Call for abstracts
The Ethics of Home: Patriotism, Cosmopolitanism and Alienation
An interdisciplinary conference organized by Centre for Ethics as Study in Human Value, University of Pardubice
June 1-3, 2022, Pardubice, Czech Republic
Abstract
The past century has brought with it fast and unprecedented globalization in which the meaning and significance of the concepts of home and belonging are constantly renegotiated and redefined. Cosmopolitanism, pluralism, multiculturalism and post-colonialism contra protectionism, nationalism and patriotism constitute the usual polarities in the political dialogue – and the recent resurgence of populism and xenophobia make exploring these issues perhaps more acute than ever. In addition, the current pandemic changed our perception of physical presence and distance, transferring most relationship to virtual space, eroding borders between work space and public space and between what is private and public.
The aim of the conference is to explore the underlying ethical and political aspects of rootedness, belonging and home in an increasingly internationalizing and virtualising world. How do we understand ”home” and related concepts as a central, orienting image for the development of identity and value in the midst of such change and contestation? What are the political, social and moral consequences of a communal loss of a sense of belonging? And what do the experiences of exile, of being a refugee, of displacement and relocation entail for our communal life and a sense of identity?
Keynote speakers
Raimond Gaita (Melbourne / Pardubice)
Désirée Lim (Pennsylvania State University)
Naomi Scheman (Minnesota)
Gerry Simpson (London School of Economics)
Topics
Although we look for contributions that concern ethics or political philosophy, broadly defined, we invite submissions from a wide variety of backgrounds, presenting on:
Patriotism, love of one’s country, nativism, nationalism, chauvinism
Love of home (oikophilia), sense of belonging, roots
(Political) identity, connection to community, place, culture and language
Alienation and tradition
Migration, forced displacement and their effects
Populism, xenophobia, racism and their causes
Political emotions
Cosmopolitanism and nationalism, digital citizenship
Pluralism and multiculturalism
International law, citizenship, borders
European identity
Home and technology: virtual home, home office, transformation of closeness and distance
Body, space and digital relationships
Private space and public space during pandemics
Home, safety and endangerment: domestic abuse, care and vulnerability, escaping home
Practicalities
All submissions (abstracts of no more than 400 words) should be send to matej.cibik@upce.cz. The deadline for submissions in January 31, 2022. The decisions will be communicated by February 20, 2022.