Interdisciplinary Conference, 27-28 August
Vilnius University, Faculty of Philology, 5 Universiteto st.
Rooms 118 (V. Krėvės), 115A, 115B.
Initiated by the (Post)Authoritarian Landscapes Research Centre (PAScapes) at Vilnius University, this event invites participants to examine the notion of the ecosocial as a landscape, milieu, and site of encounter with a potential to reconfigure coexistence and build practices of transformation.
The concept of the ecosocial functions both as a conceptual umbrella and as a methodological tool for addressing interdisciplinary challenges that encompass philosophical, environmental, social, authoritarian, and postcolonial dimensions. Although still insufficiently examined within the context of philosophy, it rests on strong philosophical foundations. Nancy Krieger, the originator of ecosocial theory, reveals the intertwining of biological and psychosocial domains, aiming to analyze the distribution of disease by tracing the interconnections between pathological development and the social conditions that structure public health. Beyond this context, the notion also encompasses ecosocial imaginaries (Sandra Waddock), inviting us to reconsider the ways in which humans relate to the world beyond the frameworks of social imaginaries (Charles Taylor) or collective imaginaries (Cornelius Castoriadis). Thinkers such as Gregory Bateson, Félix Guattari, and Isabelle Stengers have emphasized that ecology exceeds the boundaries of environmental science, extending into the mental and social domains. At its core, ecology can thus be understood as the study of relationships in all their forms and interconnections. Accordingly, the eco-societal dimension can be approached through inclusive frameworks that require a careful reconsideration of places, roles, and sites of encounter and interaction—ecosocial landscapes that shape our coexistence. It is no coincidence that the ecosocial is also associated with the field of social work or education sciences, as it carries a strong emphasis on practices oriented toward transformation and change.
Invited and local keynote lecturers:
Vaiva Daraškevičiūtė (PAScapes, Vilnius University)
Marija Drėmaitė (PAScapes, Vilnius University)
Markus Gabriel (University of Bonn)
Mintautas Gutauskas (PAScapes, Vilnius University)
Luba Jurgenson (Sorbonne University)
Lambros Malafouris (University of Oxford)
Svitlana Matviyenko (Simon Fraser University)
Kristupas Sabolius (PAScapes, Vilnius University)
Cary Wolfe (Rice University)
Audronė Žukauskaitė (Lithuanian Culture Research Institute)
Conference organisers. Ecosocial Ideas Research Group at PAScapes, Vilnius University:
Kristupas Sabolius (Head of Group, Vilnius University, PAScapes)
Dominykas Barusevičius (Vilnius University, PAScapes)
Vaiva Daraškevičiūtė (Vilniaus universitetas, PAScapes)
Mintautas Gutauskas (Vilniaus universitetas, PAScapes)
Anda Pleniceanu (Vilnius University, PAScapes)
THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.
