Conference Program

Thematic Description

The issue of understanding borders and their changes has been encountered for centuries, but its relevance has become particularly acute in the 20th and 21st centuries. Under the influence of globalization and integration, the implementation of border transformation has proved to remain problematic for many reasons. Central Europe is not an isolated island, but a region of the globe from which people have migrated to various countries, especially the United States, Canada, and South American countries. At the same time, people from different cultures, traditions and religions live together in Central Europe. For centuries they have traded, worked and mixed with each other, and their coexistence has been disrupted quite often by rebellions and wars. The infamous steel curtain separated Central Europe from the free world for much of the 20th century. The concept of “open borders,” 9/11, the migration crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine have brought new experience of the transformation of borders  and of the understanding of freedom, values, human dignity and the resolution of specific social issues.

The current state of border studies shows that recent developments have profoundly transformed the meaning of borders. The dialectical tension between the static and dynamic elements of borders has changed dramatically. The impact of borders on human activities has been reformulated. Although the degree of openness of borders remains a fundamental condition for cooperation, the border transformation at the international, national and local levels is effected by socio-political, economic and cultural changes. In the light of current social realities, it is necessary to rethink the transformation of borders from a philosophical perspective, to clarify the very notion of borders and their transformation as well as the cultural context of change.

The transformation of borders can be adequately comprehended through intercultural dialogue, in which basic anthropines such as culture, dialogue, religion, and solidarity can be reflected. These anthropines tend towards a mutually diverse participation, but their deviant interpretation causes isolationism and antagonistic hostile attitudes.

The need for philosophical reflection on the transformation of borders is not only conditioned by the historical experience of the European region, but also by the experience of the current scientific and technological field, which, with its enormously rapid pace of development, confronts humans with new questions arising from the use of technology. Merely emphasizing the results of the empirical sciences as a completely exhaustive representation of reality impoverishes the perception of the human being in his/her full anthropological breadth. Since the empirical sciences are defined by a specific theme and method, they do not deal with the impact of their own accounts within the holistic dimension of human life; therefore there is a mercantilization of culture, dialogue, religion, and solidarity, even in the context of the transformation of boundaries.

Participants are be invited to critically examine the impact of religion, solidarity, and intercultural dialogue in the process of border transformation, for such a critical examination is indispensable. The interpretation of the concepts of religion, culture, and solidarity varies considerably depending on the specific historical, religious, and social situation, especially in terms of the understanding of the meaning and transformation of borders.

The following topics could be discussed during the conference:

1. philosophical reflection on intercultural dialogue and solidarity in global context

2. cultural preconditions of the border transformation

3. the impact of technologies on communication across borders

4. the formation of human communities: meaning, condition, and development

5. the historical context of the border transformation in Central Europe during the 20th and 21st centuries

6. socio-political, cultural, and religious changes in Central Europe

Abstract

Please send an abstract (300 to 500 words) and a brief CV to Pavol Dancák [pavol.dancak@unipo.sk] and [cua-rvp@cua.edu] by March 30, 2023. Full paper will be due on May 20, 2023. Well-developed papers after peer review will be published by the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy in its publication series “Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change.”

Logistics

There is no registration fee. Participants will cover their own travel costs and other expenses. The local organizer will provide accommodations during the conference.

The conference will be conducted in English.

Contact

Pavol Dancák

Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Greek-Catholic Theological Faculty

University of Prešov

Prešov, Slovakia

pdancak@gmail.com
pavol.dancak@unipo.sk