Beyond Classical Key Concepts; Research Training Seminar

3.12.2008 till 5.12.2008

Beyond Classical Key Concepts

Research Training Seminar in San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja, Spain. December 3-5, 2008

There is a growing awareness of the need to contextualise and analyse the different uses of concepts that are ideologically loaded but do not live their lives in the immediate core of political theory. New words are entering the political and social language. One can only think of such words as "management" (which is new in a political context) and "health" not to mention "terrorism" and "climate change".
This workshop will move beyond classical key concepts in two ways. It will study the emergence of new political concepts or the transfer of concepts from traditional locations to new politicized ones, and it will extend conceptual analysis to areas where it has not been practised before. The seminar gives students an opportunity to present papers related to their research as well as to receive comments from CONCEPTA Board members and invited scholars.

Papers on concepts belonging to following conceptual clusters are especially welcomed:

1. Other, foreigner, normality
2. Health, sickness, treatment
3. Economics, markets, consumer, nature, environment
4. Information, knowledge, opinion, debate
5. Geographical proper names

Papers on methodological issues are also welcome. Course is multidisciplinary but papers that have a linguistic approach are preferred. There will also be  special Latin American Workshop on Conceptual History.

Please send your application together with the abstract (max. one page) and a short cover letter explaining how you may benefit from the seminar in your further studies or work to:
Sami Syrjämäki: sami.syrjamaki (at) uta.fi;
Nere Basabe: nbasabem (at) cps.ucm.es

Deadline for applications September 25, 2008. The results will be announced in early October. Final papers should be sent to organizers by November 15, 2008.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Johan Edman, Lene Hansen, Jan Ifversen, Shigehisa Kuriyama, Kari Palonen, Javier Fernández Sebastián and Kerstin Stenius

ORGANISERS: CONCEPTA – International Research School in Conceptual History and Political Thought, CILENGUA – Centro Internacional de Investigación de la Lengua Española, in collaboration with ‘Iberconcepta’, and a Nordic network, sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, with representatives from four Nordic universities.

REGISTRATION: free
ACCOMMODATION in the student house: free
TRAVEL GRANTS: A number of travel grants will be available to contribute towards students’ travel expenses. Although, students should be aware that these grants might not cover full costs. Those wishing to apply for a travel grant should indicate this in their applications. There will be a free transportation from Madrid to San Millán de la Cogolla and back.

CONTACTS:
Evgeny Roshchin evroshch (at) jyu.fi;
Sami Syrjämäki: sami.syrjamaki (at) uta.fi;
Nere Basabe: nbasabem (at) cps.ucm.es

Please, see http://www.concepta-net.org/ for more information and updates.