On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Symposium for Phenomenology, we invite members for contributions to phenomenologies of play, in their critical, aesthetic, cultural, ontological and political dimensions. Although phenomenology arose within and as a European tradition, we seek to understand play and power today beyond Europe and Eurocentrism. We encourage contributions to the themes of play and power in light of political, geographical, legal, and symbolic power—notably, where power is presented as play, ludic and/or deadly serious, or where play reveals and disrupts the structures and boundaries of power.

With the focus on play and agonistics, we welcome contributions on

• Play and power in critical philosophy and political theory
• Play as aesthetic creation and destruction
• Play and institution: power games and contestation
• Play in community construction (and destruction)
• Les jeux du pouvoir/power plays in geopolitics
• Symbolic play, symbolic power
• Play and power in and beyond “the West”
• Play and race, play and color (lines, hierarchies, confluences)
• Play and terror

We welcome discussion of the methodological difficulties posed to phenomenology by the multiple significations of play (play forging friendship and community, play in good and bad faith, play as critique—“just gaming,” play and normative praxis).

We solicit presentations in French and in English on topics of contemporary urgency that integrate the themes of play and power. Our hope is to foster open debates on these themes. Our concern is with phenomenology as critique, criticism, and indeed crisis. We are enquiring into the relevance of phenomenology to questions of contestation, agonistics, and contemporary realities in and beyond Europe. Presentations drawn from the many disciplines related to phenomenology (from sociology, psychology, critical history, and critical race theory) are likewise encouraged.

Please send an abstract of 800 words to symposium.phenomenology@gmail.com by February 1st, 2016, at the very latest. Acceptance notifications will be sent by March 15th .

Directors : Bettina Bergo (Montréal), Jens Vleminck (Ghent) & Ernst Wolff (Pretoria)

More info : https://symposiumphaenomenologicum.wordpress.com/program/