THE SECOND GLOCAL SYMPOSIUM, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (NYU), LIBERAL STUDIES PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NEW YORK POSTHUMAN RESEARCH GROUP [1]
The specific focus of this Symposium is dedicated to the significance of the posthuman in relation to near and far futures. We will address current global issues in terms of possible posthuman futures, in order to spark a deep and multilayered analysis of what the notion of “posthuman futures” implies. In the contemporary era, characterized by different political, economical, cultural, religious, social and environmental conflicts, the traditional approach based on the humanistic attempt to acknowledge our shared humanity has not been successful. What can posthumanism add to the conversation? How can a post-humanistic, post-anthropocentric and post-dualistic approach be achieved in conflicts resolution, without repeating the failed resolution attempts of the past? More specifically, these are some of the global issues we would like to address: human and non human migration; racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and anthropocentrism; religious fundamentalism and Islamophobia; technological unemployment and economic disparities; environmental issues; non human animals and robot personhood. What perspective can posthumanism offer to these global issues?
Focusing on key notions such as transformation and hybridization, but also heritage conservation and cultural acknowledgment, we will delve into our posthuman futures. A reflection on space ethics (including space travel; space exploration; space commercialization), bio-technology and bio-conservation, human and non-human enhancement; emerging technology and economic equity, post-genders and post-humanities will merge with our rigorous analysis of posthuman futures. We welcome proposals on posthuman developments and religion, including the spiritual dimension of virtual reality and virtual communities, the religious-mythological nature of hyperreality, the enhancement of meditative techniques through technology, the religious life of humanoid robots and robotic communities, the theological response of religious communities to posthumanism, the effect of cyborgian immortality on religious doctrine, and the reconceptualization of transgressive behaviours.
The New York Posthuman Research Group invites multiple perspectives to converge on these and related questions. Both utopian and dystopian, visionary and critical approaches are welcome. The following areas of reflection are of interest: (philosophical, critical and cultural) posthumanism, transhumanism, new materialism, antihumanism, object-oriented ontology, metahumanism.
*Glocal: The survival of local specificities in a globalized world.
See the site http://www.posthumans.org for more information.
SUBMISSIONS & DEADLINES
We invite abstracts of up to 150 words and a short bio, to be sent to:
Abstracts should be received by February 21th 2016.
Presentations should be no longer than 10 minutes. Each presentation will be given 10 additional minutes each for questions and discussions with the audience, for a total of 20 minutes.
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