Conference date: September 12 – 13

Submission deadline: DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JUNE 5

Keynote speakers: Madalina Diaconu (Universität Wien), Joerg Fingerhut (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

The Department of Aesthetics at Charles University in Prague and the Czech Society for Aesthetics are now accepting abstracts of papers for its first (post)graduate conference “Aesthetic Experience Today“. The aim of the conference is to present and discuss challenges that the concept of aesthetic experience faces in the current times and explore contexts in which it plays a significant role. Graduate students and early career researchers (up to three years after having received their Ph.D.), especially ones coming from Central European universities, are invited to submit proposals.

The concept of aesthetic experience had been crucial to aesthetics as a philosophical discipline from the 18^th through the mid-20^th century when, at least in the Anglo-American context, it lost its central place. In the discourse of contemporary aesthetics, however, aesthetic experience has come to the fore again. There has been a surge of interest in neuroscientific and psychological research of aesthetic experience. Aesthetic experience has been discussed in relation to new and emerging art forms and current transformations in practices connected to displaying and exhibiting works of art. It has also been central to the work appearing in the thriving subfields of aesthetics, such as everyday aesthetics or virtue aesthetics. The conference aims at discussing the current understanding to the concept of aesthetic experience in a variety of contexts as well as historical perspectives.

Possible subjects of papers include but are not limited to:

• The history of aesthetic experience and the history of aesthetics
• Aesthetic experience in analytical and in continental aesthetics
• Aesthetic experience and the neurosciences
• Philosophical and psychological approaches to aesthetic experience
• The temporality of aesthetic experience
• Aesthetic experience and everyday life
• Aesthetic experience and interactive works of art
• The aesthetic experience of art and the aesthetic experience of nature

Please email submissions of abstracts to aestheticexperienceprague2019@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is May 5. We require long-form  abstracts which will include the main topic, short presentation of the discussion it has received until now, and an outline of your own contribution to the discussion. The abstracts should be 400 – 800 words long. With your abstract submission, please send a cover page that includes your name, affiliated institution, contact information, and the title.

Decisions regarding the program will be made by June 20.

Papers presented at the conference should be presentable in 20 minutes, i.e., the final paper should be around 2 500 words long.

For more information regarding the conference organization or your eligibility, please contact

sabrina.muchova@ff.cuni.cz.

Conference fee:

Unwaged (unemployed, part-time positions, and graduate students): EUR 15 //

Waged (full-time positions): EUR 40.

This conference is supported by the Charles University Research Programme “Progres” Q 14 – Rationality Crisis and Modern Thought.