Dear colleagues,
We cordially invite you all to the workshop *Resisting Othering.
Reimagining the Self-Other Relationship Globally*, taking place on
9-10th April 2026.
Address: Department of Philosophy, Room 3D, NIG, Universitätsstraße 7
You can find the description and program below, and the details here:
https://phaenomenologie.univie.ac.at/forschung/othering/
Registration is not necessary.
Best regards,
Elise Coquereau-Saouma and Michael Staudigl (Organisation)
_____
Description:
Otherness is still most often conceived in distinction from the self, as
in the figure of the foreigner or the barbarian—the other of my culture.
The other thus serves, through a play of resemblance and difference, to
delineate who I am and to which societies, communities, cultures, and
groups I belong, notably by contrast and opposition. This space between
self and other easily takes on an exclusionary value, sometimes with
radical consequences: the pariah, the untouchable, or, likewise, the
refugee camps behind barbed wire at the border. This binary between self
and other can be politically exploited to set different societies,
religions, or communal groups against each other. It can also serve as a
justification for the exploitation of nature. It can manifest in less
visible and less extreme, but no less problematic, examples of othering
processes. In this workshop, we aim to question what makes the exclusion
of others possible, starting from the very conception of alterity that
underpins our models of exclusion. In other words, the goal is to
develop conceptual alternatives to these processes of othering.
While much of the philosophical literature addressing these issues has
emerged from Western traditions, non-Western models of alterity can
offer significant and as yet underexplored contributions to these
questions. These approaches, rooted in diverse local contexts and
practices, may often be more attuned to the specific forms of exclusion
and othering encountered in those societies, and thus provide conceptual
resources that cannot simply be replaced by universalizing Western
frameworks.
Accordingly, this workshop seeks not only critical analyses of
exclusionary practices, but above all positive theories of relation to
the other—approaches that move beyond the binary of self and other and
ground new models for thinking alterity. We invite contributions that
articulate such alternative frameworks, whether through concepts of
nondualism, interdependence, relational ontology, or other traditions of
thought that resist the reduction of alterity to opposition. Our aim is
to foster a space for proposals that do not merely critique, but
actively reimagine the self’s relation to the other, drawing on the
richness of non-Western traditions to shape a genuinely global theory of
alterity relevant for our time.
_____
Program:
9 April
9:00–10:00
“I am Thou” and “I with Others = We”: Nondualism Debated in Ramchandra
Gandhi and N. V. Banerjee’s Philosophies
Elise Coquereau-Saouma, University of Vienna
10:00–11:00
The I, the Other and the Thou in Mutual Self-Negation: A
Phenomenological Account of Intersubjectivity in Nishida Kitarō’s
Philosophy of Basho
Georg Harfensteller, University of Vienna
11:30–12:30
The Self–Other Relationship in African Philosophy: Ubuntu and Igwebuike
in Comparison
Emmanuel Ossai, Lancaster University
14:00–15:00
From Universal Compassion to Alienation: Contrasting Models of
Self–Other Relations in Early and Later Jain Philosophy
Dimitry Shevchenko, Hebrew University
15:00–16:00
Is India Civilized? Rethinking the Self–Other Relationship with William
Archer (1856–1924), John Woodroffe (1865–1936), and Aurobindo Ghose
(1872–1950)
Pawel Odyniec, Karlstad University
16:30–17:30
Having the Savage: On Matters of Self, Other, and How to Humanise Our
Monsters
Manu Sharma, University of Vienna
10 April
9:00–10:00
“The Empire Strikes Back”: Notes on Barbarians, Cannibals, and
Terrorists
Michael Staudigl, University of Vienna
10:00–11:00
Othering as Experiential Maladaptation: A Phenomenological Account
Sergio Pérez-Gatica, University of Tübingen
11:30–12:30
Relational Thinking? On the Challenges of Relational Epistemologies
Anke Graness, Hildesheim University
14:00–15:00
Philosophy as Resistant Praxis: Buddhist Perspectives
Fabien Muller, Tampere University
15:00–16:00
Agency as Relationally Emergent: Defending Confucian Role Ethics against
Collectivist Misreadings
Thomas Moore, Sheffield University
16:30–17:30
Imagining an-other: On the Figure of Otherness in Global Romanticism
Michael Zangerl, University of Vienna
Trust & Cooperation - Vienna Summer School 2026
Accepting applications until April 14!
Confirmed instructors:
Leah Henderson [1] (University of Groningen),
Benjamin McMyler [2] (University of Minnesota),
Kieran Oberman [3] (The London School of Economics and Political
Science),
Guest speakers:
Keith Harris [4] (University of Vienna)
more to be confirmed!
dates: July 13-July 17, 2026
deadline: April 14, 2026 (see below for further details)
location: Neues Institutsgebäude (NIG), Universitätstrasse 7, 1010 Wien,
Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna [5], Austria
Call for Participation
Over the course of five days participants will have the opportunity to
engage with renowned experts in discussions on the topic of trust and
cooperation on the interpersonal and institutional level, as well as
within the contexts of climate change and immigration. Trust and
cooperation have become front and center issues in today's world. The
nature of global challenges - from refugees seeking asylum to the
ecological crises of climate change and biodiversity loss - renders
cooperation ever more crucial to overcoming them. Key questions revolve
around the nature of trust and the nature of cooperation respectively,
as well as around the relationship between trust and cooperation,
intersecting the fields of social and political philosophy, as well as
applied ethics and political epistemology.
We welcome applications from PhD students (prioritized), advanced MA
students and postdoctoral researchers in philosophy and related
disciplines.
Participants will explore current research in these fields, attend
keynote lectures, thematic discussions and interactive workshops, as
well as present their own work, and receive valuable feedback from
invited scholars. The goal of this Summer School is to provide doctoral
students with direct access to leading researchers whose work--whether
directly or indirectly--relates to these themes.
Application & Fees
We welcome applications from PhD students (prioritized), advanced MA
students and postdoctoral researchers in philosophy and related
disciplines. Two modes of participation are possible: 1) attendance, 2)
presentation - if they would also like to give a presentation.
To apply for participation, please send the following documents to
Joachim Raich (joachim.raich(a)univie.ac.at [6]):
* Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
* Statement of Purpose (no longer than 1 page), explaining the
relevance of the summer school to your study, research, teaching and/or
other professional work.
* Statement of Financial Aid (optional). We can offer limited partial
financial support (including the coverage of the school fees) to the
participants whose home institutions cannot cover their expenses. We
therefore ask the applicants who wish to be considered for funding to
briefly describe their situation in the statement.
* Abstract (optional; max. 250 words). If you would like to present
your work at the summer school, please send us a short abstract of your
presentation. The presentations should be related in a significant
manner to the themes of trust and/or cooperation (from any philosophical
perspective) and should be about 20 minutes long to leave enough time
for discussions. Since the number of slots for student presentations is
limited, this will help us decide on how to allocate them.
The maximum number of participants at the summer school will be 25. Full
attendance is worth 4 ECTS.
The summer school fee is 75 Euros. The fee includes the student union
fee of 25 Euros, which is required by Austrian law to register at the
University of Vienna and to receive a certificate of completion of the
summer school.
Please, submit your application by April 14, 23.59 CET.
Contact Email: joachim.raich(a)univie.ac.at [6]
We will notify you of the decision by end of April.
Diversity Statement
We strongly encourage applications from members of disadvantaged and
underrepresented groups.
Organizing Committee
Chiara Dankl
Ali Emre Benli
Eva Hijlkema
Joachim Raich
The VDP Summer School 2026 is funded by the Vienna Doctoral School of
Philosophy (University of Vienna).
Visit the website for more information! [7]
Links:
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[1] https://lhenderson.org/
[2] https://philpeople.org/profiles/benjamin-mcmyler
[3] https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/kieran-oberman
[4] https://www.knowledgeincrisis.com/people/keith-harris
[5] https://www.univie.ac.at/en
[6] http://webmail2016.univie.ac.at/./#NOP
[7]
https://philosophie.univie.ac.at/news-events/nachrichten-news-events/detail…