This workshop will explore the relationship of phenomenology, New Materialism, eco-philosophy, deconstruction and posthumanism, while also redirecting focus on Indigenous and African environmental thought. We will engage with M.F. Murover, W. Kelbessa, A. Robbin, R. Esposito, E.A. Povinelli, J. Butler, E. Levinas, J. Derrida and others in order to examine what the field of eco-philosophy could mean today. The workshop will open several questions concerning the character of our relations to the environment and ways in which we are connected to it (affectivity, reciprocity, belonging, consciousness) and to other people.

Participation is free of charge and registration is not necessary

Date: 27 May 2024

Location: City Campus UAntwerp - Building R - Room 218

9.30-9.45 – Arrival & Coffee

9.45-10.00 – Introduction (Alzbeta Kuchtova & Thomas Froy)

10.00-10.50 – Elodie Boublil (Université Paris Est Créteil): The Immunological Paradigm and the Relational Self: Epistemological, Ethical and Political Challenges

10.50-11.40 – Marjolein Oele (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen): From Homelessness to Home: Transforming Affects in Times of Elemental Loss

11.40-12.30 – Oscar de Nijs Bik (University of Antwerp): New Materialism as Method: Ethics and Ontology

12:30-13.30 – Lunch @ Agora

13.30-14.20 – Niel de Vries (The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp): Thinking with The River: Shapes, Myths and Ecology

14.20-15.10 – Jan Bierhanzl (Faculty of Humanities, Charles University): The Interconnectedness of Life and the Claim of Non-Violence

15.10-15.30 – Coffee

15.30-16.20 – Taye Taressa (Addis Ababa University, Department of Philosophy, University of Antwerp, Center for European Philosophy): Is Ethiopian Environmental Policy Ethical? Challenges and Prospects

16.20-17.10 – Alzbeta Kuchtova (Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences): Redefining Interdependence: Beyond Biocentrism

17.10-18.00 – Arthur Cools & Thomas Froy (University of Antwerp) – Discussion