Public Republic

10th Biennial Radical Philosophy Association Conference and 30th Anniversary of the RPA

Canisius College, Buffalo, New York
October 11-14/2012

The 10th Biennial Radical Philosophy Association Conference which coincides with the 30th Anniversary of the RPA, will bring together some of the world’s best philosophers who will be discussing theoretical and practical issues in:

• environmentalism
• understanding violence
• feminism
• postmodern and radical education
• colonialism and imperialism
• communism/ socialism and capitalism
• theorizing race and oppression
• Marxism and feminism
• democracy and liberalism

The Conference will be held in Buffalo, New York from October 11-14, 2012 at Canisius College, 2001 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14208

“If something is controversial, it may mean that we may have hit upon something that requires unpacking, reflection and dialogue — something vital,” said local conference organizer Tanya Loughead, Ph. D. “And, indeed, these are vitally important topics for our time, and they need to be discussed with sophistication, with openness, with a shared commitment to work against oppressions of all kinds. These are not simple problems that we face, and we cannot face them with simplistic solutions, lacking new ideas or visions for society.

Normally the conference is held at a much larger university… In this case I volunteered to host the conference at Canisius, I made a strong case for Canisius and for Buffalo, and the organization voted in the affirmative. The last few RPA conferences were hosted by University of Oregon (2010), San Francisco State (2008) and Creighton University (2006).”

What radical responses are needed to address the crises in economics worldwide? What place does class (and class analysis) have in discussions of radical ideas, radical politics, or radical critiques of the political economy? How does one radically rethink the concept of class in light of current crises? How does one think radically about democracy or statehood/nationhood? What is radical political engagement? What does radical philosophy have to say about current protest movements in the US and worldwide?

What is radical art, radical expression, a radical style? How can such aesthetic categories and concerns contribute to changing/transforming the world?
What is radical pedagogy? How can teachers help to radically change the world in positive ways?

Come join the search for answers

For more information about the conference, or to register, visit www.radicalphilosophyassociation.org/2012-conference.html or contact the local conference organizer Tanya Loughead at tanya.loughead@canisius.edu

See the full conference program schedule here

About the Radical Philosophy Association:
“Founded in 1982, RPA members struggle against capitalism, racism, sexism, homophobia, disability discrimination, environmental ruin, and all other forms of domination. We also oppose substituting new forms of authoritarianism for the ones we are now fighting.

Our efforts are guided by the vision of a society founded on cooperation instead of competition, in which all areas of society are, as far as possible, governed by democratic decision-making. We believe that fundamental change requires broad social upheavals but also opposition to intellectual support for exploitative and dehumanizing social structures.

Our members are from many nations and continue a variety of radical traditions including (but not limited to) feminism, phenomenology, Marxism, anarchism, post-structuralism, post-colonial theory and environmentalism.” www.radicalphilosophyassociation.org

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Conference sponsored by: Canisius College, Department of Philosophy + Ethics and Justice Programs, the William H. Fitzpatrick Institute of Public Affairs and Leadership at Canisius College, the Vincent M. Cooke Chair in Ethics Endowment

Visual design by: James Neiler – Creative Services, Canisius College.