne), "Kierkegaard’s “Greatness”: Human Subjectivity as an Ordinary Impossibility" 2. Michael Strawser (University of Central Flordia), "Deliberating on Love and Sin" 3. Mark Alznauer (Northwestern), "Kierkegaard and Hegel on the Inner-Outer Problem" Comments: Shannon Nason (Loyola Marymount) Read more→ Hegel-Kierkegaard Seminar May 5, 2011 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen Trin 62, Købmagergade 50, opgang C Kierkegaard’s relation to Hegel is one of the most disputed issues in Kierkegaard studies today. Traditionally it was often argued that Kierkegaard was the absolute philosophical antipode to Hegel, criticizing anything and everything that had the slightest hint of Hegelianism. But more recently this view has been criticized, with some scholars even going so far as to argue that Kierkegaard was a Hegelian with respect to certain issues. In particular the young Kierkegaard seems to have been influenced in important ways by a number of different Hegel texts. This issue is further complicated by Kierkegaard’s complex relation to the leading figures of the Danish Hegelian movement: Heiberg, Martensen, Adler and Nielsen. At the seminar on occasion of Kierkegaard's birthday on May 5, these issues will be taken up anew and discussed by leading scholars in the field of Kierkegaard research. Program Morning Session: Chairperson: Jon Stewart 9:15-9:30 Opening Words: Pia Søltoft 9:30-10:10 Paul Cruysberghs (Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven): “ ‘Geist/Aand’: Freedom, Disclosure, Enclosed Reserve, and Otherness: To What Degree is Kierkegaard’s ‘Aand’ not a Hegelian ‘Geist’?” 10:10-10:30 Discussion 10:30-11:00 Tea/Coffee Break 11:00-11:40 Anders Moe Rasmussen (University of Aarhus): “Hegel and Kierkegaard on Freedom” 11:40-12:00 Discussion 12:00-13:30 Lunch Afternoon Session: Chairperson: Pia Søltoft 13:30-14:10 Diego Giordano (Ph.d student): “Philosophy of History and Revelation: Some Historical Considerations” 14:10-14:30 Discussion 14:30-15:00 Tea/Coffee Break 15:00-16:00 Panel Discussion I: Hegel in The Concept of Irony 15:00-15:20 Jon Stewart (Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre): “Hegel’s Historical Methodology in The Concept of Irony” 15:20-15:40 Mads Sohl Jessen (University of Copenhagen): “Kierkegaard's hidden Polemics against the Danish Hegelians in The Concept of Irony” 15:40-16:00 Discussion 16:00-16:20 Tea/Coffee Break 16:20-17:20 Panel Discussion II: Hegel in The Concept of Irony 16:20-16:40 K. Brian Söderquist (DIS and Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre): “Friend or Foe: The Pictures of Hegel in The Concept to Irony” 16:40-17:00 Nassim Bravo (Ph.d student): “The Kierkegaardian and the Hegelian Socrates" 17:00-17:20 Discussion 17:20 Final Words: Pia Søltoft Download the program here→ The Kierkegaard Circle Trinity College, University of Toronto Friday, April 8, 2011, 7:30 pm –10:00 pm Place: Combination Room Trinity College, University of Toronto 6 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto Topic: Alterity in Kierkegaard's Thought Speaker: Dr. Leo Stan, Department of Philosophy, Brock University Inquiry: Professor Abrahim H. Khan Tel. 416 978-3039 (O), 416 978-2133(off. asst) Trinity College, University of Toronto www.utoronto.ca/kierkegaard E-mail: khanah@chass.utoronto.ca Leo Stan (Ph.D, McMaster) lectures in the Philosophy Department at Brock University. He worked on Kierkegaard's relevance for contemporary phenomenology of religion, with a special emphasis on Jean-Luc Marion and Michel Henry, while a recent SSHRCC fellow at the Center for Theory & Criticism, UWO. His publications include “The Hidden Ethics of Soteriology" (Journal of Religious Ethics 38.2, June 2010: 349-370); “The Lily in the Field and the Bird in the Air: An Endless Liturgy in Kierkegaard’s Authorship,” (Kierkegaard and the Bible. Tome II: The New Testament, Lee C. Barrett (ed.), Aldershot: Ashgate, 2010, 55-78); “Modernity and Christian Offensiveness. An Ongoing Scandal,” (Acta Kierkegaardiana 4, 2009: 260-277); “Chrysostom: Between the Hermitage and the City,” (Kierkegaard and the Patristic and Medieval Tradition, Jon Stewart (ed.), Aldershot: Ashgate, 2008, 47-66). Colloquium Series, Spring 2011 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen Thursdays, 13:15-15:00 All talks will take place at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Farvergade 27 D. Everyone is welcome to attend Program Thursday, February 24th, 13:15-15:00 Pablo Golborne: “Øieblikket in the Motion Picture” This talk will address the question of how to capture the essence of Kierkegaard’s thoughts and how these can be translated into the language of fiction film. Thursday, March 17th, 13:15-15:00 Gerhard Thonhauser: “Pictures of Kierkegaard: The Germanophone Transmission of Kierkegaard in the late 19th and early 20th Century” In the context of my overall research project – which is to offer a historically-grounded and profound investigation into Martin Heidegger’s reception of Søren Kierkegaard in the context of the Germanophone reception of Kierkegaard in the late 19th and early 20th century – the presentation will focus on the early transmission of Kierkegaard into German-speaking world (which is also the main subject of the research that I am conducting during my stay at the Kierkegaard Research Centre). My attempt is to provide an overview of the main tendencies of the transmission of Kierkegaard’s thought into intellectual life in Germany and Austria at that time. First, I plan to give a brief outline of the very early Germanophone translation and dissemination of Kierkegaard, mentioning the translations by Albert Bärthold and the influential interpretation of Georg Brandes. Then, I will focus on the two main figures for Kierkegaard’s German translation prior to Emanuel Hirsch, namely Christoph Schrempf and Theodor Haecker. Schrempf published his first translation of Kierkegaard in 1890, and he was also the one who organized the first German edition of Kierkegaard’s Gesammelte Werke (1909-1922). Haecker began his work as a translator of Kierkegaard arguably in response to Schrempf’s one-sided interpretation of Kierkegaard. He published most of his translations in the 1910s, many of them in the Tyrolean periodical Der Brenner, which was widely read among German-speaking intellectuals (among them Heidegger) at that time. This period at the beginning of the 20th century – which is probably not so well known, particularly among Kierkegaard scholars – proves to be highly significant for the subsequent reception of Kierkegaard. It not only gave rise to the profound reception and contestation of Kierkegaard’s thought in German-speaking theology and philosophy in the first half of the 20th century (the context in which Heidegger has to be located), but it was also the initial step for the following international transmission of Kierkegaard as well. Thursday, March 24th (note: 15:15-16:30) Nigel Hatton: “Anxious Laments: the Subjective Trace of Kierkegaard in African-American Freedom Struggles” This paper examines the ways in which African-American writers, artists and social activists have combined (through signification) the ideas and concepts of Søren Kierkegaard with African-American philosophy, theory and praxis to articulate the primacy of individual human freedom and the universal consequences of its removal. I begin with a discussion of Kierkegaard and the African-American intellectual tradition followed by analyses of the presence of Kierkegaard in a James Baldwin novel, a Richard Wright short story, a Ralph Ellison essay, a Martin Luther King, Jr. sermon, a Cornel West thesis, and a William H. Johnson painting. Placing these texts in dialogue with Johannes Climacus, Vigilius Haufniensis, Anti-Climacus, Wilhelm, the Aesthete, and Kierkegaard himself, I argue that the symbolic value of Kierkegaard’s religious, philosophical, and aesthetic battles with his modernity imbue African-American freedom struggles with greater agency in the struggle to re-imagine normative accounts of freedom, subjectivity, solidarity, and who counts as a human being in global political, social and cultural spheres. Ultimately, I aim to show that the despairing lament of the Aesthete at odds with the world, for example, and the haunting lament of an African-American jazz musician denouncing oppression through her horn, have several similarities that my analyses of Kierkegaard and African-American writers makes more evident and clear. Thursday, March 31st, 13:15-15:00 Laura Liva: “The Paradox of Modern Tragedy: Kierkegaard and Camus on the Ambiguity of Guilt” Ancient tragedy is defined by the ambiguous relationship of freedom and necessity. Thus, the question of isolating the agent or force responsible for the actions portrayed on the stage remains unresolved. Kierkegaard asks if it is even possible to speak of modern tragedy given that fact that, in modernity, the subject has been emancipated from fate, and with it, all substantial relationships. The individual is therefore responsible for his actions, and he can no longer play the role of tragic character. Conversely, Albert Camus, addressing the same question, argues that tragedy is possible in modernity because of the ambiguity of human freedom: “man demands liberty,” he says, “though he is subject to necessity.” Through an analysis of the tragic figures in works by Kierkegaard and Camus, this paper takes up the question of the possibility of modern tragedy. Translation Seminar, January 21-22, 2011 Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre Farvergade 27 D, 1463 Copenhagen The Translation Seminar is organized by the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre with the purpose of promoting the exchange of information, knowledge, and expertise among professionals interested in the translation and diffusion of Kierkegaard’s writings in a variety of languages. Along with the discussion of general topics related to Søren Kierkegaard’s use of the Danish language, the Seminar provides an occasion for the consideration of common challenges faced by translators and of their possible solutions. Read more → This year, the Seminar will be held at Vartov, Farvergade 27, 1463 Copenhagen K. The Seminar is free of charge and it is open to translators, philologists, researchers and students who are working or planning to work with Kierkegaard’s texts. Please send the completed registration form (download here) by e-mail or fax to: The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre sec@sk.ku.dk Fax: + 45 33766910 Back to the top of the pageBack to the top of the page
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