[Commlist] CFA: Critical Theory and Nature

SASCT

*South African Society for Critical Theory 5^th  Annual Conference*

**

*16 – 18 November 2023*

**

*University of the Free State*

*Critical Theory and Nature in the 21^st  Century

*

The South African Society for Critical Theory (SASCT) is pleased to 
announce its upcoming 5^th  Annual Conference, which will take place at 
the University of the Free State from the 16^th  to the 18^th  of 
November 2023, on the theme of Critical Theory and Nature. This will be 
a *hybrid conference*, with in-person attendance recommended but with 
accommodation made for online participation and presentations.

The Society is pleased to announce that its keynote speakers will be:

**

*Professor Ariel Salleh, Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Centre on 
Labour, Sustainability and Global Production, Queen Mary University of 
London in 2023 and Visiting Professor, Faculty of Humanities, Nelson 
Mandela University, South Africa. She is a former Senior Fellow in 
Post-Growth Societies, Sociology Department, Friedrich Schiller 
University Jena, Germany and former Honorary Associate Professor in 
Political Economy, University of Sydney, Australia.***

**

And:

*
Professor Louise Green, Associate Professor of English at Stellenbosch 
University, South Africa. Her work focuses on critical theory, modernity 
and globalization. and traces the elusive, mobile, and diverse 
formations of value in late capitalist society. Her research proposes 
Africa as an important site for a philosophical engagement with the 
universalising impulse that marks contemporary narratives of 
environmental crisis. Her recent work, /Fragments from the History of 
Loss: The nature industry and the postcolony/, was nominated for the 
Academy of Science South Africa Humanities book award.*

Critical theory, as an interdisciplinary field of study, explores power 
relations, social structures, and the ways in which these factors shape 
our world. In recent years, there has been an increase in interest 
relating to the intersection of critical theory and the natural 
environment (Cassegård, 2021). Contemporary scholars have argued that 
issues relating to nature cannot be understood solely in terms of 
science or economics, but must be considered within a broader social and 
political context, i.e. problems relating to the natural environment are 
not simply technical challenges that can be addressed through scientific 
or technological solutions alone. To this end, Critical Theory can 
illuminate the relation between industrial power and the domination of 
nature in connection with intersectional and ideological issues of race, 
class, gender, and species (Robbins, 2007).

As part of such considerations, this conference welcomes papers that 
consider the question nature in relation to Critical Theory, including 
but not limited to:

  * Theoretical frameworks for understanding the natural environment
    from a critical perspective
  * The role of power relations in shaping natural environmental policy
    and decision-making
  * The impact of natural environmental degradation on marginalized
    communities
  * The intersection of race, gender, and class in environmental justice
  * The cultural and historical dimensions of environmental discourse
  * The relationship between capitalism and the environment
  * The potential for environmental activism to challenge dominant power
    structures
  * The potential for Critical Theory to address questions related to
    climate change, deforestation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity

The conference welcomes approaches from all aspects of Critical Theory, 
broadly construed. In particular, the conference welcomes papers that 
address issues relating to: African Critical Theory, Digital Culture, 
the intersections between Critical Theory of European origin (Frankfurt 
School, Foucault, etc.), Black Existentialism, and Africana Critical 
Theory as well as contributions *on any and all* aspects of Critical 
Theory, e.g. the 3 generations of Frankfurt School Critical Theory, 
Postcolonial Theory, De-colonial Theory, Critical Feminism, Critical 
Film Studies, Critical Race Theory, Critical Theory of Technology, 
Critical Legal Studies, Post-structuralism, Psychoanalysis, Critical 
Hermeneutics, Liberation Theory, Critical Pedagogy, Critical Theology, 
Critical Anthropology, etc.

The Conference organisers would also appreciate papers that address 
thinkers whose work lies outside the “canon” of Critical Theory, but 
whose work can extend current research in Critical Theory or whose work 
in itself embodies alternative forms of Critical Theory. Whilst the 
organisers encourage contributions that address the conference theme, 
the theme itself should be viewed as merely suggestive.

*__*

*_Submission_*

Please submit a 300-word abstract to (sascrit /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(sascrit /at/ gmail.com)> by the 15th of September 2023. Acceptance 
letters will be sent by the 22nd of September at the latest. The full 
paper should be no more than 3500-4000 words for a 30 min presentation.

Proposals for panel discussion are also welcome.

*_Accommodation_*

In-person attendance at the 
<http://services.nwu.ac.za/sports-village> University of the Free 
Statein Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Limited accommodation will be available on Campus at Kovsie Inn – submit 
queries to (reservations /at/ ufs.ac.za) <mailto:(reservations /at/ ufs.ac.za)> or 
phone them on: +27 51 401 7775

__

A list of alternative places to stay will also be provided (these will 
be sent out with acceptance letters)

Arrangement will be made for online attendance by international 
participants.

*_Conference fees_*

The fee for the three-day conference (including teas and lunches) is 
R1000 (including VAT).

The fee for participating graduate and PhD students is R250.

International speakers who are participating online must pay an online 
fee of R250.

*_Special issue_*

Note also that a special issue on the theme of the conference will be 
published in/ Acta Academica: critical views on society, culture and 
politics/, a DHET-accredited journal.

*_Contact us_*

Should you have queries regarding any aspect of the conference then 
please do not hesitate to contact the conference organising committee:

Mark Amiradakis: (AmiradakisMJ /at/ ufs.ac.za) 
<mailto:(AmiradakisMJ /at/ ufs.ac.za)> (host)

Jean du Toit: (Jean.Dutoit /at/ nwu.ac.za) <mailto:(Jean.Dutoit /at/ nwu.ac.za)>

Gregory Swer: (GregSwer /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(GregSwer /at/ gmail.com)>

*_Bibliography_**__*

**

Cassegård, C., 2021. /Toward a critical theory of nature: Capital, 
ecology, and dialectics/. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Robbins, P. ed., 2007. Encyclopedia of Environment and Society. Vol. 5. 
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.


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