[Discussion] CFP: Will Any Humanism Be Possible? (11/30/05; ACLA, 3/23/06-3/26/2006)

[gpultar@cstgroup.org]

From: "Garcia, Antonio" <GarciaAnt@uhd.edu>

I am organizing a seminar based on the proposal below for the American
Comparative Literature Association's Conference 2006 at Princeton University. 
Submit paper proposals to

garciaant @uhd.edu and through the acla web site www.princeton.edu/~acla06

<http://www.princeton.edu/~acla06>  by the November 30 deadline.


Will Any Humanism Be Possible?
Seminar Organizer(s): Antonio A. Garcia, University of Houston-Downtown

The term "humanism" has a vexed history, yet one that will not die. Many
scholars speak in "post-human" terms, rejecting any concept of humanism on the
grounds that the term masks negative agendas and repressive ideas. Yet many
others find that they need to hold on to some, perhaps vitiated, concept of
humanism, often for political reasons. For example, Edward Said, shortly before
he died, wrote a book about humanism. Will any humanism be possible in the
future? From this central question a range of questions could emerge. Humanism
has been associated with technological and historical progress. Will it continue
to be viewed this way? Is humanism possible in the future without progress? Will
future humanism(s) hold on to some of the precepts of the humanist tradition, or
will it take a different turn entirely, or will it exist at all? Will future
humanism(s) be anchored in a tension between religion and secular culture, or is
there a way to destabilize such binaries? How do we understand a synthetic
approach to diverse cultures after postcolonial critiques to approach a form of
global humanism? What are the effects of diasporic phenomena on humanism? Papers
are welcome from a variety of critical approaches: Philosophy, Social Theory,
Literary Studies, Psychology, Interdisciplinary Studies.

The ACLA <http://www.acla.org> 's annual conferences have a distinctive
structure in which most papers are grouped into twelve-person seminars that meet
two hours per day for the three days of the conference to foster extended
discussion. Some eight-person (or smaller) seminars meet just the first two days
of the conference. This structure allows each participant tobe a full member of
one seminar, and to sample other seminars during the remaining time blocks. The
conference also includes plenary sessions, workshops and roundtable discussions,
a business meeting, a banquet, and other events.



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