Symposium ‘What is the Matter with Materialism?’ 

The symposium, which falls under the CfH theme ‘Interfaces between the Sciences and the Humanities’, capitalises on the two meanings of ‘matter’. Featured speakers are Prof. Susan Hekman (Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington; Fellow at Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences [NIAS]) and Prof. Claire Colebrook (Professor of English, Penn State University).

This symposium wants to explore the ways in which matter and materiality are currently being conceptualised in both feminist theory and the humanities more broadly. At the same time the symposium title reflects an interest in the importance of materialist approaches for the two academic fields. How does this new materialism matter, and how it might affect our future research? How to do interdisciplinary research from a new materialist perspective? What is new materialism’s distinct methodology?

Preliminary programme

Morning location: Sweelinckzaal, Drift 21, Utrecht

9:30 – 9:45      Opening by Braidotti (chair)
9:45 – 10:30    Paper Hekman
10:30 – 10:45  Response Van der Tuin
10:45 – 11:30  Paper Colebrook
11:30 – 11:45  Response Birgit Kaiser
11:45 – 12:30  Plenary discussion

Aternoon locations: Hekman masterclass in Sweelinckzaal / Colebrook master class in Stijlkamer Van Ravensteyn, Kromme Nieuwegracht 80

14:00 – 17:00  Two parallel master classes with Hekman and Colebrook open for all conference participants (RMA and PhD students are warmly welcomed)

Registration

In order to register please send and email to cfh@uu.nl, indicating whether you will be attending the lecture, the master class (specifying which master class you would like to participate in, either Hekman or Colebrook) or both morning and afternoon events.

The master classes address topics on postgraduate and research master levels. The master classes have individual structures according to the topic and teacher; more details will be provided shortly. It is recommended that students sign up for the full day programme.

The master classes have limited spaces available which will be filled following the principle of first come, first served.

For more information, keep watching this website for updates.