CfA: The Medicalised Body, Edinburgh, Hybrid, May 11th & 12th 2023
The University of Edinburgh is the seat of many
historical and contemporary breakthroughs in medicine and epidemiology. On top
of this, the medical humanities are increasingly influential at the university,
with high-quality research output from the Usher Institute, Edinburgh Futures
Institute, and Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Meaningful
connections between these centres, however, are lacking, as too are links to
other schools and departments. In the philosophy department, medicine is rarely
discussed, despite expertise in several relevant areas (e.g., philosophy of
cognitive science, phenomenology, epistemology). The intention behind this
conference is to begin generating critical discussions about medicine within
the department of philosophy at Edinburgh, with the additional goal of creating
interdisciplinary links between departments inside and outside the school of
Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences as well as with our academic
partners at other institutions. By bringing interdisciplinary researchers
together at this event, we hope to initiate formal connections between the
philosophy department and the medical humanities research already taking place
at the university and at other institutions across the country. This conference
further aims to demonstrate the valuable contributions philosophy and
phenomenology can make to medicine. If successful, we might establish regular
meetings of this kind for knowledge exchange.
The focus of the conference is a phenomenological approach to the body in
medicine, and what this means for research and society at large. Phenomenology
is already a strength of the department at Edinburgh, which hosts the Edinburgh
Philosophy and Phenomenology group (EPiPHENy), and therefore the natural place
to start these discussions. As such, I have invited experts in the field of
phenomenology and medicine to share with us their expertise:
o
Dr Lucy Osler, University of Cardiff
o
Prof Havi Carel, University of Bristol
o Prof Luna Dolezal, University of Exeter
o Prof Yochai Ataria, Tel Hai College
Additionally, EPiPHENy is looking for 8 speakers,
early-career researchers or individuals who work in medicine with a
phenomenological approach, to give short 30-minute presentations followed by a
15-minute Q&A. Presentations should discuss phenomenology in relation to
how the body is medicalised in various ways, such as in disability, illness,
and mental disorder. This theme should be taken broadly and, in particular, we
encourage talks which incorporate philosophy and phenomenology in
interdisciplinary ways to further demonstrate the value of incorporating
philosophy in other approaches to medicine and the body. These talks will
highlight not only the current theoretical and methodological worries present
in medicine from the perspective of the medical humanities but also exemplify
the benefit a philosophical outlook can bring to the table for medicine and
other disciplines.
Contributors are welcome to present either in person
in Edinburgh or online, although we will be aiming for a balance of in-person
and online talks when grading abstract submissions. All in-person speakers will
also be invited to an evening meal on the second day, the expenses of which
will be covered by the conference. Currently, reimbursement of short
presentation speaker travel is dependent on funding.
To apply for one of the short presentations, please submit to edepipheny@gmail.com by February 17th 2023 an anonymised 500-word abstract, with title and keywords, alongside a separate file that includes:
- Talk Title
- Author name(s)
- Affiliation(s)
- Current occupation/position of all authors (PhD researcher, post-doc, nurse, clinician etc.)
- A short bio
- Preferences for online or in-person presentation.
We especially encourage submissions from
marginalised and minority groups; if you identify as part of one of these
groups, please do indicate this as part of your bio if you feel comfortable
doing so. As much as possible, we will be following the BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme for
conferences and seminars.
This conference is funded by the Student Staff Initiative Fund from the University of Edinburgh.
Any enquiries should be directed to Jodie Russell.