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Call for Papers Theme: In Search of Zera Yacob Type: Graduate and Early Career Researchers Conference Institution: Worcester College, University of Oxford Location: Oxford (United Kingdom) Date: Spring 2021 Deadline: 31.12.2020 __________________________________________________ We invite proposals for papers to be presented at an international conference entitled ‘In Search of Zera Yacob’, to take place at Worcester College, University of Oxford, in the Spring of 2021. The exact dates have yet to be confirmed, subject to Covid-19 pandemic developments. In Search of Zera Yacob will be the first international and interdisciplinary conference on two remarkable philosophical texts from Ethiopia and the ongoing debate over their authorship. These two texts, the Ḥatäta Zär’a Ya‛ǝqob and the Ḥatäta Walda Heywat, have been objects of suspicion and admiration since their discovery (or perhaps their forgery) in 1852 by the Capuchin monk Giusto d’Urbino, both for their intrinsic philosophical interest and apparent historical singularity in the Ethiopian and African contexts. The question is whether they have a genuine 17th century Ethiopian authorship, or whether the supposed ‘discoverer’ of the texts, the 19th century Capuchin monk Giusto d’Urbino, was in fact their secret author. This conference will serve first and foremost to put scholars from across the world, and across disciplinary boundaries, into dialogue with one another on the highly contested question of authorship. It aims, if not to conclusively resolve the authorship question, to at least stimulate a productive dialogue between scholars on the structure of the authenticity debate as it has played out over the last century. It would also serve, if a 17th century authorship is demonstrated, as a prolegomenon to any serious philosophical study of Zera Yacob’s work, and for thinking about his place in the global history of philosophy. Topics of Interest The central question this conference hopes to explore is whether the texts have a genuine 17th century Ethiopian authorship, or whether the supposed ‘discoverer’ of the texts, the 19th century Capuchin monk Giusto d’Urbino, was in fact their secret author. The conference works on the assumption that the texts are interesting either way: - If the works are authentic, there is plenty to do, both in terms of studying the philosophy and literary qualities of the works, but also in understanding what they mean for the history of philosophy (that modern philosophy was born almost simultaneously in Ethiopia as in Europe; that they are the oldest texts in the context of sub-Saharan African philosophy; that they open up interesting questions of influence, etc.), and in to thinking about why they were considered fakes for so long; - If they are not authentic, how are we to best understand them? Are they still interesting as works of philosophy? If not, why not? And how do they fare as literary creations? If they are fakes, how do they relate to other historical texts from Ethiopia and from the philosophical canon? We are interested in papers that approach either horn of the authenticity question from the perspectives of: global philosophy, Ge’ez literature and philology, orientalism and the academy, the history of forgeries, Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, the history of modern Ethiopia, the cultural politics of philosophy, etc. Eligibility: The CfP is exclusively open to graduate students and early career researchers within five years of completion of their PhD. Submission Guidelines We will be considering two types of submission: - A 500-word abstract suitable for a 20-minute presentation; - Or: A full paper (not exceeding 8000 words, including footnotes but not including references) in addition to a 300-word abstract, to be considered both for presentation at the conference and for publication in an edited volume (to be reviewed for acceptance as part of De Gruyter’s ‘New Studies in the History and Historiography of Philosophy’ series). To submit an abstract or full paper, please send a .doc or .pdf file to yacobconfere...@gmail.com. Please write ‘Conference Submission’ in the subject line of your email and include your name, departmental affiliation, email address, and the title of your paper (as well as the year in which your PhD was awarded in the case of early career researchers) in your email. Abstracts (and papers, if relevant) should be prepared for blind review, so please ensure that your document is free from any identifying personal details. The submission deadline is 31 December 2020. Note that full paper submissions only will be considered for publication. We will notify authors of acceptance by 31 January 2021 at the latest. We hope to be able to contribute to travel and accommodation expenses for any speakers wishing to attend the conference, pending further funding applications and Covid-related complications. However, so as to make the conference maximally accessible to those who might not be able to travel in these difficult times, arrangements can certainly be made to incorporate talks given by video link. Invited Speakers Prof. Getatchew Haile, Curator Emeritus of the Ethiopian Study Center at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library Dr Anaïs Wion, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Prof. Wendy Belcher, Princeton University Dr Ralph Lee, SOAS Prof. Justin E. H. Smith, University of Paris 7 - Denis Diderot Dr Chike Jeffers, Dalhousie University Dr Fasil Merawi, Addis Ababa University Prof. John Marenbon, University of Cambridge Prof. Peter Adamson, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich/King's College London Prof. Binyam Mekonnen, Addis Ababa University Conference Organizers Jonathan Egid Lea Cantor Robin Brons Justin Holder Johann Go For all enquiries, please contact: yacobconfere...@gmail.com More information can be found on the conference website: https://zerayacobconference.weebly.com __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: https://interphil.polylog.org InterPhil List Archive: https://www.mail-archive.com/interphil@list.polylog.org/ __________________________________________________
