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Beyond Anthropocentrism
University of Exeter.
16-17 July, 2002.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Anthropocentrism has been defined as a view or doctrine
that regards humankind as the central fact of the universe
to which all surrounding facts have reference (OED). As a
response to anthropocentrism, ecocentric (or biocentric)
attitudes seek to 'decentre the human being, to question
mechanistic science and its technological consequences, to
refuse to believe that the world was made for human beings'
(Dobson). Cultural contributions to this debate struggle to
evoke ecocentric values without inviting charges of
anti-humanism, or of neglecting social justice, for
example, while ongoing developments in genetic engineering
and biotechnology have prompted discussion of the
"other-than" or "more-than-human". Yet political ecologists
and ecocritics are forced to reconcile their more
ecocentric
leanings with the unavoidably human characteristic of their
audience to respond with self-interest before action or
change can take place. This interdisciplinary conference
seeks to explore the consequences of these developments for
our definitions of self, society and nature.
Papers are invited which address various aspects of this
theme, including:
- the role of the 'more than human' in ecocriticism and
green
cultural studies in general
- critical responses to ecocentric attitudes
- models of non-anthropocentric behaviour
- exploring the (in)compatibility of technology with
ecocentrism
- utopias and catastrophes
Abstracts of 250 words should be sent by February 29th 2002
to
[log in to unmask]
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Martin Delveaux
Research Student
Victorian Studies
School of English
University of Exeter
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Dr. Hester Higton
Curator, Bill Douglas Centre for the History
of Cinema and Popular Culture,
University of Exeter,
The Old Library,
Prince of Wales Road,
Exeter, EX4 4PT,
U.K.
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Tel. + 44 1392 264321
Fax. + 44 1392 264361
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.ex.ac.uk/bill.douglas/
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