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Invitation to international conference

BEYOND ESSENTIALISM: CHALLENGES OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

on the Occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the
Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology,
Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana

Ljubljana, Slovenia, 25th to 27th November 2010

Since the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology was established in Ljubljana seventy years ago, it has gradually developed into an important regional centre. In the mid 20th century the idea of studying “folk culture” in the “civilised world” and the “cultures of primitive peoples” around the world, which was the focus of ethnology as understood by Vilko Novak, seemed plausible, especially because it incorporated studying peoples at home and abroad. Nobody questioned basic (essentialized) notions of peoples, society and culture.

Methodological nationalism and cultural essentialism, derived from the undisputed idea of distinct, bounded and territorialized societies and cultures, represented seemingly unambiguous yet powerful paradigmatic and analytical tools for the early social sciences, which were also used as powerful political and ideological apparatuses for reproduction of nation states and their societies.
At the beginning of the 21st century methodological nationalism and other forms of essentialism are becoming obsolete. Recent unprecedented transnational and cosmopolitan movements have challenged the perspectives derived in the past. The conference will stimulate discussions of manifold faces of essentialism, from criticism of methodological nationalism, culturalism and other forms of constructed collectivities, and will also search for alternatives in anthropology. We propose to explore essentialisms and their possible alternatives in complementary ‘vertical’ (temporal) and ‘horizontal’ (cause-and-effect) streams.

The conference will be divided into three streams (past, present, future), each consisting of three panels.

We are proud to list some of guest speakers (in alphabetical order):
ARJUN APPADURAI,
THOMAS FILLITZ, MAJA POVRZANOVIĆ FRYKMAN,
KIRSTEN HASTRUP, BOŽIDAR JEZERNIK, PETER NAS, MARTINE SEGALEN,
FRANCISCO VAZ DA SILVA, VERENA STOLCKE.

CALL FOR PAPERS IS CLOSED.
Read more in CALL FOR PAPERS.

Vabilo k sodelovanju na mednarodni konferenci

ONKRAJ ESENCIALIZMOV: IZZIVI ANTROPOLOGIJE V 21. STOLETJU

ob 70. obletnici
Oddelka za etnologijo in kulturno antropologijo,
Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani

Ljubljana, Slovenija, 25.-27. novembra 2010

          Oddelek za etnologijo in kulturno antropologijo se je v sedemdesetih letih postopoma razvil v pomembno regionalno središče. S štiridnevnim znanstvenim posvetom, s katerim bomo počastili visoko obletnico delovanja, bomo skušali spodbuditi razpravo o številnih obrazih esencializma, od kritike metodološkega nacionalizma, kulturalizma in drugih oblik konstruiranja kolektivnega, prav tako pa bo posvet usmerjen k iskanju in premisleku o alternativnih paradigmah v antropologiji. Njegov namen je raziskati esencializme in njihove alternative v komplementarnih vertikalnih (časovnih) in horizontalnih (vzrok-posledica) tokovih.

          Na začetku 21. stoletja so metodološki nacionalizem in druge oblike esencializmov vse bolj odveč. Nedavna transnacionalna in kozmopolitska gibanja so postavila podedovane perspektive iz preteklosti na resno preizkušnjo. S tem, ko stare paradigme ne zadoščajo več, postajajo nove paradigme in koncepti temelji sodobne antropologije. Vprašati se moramo, če ti premiki, ki jih lahko opazujemo skozi odmik od esencializiranih družbenih klasifikacij h kulturnim tokovom, transnacionalnim povezavam in mobilnosti; od izvirnosti in avtentičnosti k hibridizaciji in kreolizaciji; od domnevno »naravnih« enot, kot so etnične skupine, narodi in kulture, k pozornosti, ki jo namenjamo procesom ustvarjanja in oblikovanja prostora (prostorjenja) in osebnih ter družbenih praks imaginacije, nakazujejo odmik od esencialističnih kategorij samo na videz. Antropologija še vedno nima perspektive iskanja univerzalnih človeških značilnosti, zato so esencializmi v vedi še zelo trdoživi in še vedno paradigmatsko vpeti vanjo.

          Konferenca je zasnovana v treh sklopih, in sicer preteklost, sedanjost in prihodnost, kjer ima vsak sklop tri pripadajoče delavnice.
          Vse delavnice in predavanja bodo potekala v angleškem jeziku.




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Invitation to international conference BEYOND ESSENTIALISM: CHALLENGES OF ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY on the Occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana Ljubljana, Slovenia, 25th to 27th November 2010 Since the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology was established in Ljubljana seventy years ago, it has gradually developed into an important regional centre. In the mid 20th century the idea of studying “folk culture” in the “civilised world” and the “cultures of primitive peoples” around the world, which was the focus of ethnology as understood by Vilko Novak, seemed plausible, especially because it incorporated studying peoples at home and abroad. Nobody questioned basic (essentialized) notions of peoples, society and culture. Methodological nationalism and cultural essentialism, derived from the undisputed idea of distinct, bounded and territorialized societies and cultures, represented seemingly unambiguous yet powerful paradigmatic and analytical tools for the early social sciences, which were also used as powerful political and ideological apparatuses for reproduction of nation states and their societies. At the beginning of the 21st century methodological nationalism and other forms of essentialism are becoming obsolete. Recent unprecedented transnational and cosmopolitan movements have challenged the perspectives derived in the past. The conference will stimulate discussions of manifold faces of essentialism, from criticism of methodological nationalism, culturalism and other forms of constructed collectivities, and will also search for alternatives in anthropology. We propose to explore essentialisms and their possible alternatives in complementary ‘vertical’ (temporal) and ‘horizontal’ (cause-and-effect) streams. The conference will be divided into three streams (past, present, future), each consisting of three panels. We are proud to list some of guest speakers (in alphabetical order): ARJUN APPADURAI, THOMAS FILLITZ, MAJA POVRZANOVIĆ FRYKMAN, KIRSTEN HASTRUP, BOŽIDAR JEZERNIK, PETER NAS, MARTINE SEGALEN, FRANCISCO VAZ DA SILVA, VERENA STOLCKE. CALL FOR PAPERS IS CLOSED. Read more in CALL FOR PAPERS. Vabilo k sodelovanju na mednarodni konferenci ONKRAJ ESENCIALIZMOV: IZZIVI ANTROPOLOGIJE V 21. STOLETJU ob 70. obletnici Oddelka za etnologijo in kulturno antropologijo, Filozofska fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani Ljubljana, Slovenija, 25.-27. novembra 2010 Oddelek za etnologijo in kulturno antropologijo se je v sedemdesetih letih postopoma razvil v pomembno regionalno središče. S štiridnevnim znanstvenim posvetom, s katerim bomo počastili visoko obletnico delovanja, bomo skušali spodbuditi razpravo o številnih obrazih esencializma, od kritike metodološkega nacionalizma, kulturalizma in drugih oblik konstruiranja kolektivnega, prav tako pa bo posvet usmerjen k iskanju in premisleku o alternativnih paradigmah v antropologiji. Njegov namen je raziskati esencializme in njihove alternative v komplementarnih vertikalnih (časovnih) in horizontalnih (vzrok-posledica) tokovih. Na začetku 21. stoletja so metodološki nacionalizem in druge oblike esencializmov vse bolj odveč. Nedavna transnacionalna in kozmopolitska gibanja so postavila podedovane perspektive iz preteklosti na resno preizkušnjo. S tem, ko stare paradigme ne zadoščajo več, postajajo nove paradigme in koncepti temelji sodobne antropologije. Vprašati se moramo, če ti premiki, ki jih lahko opazujemo skozi odmik od esencializiranih družbenih klasifikacij h kulturnim tokovom, transnacionalnim povezavam in mobilnosti; od izvirnosti in avtentičnosti k hibridizaciji in kreolizaciji; od domnevno »naravnih« enot, kot so etnične skupine, narodi in kulture, k pozornosti, ki jo namenjamo procesom ustvarjanja in oblikovanja prostora (prostorjenja) in osebnih ter družbenih praks imaginacije, nakazujejo odmik od esencialističnih kategorij samo na videz. Antropologija še vedno nima perspektive iskanja univerzalnih človeških značilnosti, zato so esencializmi v vedi še zelo trdoživi in še vedno paradigmatsko vpeti vanjo. Konferenca je zasnovana v treh sklopih, in sicer preteklost, sedanjost in prihodnost, kjer ima vsak sklop tri pripadajoče delavnice. Vse delavnice in predavanja bodo potekala v angleškem jeziku. Veseli nas, da so se našemu vabilu odzvali naslednji predavatelji: ARJUN APPADURAI, THOMAS FILLITZ, MAJA POVRZANOVIĆ FRYKMAN, KIRSTEN HASTRUP, BOŽIDAR JEZERNIK, PETER NAS, MARTINE SEGALEN, FRANCISCO VAZ DA SILVA, VERENA STOLCKE. ROK ODDAJE JE ZAKLJUČEN. Več informacij v CALL FOR PAPERS.
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