Over the last four decades, the concept of collective identity has attracted considerable attention and generated extensive discussions in the various branches of philosophy, as well as in the human and social sciences. The progressive erosion of stable social milieus and of community cohesion have resulted in the increasing politicization of group identities. On the one hand, this development raises the theoretical question of understanding the very nature of collective identity and the constitution of collective identities. On the other hand, though, the urgent concern for responsible practice in collective identities formation, emerges in all its practical and increasing problematicity.
Paul Ricœur's concept of narrative identity provides a renewed approach to these issues from a hermeneutical point of view. He considers this notion as applicable not only to the individual being, but also to communities. Nevertheless, his treatment of collective identities remains fragmentary in his thought. Ricœur does not give to the concept of collective identity a center place in any of his writings; rather, he discusses the topic from many different angles. Thus, a systematic account of collective identity is missing in his work.
The conference will pursue a twofold aim. First, it seeks to map out Ricœur’s concept of collective identity by systematically questioning its presuppositions and the various contexts in which it is employed in his thought. Secondly, this comprehensive reconstruction will provide the possibility to integrate Ricœur’s hermeneutics more closely with the contemporary debate on collective identities across the human and social sciences, which has so far been dominated by non-hermeneutic approaches.
To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the conference will focus on three major fields of Ricœur’s thought, which have a genuine and explicit reference to the question of the constitution of collective identities.
1. Collective Memory
In Time and Narrative, Ricœur identifies historiography as an essential medium for the construction of collective identities. He discusses again this idea in later texts, particularly in his monograph Memory, History, Forgetting. In his reflections on the philosophy of history, Ricœur arises issues regarding the concept of collective memory. These include, for example, the relationship of collective memory to other constitutive processes of collective identities; the intercultural embedding of collective memory; the relation between transnational and nationstate based forms of collective memory; the ethical-political regulation of conflicts over collective remembering.
2. Recognition and Intersubjectivity
In his last book, The Course of Recognition, Ricœur discusses the identity of concrete historical communities, which unfolds in a dialectic of social practices and ideas. His approach situates the dimension of conflict that marks the articulation of claims for recognition within an ethically motivated perspective. These reflections raise a number of questions, such as how do the processes of recognition relate to collective identities? How are we to understand the relationship between ethics and politics in view of the ethical ideal of mutual recognition?
3. Ethics and Justice
A third perspective on collective identities is implicitly developed in Ricœur’s ethics presented in his book Oneself as Another. In his ‘little ethics’, he relates the self not just to the other of face-to-face direct relationships (community); rather, he focuses on third indirect relationships regulated by institutions (society). In the institutionalized context, the other is the ‘everyone’ in the system of distribution in which the social cohesion of historical communities finds its dynamic development. From an exegetical viewpoint, the main question becomes: how Ricœur’s early reflections on collective identities relate to his mature ethics developed in Oneself as Another? Which are the juridical aspects of collective identities?
Beyond these thematic axes, we also welcome contributions that examine the concept of collective identities in Ricœur’s thought from the perspective of philosophy of religion, literary theory, or ideology criticism.
Abstract Submission:
Submissions from early career scholars and from members of underrepresented groups are welcome and encouraged. Papers should not be longer than 30 minutes when read aloud. Additionally, presentations are followed by a question and answer session (20 minutes).
Please, submit a short abstract of approximately 300-500 words together with a Curriculum Vitae to
ricoeur2021@uni-trier.de
no later than February 15, 2021. The main language of the conference is English. Contributions in French and German are also welcome.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the organization of the conference is dependent on official recommendations. If necessary, the conference will be staged digitally.