****CUTG Theory Panel Proposal – Hans Blumenberg on Rhetoric****
The Theory Section for the 2009 CUTG meeting (6-8 April 2009, in Coleraine,
Northern Ireland) is proposing a panel devoted to the work of Hans
Blumenberg (1920-1996). One of the most significant post-war German
philosophers and theorists, Blumenberg’s work spans fields as diverse as
metaphor theory, literary theory, the theory of myth, the history of
science, and philosophical anthropology. Since his death in 1996, a number
of important works emerging from the Blumenberg Nachlass have appeared,
including a major volume on anthropology (Beschreibung des Menschen, 2006),
and Blumenberg’s Briefwechsel with Carl Schmitt (2007). Yet despite being
well known in Germany, Blumenberg rarely appears in courses taught in the
United Kingdom.
In response to the views of delegates who attended the theory panel at the
CUTG in 2008, the focus of this panel will be an in-depth discussion of a
single theoretical text by Blumenberg. The chosen text is Blumenberg’s essay
“Anthropologische Annaeherung an die Aktualitaet der Rhetorik” (1971),
re-published in Wirklichkeiten in denen wir Leben (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1981),
104-136. To promote a lively discussion, it is envisaged that the audience
will have read this essay before the panel is held.
Papers in English or German, of 15 minutes in length, and addressing this
essay by Blumenberg in relation to the broader context of his work, are
invited. Abstracts of around 500 words should be sent to Angus Nicholls by
February 1 2009, at this email address:
[log in to unmask]
Please note that speakers must be members of the CUTG to speak at the
conference. Information about joining the CUTG can be found here:
http://www.cutg.ac.uk/
This panel may be seen as a preparatory event possibly leading to an edited
volume on Blumenberg.
|