September 20-22, 2012, Universiteit Antwerpen will host a conference on secularization theory. Conference organizers are currently accepting abstracts and will do so through May 1.
This three day international conference tries to frame a status quaestionis of secularization theory in the field of contemporary philosophy. It starts off with an assessment of the classic Löwith-Blumenberg debate. This debate centers around the relationship between monotheism and Christianity on one hand, and Modernity on the other. The focus of the conference then shifts to contemporary debates, with Charles Taylor and Marcel Gauchet as exemplary protagonists. The debate will revolve around ‘transcendent’ versus ‘immanent’ readings of Christianity. On its last day, the question of religion in the public sphere comes to the fore.
Though the conference is philosophical in nature, it hopes to explore interdisciplinary crossroads with theology, sociology, and the social sciences in general.
Read more about the conference here, and review the full CFP here.
Phillip Quintero is an Associate with the Communications and Editorial departments at the SSRC. He is a graduate of The New School for Social Research with a Master's degree in politics, and maintains an interest in social and political theory and philosophy. When not at the SSRC, he teaches cycling with Bike New York, and is an adjunct faculty member at Parsons School of Design.
