Institute of Philosophy ZRC SAZU

With the support of Austrian Cultural Forum Ljubljana

invites you to

Non-Human, All Too Human

On Animals, Monsters and Other Others

International Conference on Philosophy and Experimental Theory

4–5 March

 We are surrounded by non-human figures in every corner of contemporary culture, from film and literature to video games and visual arts. These representations have become so widespread that they now shape entire genres and distinct characteristics within these fields. As non-human figures continue to (re-)emerge, theory has followed suit, offering interdisciplinary approaches to explore them as objects of analysis. Drawing inspiration from one of Nietzsche's most iconic works, the title of this conference plays with the tension between the human and the non-human. It invites an exploration of the shifting boundaries between these categories, framed through the lens of Otherness—a concept historically and culturally constructed in contrasting relation to the human. As humanity has positioned itself as objective, natural, and normative, the idea of Otherness has come to encompass deviation, monstrosity, and animality. 

The conference seeks to provide a platform for open theoretical discussions on the concept of Otherness in relation to the non-human. Scholars from universities and institutes in Vienna, Newcastle, Prague, and Slovenia will explore the non-human from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives, drawing on fields such as philosophy, critical theory, eco-criticism, critical animal studies, theoretical psychoanalysis, anthropology, environmental theory, musicology, film theory, game studies, and folkloristics.

What the conference aims to demonstrate is that thinking this relation between human and anything that fits the classification of non-human, can be productive for theory, especially at the interdisciplinary intersection of philosophy and so-called experimental or open theory, experimenting with both its methodology and the material it treats. This interdisciplinary approach will enable participants and the audience to critically engage with the topic of the non-human,offering rich insights into how the human and non-human have been thought, defined, challenged and (re-)imagined.

In this manner, an essential component of the conference will be the integration of film material, used to complement and deepen the discussions. Each day will conclude with a film screening, allowing for an exploration of theory and material in dialogue. Short lectures will precede the screenings, providing a theoretical framework for the films.

On March 4th, the conference will screen Nosferatu (1922), directed by F.W. Murnau, and on March 5th, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms(1953), directed by Eugène Lourié, an inspiration for its more famous successor, the Japanese Godzilla (1954). 

SPEAKERS

Rok Benčin (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Michael Lewis (Newcastle University, UK), Voranc Kumar (Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU), Aleš Mendiževec (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Peter Klepec (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Aleš Bunta (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Adam Potts (Newcastle University, UK), Marisa Žele (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Vesna Liponik (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Lovrenc Rogelj (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Jacob Parkin (Newcastle University, UK), Tadej Troha (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Marina Gržinić Mauhler (Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU), Marjetka Golež Kaučič (Institute of Ethnomusicology, ZRC SAZU), Jaroslav Švelc (Charles University, Prague), Maja Petrović-Šteger (Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, ZRC SAZU), Jovita Pristovšek (Institute of Culture and Memory Studies, ZRC SAZU) Maša Blaznik (Independent Researcher), Branislava Vičar (The Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor), Jelka Kernev Štrajn (Independent Researcher), Fahim Amir (University of the Arts, Bremen)

The conference is in English. 

Please find the Programme and Info on the Lectures and the Speakers in the Attachments: 

NonHuman_Speakers_Lectures.pdf

NonHuman_Timetable.pdf

The conference is sponsored by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency under the research programme P6-0014 “Conditions and Problems of Contemporary Philosophy,” MR-56876, the research project “Conceptualizing the End: its Temporality, Dialectics, and Affective Dimension,” and the research project N6-0286 “Reality, Illusion, Fiction, Truth: A Preliminary Study.”