[Commlist] Philophantast CfP

Speculative fiction and media encompass multiple genres and modes that, 
like philosophy, make us question the possible and impossible. 
Speculative creations provide tools to delve into philosophical 
questions, such as exploring the nature of identity and approaching the 
ineffable, in addition to speaking truth to power and empowering 
marginalised voices. This hybrid conference on speculative media and 
philosophy, sponsored by the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Fantasy 
and the Fantastic, seeks to showcase how speculative fiction and media 
can create and express philosophical insights. Speculative media has the 
capacity to incentivise scholars, critics, creators, and wider audiences 
to embrace and reflect on philosophical perspectives beyond the academic 
context, thus bridging the interdisciplinary gap between philosophy and 
the media we create, consume, study, and enjoy. Rather than considering 
philosophy as the abstract, systematic analysis of existence, knowledge, 
and reason with little to no correlation with our everyday lives, we 
wish to highlight the proximity of philosophy in praxis and theory 
through speculative media.

We invite submissions focusing on any genre or subgenre of speculative 
fiction, including but not limited to afrofuturism, alternate history, 
fantasy, the fantastic, horror, the gothic, utopia, dystopia, and 
science fiction. We also encourage submissions that focus on media such 
as film, games, comics and graphic novels, music, theatre, and 
television, as well as literature. Likewise, we welcome proposals from 
all philosophical perspectives and branches. For example, papers may 
address continental, analytical and indigenous philosophies and 
philosophical traditions; queer, non-western, post-colonial or 
anticolonial philosophical theory; branches such as aesthetics, 
epistemology, ethics, logic, and political philosophy; as well as 
ontological, phenomenological, and theological insights on or developed 
by speculative media.

We welcome proposals for 20-minute papers from postgraduate students and 
early career scholars. We also welcome panels and roundtables with a 
minimum of 3 and maximum of 4 presenters, and proposals for workshops. 
Papers may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• The analysis of speculative literature and media through philosophical 
lenses
• Speculative literature and media acting as thought experiments for 
philosophical ideas
• Imagination and philosophy
• Speculative philosophy and speculative literature and media
• Philosophical discourses developed by speculative literature and media
• Speculative fiction as an inclusive philosophical practice

Previous examples of studies that encompass both speculative media and 
philosophy include Marxist thought in Fantastika, imagining alternative 
worlds in speculative fiction, Neoplatonic thought in J.R.R. Tolkien’s 
literary production, studies on the abject in horror writing and cinema, 
and the fictionalisation of philosophers in literature and games.

Please submit an abstract (around 300 words), a short bio (maximum 150 
words), and state if you wish to present in person or online to 
(philophantast /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(philophantast /at/ gmail.com)> with the 
subject line ‘Abstract Submission’ by April 19 2024. Only applications 
from graduate students and early career researchers will be considered 
for this conference. We are particularly keen to highlight the 
contributions of underrepresented voices within speculative media and/or 
philosophy at this conference, and will prioritise contributions that 
demonstrate in abstract and/or bio that they align with this goal. If 
you have any questions, please contact the committee at 
(philophantast /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(philophantast /at/ gmail.com)>

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