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ACADEMIC COLLOQUIUM CRITICALLY ASSESSING THE WORK OF THOMAS BERRY

ACADEMIC COLLOQUIUM CRITICALLY ASSESSING THE WORK OF THOMAS BERRY,

MAY 28-30, 2014, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

 

On May 28-30, the Center for Ecozoic Societies and the Relationality Seminar of Carolina Seminars of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) will co-sponsor a “Colloquium on the Work of Thomas Berry: Development, Difference, Importance, Applications.”

To our knowledge it is the first academic colloquium critically assessing the work of Thomas Berry. There are presently 27 people who have agreed to present in the Colloquium, including five invited to present Douglass Hunt Lectures (see article below).

The purpose of the Colloquium is to engage critically and creatively with Thomas Berry’s thought, as contained in his published and other written work, and to produce thorough assessments of it through scholarly and intellectual reflection and debate on the main dimensions of his work. The organizers believe this Colloquium offers the opportunity for a new initiative related to Thomas Berry’s work. The organizers ask presenters to move from straight commentary and appreciation of Berry’s work to the critical reception and re-articulation of his legacy as it bears on the real transitions needed. They see this process as a crucial ingredient in the very transition that Berry envisioned, from our current disastrous path to viable new life visions that make possible different organizations of society in the long run.

The organizers call for contributions that will:

• Situate Berry’s work within broader intellectual and social currents and contexts

• Review his ideas critically

• Assess his contributions to particular domains and establish conversations between Berry’s work and other fields or thinkers

• Analyze the contemporary relevance and potential applications of his work

• Develop further his key concepts concerning the main elements of the transition(s)

Participation in the Colloquium should take the form of scholarly papers, presentations and analyses; other formats of presentation (e.g., performances, art work, and testimonies) will be considered if they conform with the overall thrust of the event, that is, the systematic and critical analysis of Berry’s contributions to understanding the needed societal transitions.

The initial deadline for submitting abstracts for the Colloquium has passed, but the deadline has been extended to April 15. In addition, a limited number of people may participate in the Colloquium without presenting. Please let us know if you are interested in participating without presenting.