Posthumanism: Cinema Philosophy Media 15 to 17 May 2020 at Brock University (St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada)

How do moving images and thinking intersect to mobilize posthumanist perspectives? More than cinema as philosophy or the philosophy of media, this conference welcomes papers that interrogate posthuman pathways emerging within the intersections of cinema, philosophy, and media as well as those yet to come. While the field of posthumanism possesses a newness within the Humanities, the vibrant thinking that unfolds in the wake of challenging and reimagining the foundations of Humanism and the Humanities launches our disciplinary and interdisciplinary endeavors into a new century.

At the turn of the last century, cinema and moving images allowed for new perspectives on nonhuman reality: for the first time, phenomena ordinarily outside of human perception – too fast, slow, big, or small – could be recorded and consumed. The emergence of posthumanism over the last several decades has sparked a new re-conceptualization of the human, and once again questions of media and mediation are central to how we imagine, represent, and construe ourselves and our relations to others, human and nonhuman alike. Furthermore, philosophy remains a force through which speculative cinema and media studies projects unfold. Therefore, we seek to welcome emerging work in posthumanist philosophy that can enter into conversation with cinema and media studies projects.

“Posthumanism: Cinema Philosophy Media” will take place at Brock University, 15 to 17 May 2020. Confirmed keynote speakers include Elena del Río (University of Alberta), Kalpana Seshadri (Boston College), and James Cahill (University of Toronto). The event will be preceded by a summer school, “Posthumanism: Moving Thoughts and Images”, at which graduate students will have the opportunity to engage in small seminars with the keynote speakers and other scholars from the Posthumanism Research Institute/Network (brocku.ca/pri/). The summer school takes place from 12 to 14 May 2020 – more information soon to come.

We welcome proposals for 20-minute presentations on any subject related to posthumanism, cinema, new media, and philosophy, including but not limited to:

● Posthuman ontologies of new media (e.g. video games, platforms, social media)

● Posthuman interpretations or histories of early cinema

● Cinema and posthuman ethics (e.g. environmentalism, animal rights)

● Digital technologies and nonhuman perspectives (e.g. drones) ● Media and the construction of the (post)human

● Representations of posthuman relations

● Posthuman philosophy (e.g. ethics, ontology, politics)

● Cinema and media projects that incorporate posthuman concepts into analysis

● Posthuman forms (e.g. the speculative potentialities of reading cinema and media)

● Theoretical engagements with posthumanism (e.g. affect, gender, race, ecology)

● Moving images as a means of rethinking life

● Moving images and expressions of posthumanism

Proposals should include a 350-500 words abstract, a brief author bio, bibliography (5 sources maximum), and 5 keywords. Please submit your proposals no later than 1 December 2019 to posthuman@brocku.ca. Graduate students should also confirm whether they wish to participate in the summer school. In addition, financial support for travel and accommodations may be available to eligible graduate students.

Any questions about the conference can be forwarded to the co-organizers (Terrance McDonald and Chelsea Birks): posthuman@brocku.ca.