CALL FOR PAPERS
Decolonization and Poststructuralism
Faculty of Philosophy
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
1000-1800hrs (Madrid time), 23rd February 2022.
The purpose of this one day online international conference is to explore the relationship between theories of decolonization and poststructuralist theory. Decolonization has recently come to the fore as an increasingly important subject and practice within the university, in part as a response to calls to decolonize the university, both in terms of its academic syllabi and the historical links between colonialism and academic institutions. These calls to decolonize have built on and renewed well-established schools of thought in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Yet the potential for poststructuralist thought to contribute to this discussion has remain underexplored. The aim of this conference is to examine the contribution that poststructuralist thought can make to these debates, as well as engage with how theories of decolonization might advance our understanding of poststructuralist thought.
This conference will pursue an open definition of poststructuralism, inviting participants to reflect on this canon of thinkers, their relation to those recognized as thinkers of decolonization and the current categorization of these intellectual movements. It will explore the ways in which poststructuralist thought might serve as a resource for negotiating the differences between the alternative approaches to decolonization, particularly Postcolonial Studies, Decolonial Studies and Subaltern Studies. And it will also provide an opportunity to return to critiques of poststructuralism from these different schools of thought and interrogate the potential need for poststructuralism to decolonize itself. Potential topics may include:
- Decolonial Critiques of Poststructuralism
- Neglected Poststructuralist Thinkers
- Narrative of Modernity
- Ideas of Coloniality
- Practices of Decolonization
- Race and Poststructuralism
- Decolonizing the Poststructuralist Canon
- Critiques of Subjectivity and Agency
- Poststructuralism and Non-Western Philosophies
- Poststructuralism and Independence Movements
- Difference and Alterity in Decolonization
- Poststructuralism and Eurocentrism
- Poststructuralism and (French) Colonialism
- Poststructuralism and Globalization
Format: The conference will be held virtually and hosted by Microsoft Team/Google Meetings (to be confirmed). Invited speakers will have 20 minutes to present their paper. Those interested in participating should send a 400-word abstract to decolonization@ucm.es by 15th November 2021. The conference will be in English and attendance is free.
Conference organizers: Gavin Rae and Cillian Ó Fathaigh.
This conference forms part of the activities for the research projects: (1) “Agency and Society: An Inquiry through Poststructuralism” (PR108/20-26); (2) “Differential Ontology and the Politics of Reason,” funded by the Government of the Region of Madrid, as part of line 3 of the multi-year agreement with the Universidad Complutense de Madrid: V PRICIT Excellence Program for University Professors (Fifth Regional Plan for Scientific Investigation and Technological Innovation); and (3) “The Politics of Reason” (PID2020-117386GA-I00), financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Government of Spain.