The 2nd meeting was held at Temple University on the 22nd and 23rd of March. The meeting was officially opened with remarks by Espen Hammer and Martin Shuster. The two-day event was well attended by members from Temple, the New School, University of Pennsylvania, and surrounding schools (not to mention scholars from all over the world).

The papers given were again of extremely high quality, as was the level of discussion. A spirited round table was held again on the second day, that saw the participants grappling with how to pursue critical theory within practical contexts.

Many thanks to Espen Hammer and Temple University.

The next meeting will be hosted by Brian O’Connor, at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.

Photo of ‘Teddy’s Bitter’s’ courtesy of Gordon Finlayson, who tracked this menu down in Philadelphia.

The meeting will take place at Temple University Center City (TUCC), 1515 Market Street, Room 422 from 9AM to 6PM.

Poster coming shortly.

For any questions please contact Espen Hammer or Martin Shuster.

The confirmed list of speakers:

Gordon Finlayson
Roger Foster
Espen Hammer
Robert Kaufman
Kathy Kiloh
Iain Macdonald
Alastair Morgan
Brian O’Connor
Max Pensky
Henry Pickford
Paula Schwebel
Xander Selene
Martin Shuster

The papers given were of extremely high quality, as were the question and answer sessions, and ultimately the level of engagement of all participants was outstanding.  Topics discussed ranged from detailed analysis and critique of Adorno’s philosophical concepts, categories, and methods to the application of Adorno’s political thought to contemporary events (especially the Occupy movement) to Adorno’s aesthetic and social theory and to detailed analyses of the relationship between Adorno’s work and the works of other philosophers within the European and Anglo-American traditions. All sessions were chaired by members of the Johns Hopkins Humanities Center. Finally, a round table discussion open to all was convened on the last day of the meeting. Discussion centered on the contemporary relevance of Adorno’s thought to both theoretical inquiry and pedagogy. A business meeting was also held on the second day, where the launch of the journal, Adorno Studies, was announced and discussed, with many of the participants confirming their commitment to sit on the advisory board. Plans for next year’s meeting and the continuation and possible expansion of the association’s activities were also discussed.

The weekend proved to be both immensely intellectually stimulating and exhausting for all participants. The organizers would like to extend special thanks to Hent de Vries, Marva Philip, the Humanities Center, the session chairs, the Johns Hopkins university, and all of the participants for their support, time, effort and enthusiasm. We can’t wait until the next one.

Some photos:

…more details soon.

CALL FOR PAPERS

5TH INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL THEORY
CONFERENCE OF ROME

May 7-9, 2012
John Felice Rome Center of Loyola University Chicago

The John Felice Rome Center of Loyola University Chicago is hosting the fifth international conference on Critical Theory of Rome, which will be held at its campus in Rome, Italy – Via Massimi 114/A.

The conference will examine the importance and the developments of the Frankfurt School by addressing both the philosophical tradition of the early stages of Critical Theory – and in particular the works of Walter Benjamin, Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer and Herbert Marcuse – as well as the application of their theories to our contemporary society.

In order to reflect the wide range of topics addressed by Critical Theory, the conference will cover different aspects of philosophical reflection on justice, politics, aesthetics, sociology, technology, literature and any other relevant field of study.
The conference will be held at the Rome Center of Loyola University Chicago on May 7-9, 2012. It will begin on Monday morning and end by Wednesday afternoon (with a welcoming reception on the evening of Sunday, May 6). During the sessions, each speaker will have 30 minutes. All presentations will be made in English.

Coordinator: Stefano Giacchetti Ludovisi, Loyola University Chicago, JFRC

Keynote speakers:

Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, Vanderbilt University
Andrew Feenberg, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
Alessandro Ferrara, University of Rome, Tor Vergata
James Gordon Finlayson, University of Sussex
Stefano Petrucciani, University of Rome, La Sapienza
Henry Pickford, University of Colorado, Boulder
David Schweickart, Loyola University Chicago

If you are interested in presenting a paper or organizing a panel (of up to 5 speakers), please submit a 1-2 page abstract by February 2, 2012 (including name, eventual institutional affiliation and mailing address). Abstracts should be submitted by email. Decisions regarding the program will be made by the end of February 2012.

To submit an abstract, or for more information, contact:
Stefano Giacchetti Ludovisi, PhD – stefano.giacchetti@tiscali.it ; Tel: (+39) 06-81905467

Conference fees: 80 Euro; Free for undergraduate students.

The goal of the association is to foster inquiry into Adorno’s thought and to make the results of this research available to a community of scholars. Given Adorno’s interest in and contributions to the history of philosophy, epistemology, phenomenology, existentialism, ontology, aesthetics, critical and social theory, and other areas besides, we believe it is of paramount importance to constitute an association that allows not only for a gathering of scholars, but also establishes a presence in the academic community, and ultimately, in light of Adorno’s own sensibilities, supports a means for theoretical and practical possibilities as yet unimagined. The association actively encourages interdisciplinary conversation in the hopes of creating synergies for new lines of research that can ultimately prove important for novel disciplinary concerns. Finally, the association takes seriously Adorno’s aspirations for social change and hopes to encourage and provide a means for engagement with the world at large.