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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wandering with Spinoza
Conference<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN>The Centre for
Ideas<BR>Victorian College of the Arts<BR>Melbourne, Australia<BR>13 – 15
September, 2006<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Closing date for abstracts is 30 May
2006<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Centre for Ideas at the
Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia presents an
interdisciplinary Conference on the work, thought and influence of
Spinoza.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">‘Wandering with Spinoza’, 13, 14,
and 15 September, 2006.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Confirmed Keynote speakers: Alain
Badiou, Jean-Luc Nancy, Mieke Bal, Thomas Hirschhorn and Genevieve
Lloyd.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Other confirmed speakers:
Michael Mack, Andrew Benjamin, Alexander Garcia Düttmann and Paul Carter
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">There are at least two senses in
which “wandering” can be taken as a productive category to approach Spinoza’s
thought. First, it could designate Spinoza’s image of the human as the
“little worm in the blood” which wanders around the cosmic circulation system.
To follow this “worm” is to follow Spinoza’s thought, from the impassioned
geometrical writings to the personal epistolary exchanges. But, like the
“worm” that the human is, one’s thought will not be allowed to rest at one
particular point, instead one wanders on with Spinoza. The second meaning
of the “wandering” could refer to the divergent routes and detours that the
explications of Spinoza’s work has taken. From materialist to rationalist,
from political philosopher to metaphysician, from heretic to theologian – the
import of Spinoza’s thinking also eludes a single trajectory.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">At the same time, if both of the
above senses are retained, then a third one will also come into light.
Namely, that as one confronts Spinoza’s thought and its reception, then
that confrontation itself will become nomadic, passing on and through various
spheres. A wandering that goes from the purity and eternality of
philosophical thinking to the particularity and heterogeneity of art and
politics – and then back again. Thus, Spinoza raises a challenge to the
disciplines that approach questions of what it means to be human.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The conference “Wandering with
Spinoza” will respond to those movements, not by remaining faithful to Spinoza
himself. Rather, the conference calls on the responsibility to “wander
with” as an enterprise which can be reduced neither to an individual, nor to
determinate boundaries. This call for papers is extended to everyone who
likes to take on this responsibility.</SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Abstracts of 150 words should be
sent by <STRONG>30 May 2006 </STRONG>to <STRONG><A
href="mailto:e.presa@vca.unimelb.edu.au">e.presa@vca.unimelb.edu.au</A></STRONG></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dimitris Vardoulakis<BR>Centre for
Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies<BR>Building 11<BR>Monash
University<BR>Clayton, Vic 3800<BR>Australia</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">tel: +61 3 9905 9009<BR>fax: +61 3
9905 5593<BR>email: <A
href="mailto:Dimitrios.Vardoulakis@arts.monash.edu.au">Dimitrios.Vardoulakis@arts.monash.edu.au</A><BR><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>