File spoon-archives/bhaskar.archive/bhaskar_2002/bhaskar.0208, message 1


Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 18:50:08 +0100
From: Mervyn Hartwig <mh-AT-jaspere.demon.co.uk>
Subject: BHA: Conference


Hi listers and councillors (esp. those who couldn't get there),

The 2002 IACR Conference (in Bradford UK) has come and - not exactly
gone, because it will reverberate - better, has happened. I think it was
one of the best - friendly and constructive as usual, in a pleasant
environment and very well organized by Wendy Olsen and helpers. 

Roy Bhaskar kicked off with an eloquent introductory talk on his new
philosophy of meta-reality. How well it was received is suggested by the
fact that all copies of the three new books that are out were quickly
snapped up at the book launch afterwards. The second plenary was given
by Hugh Lacey, who gave a brilliant talk on 'Explanatory critiques and
movements for liberation'. This was practical philosophy at its best,
bringing CR philosophy into relationship with emancipatory movements in
Brazil and vice versa. The third plenary was taken by Heikki Patomaki.
This outlined and critiqued the dominant problematic in international
relations and argued the case for an alternative CR one, making exciting
suggestions about how this can be deployed in thinking about and helping
to transform our 'globalizing' world for the better. A fourth plenary
took the form of a panel devoted to 'Realist social theory and empirical
research'. Here Bob Carter and Caroline New, reporting on some of the
results and problems thrown up by their recent ESRC seminar series on
realism and empirical research, were joined by Berth Danermark whose
important (jointly authored) recently translated book on *Explaining
Society* is a wonderfully clear and helpful introduction to CR and CR
methodology. In a closing plenary Alan Norrie, Doug Porpora and Rachel
Sharp 'took stock' of the conference.

I think the streaming of the other papers worked well (Realism, Research
and Practice). A highlight for me personally was the extent to which the
papers brought CR into practical relation with movements for change,
whether on the part of oppressed groups in the South (here Australia,
Brazil and Mozambique were 'represented') or within organizations and
institutions generally. Another was a by all accounts (I didn't attend)
very successful and well attended workshop on the day preceding the
conference for postgraduate students and others seeking an introduction
to CR. A deficiency for me was the continuing relative absence of
dialectics as distinct from analytics. I understand that an explicit
call will be made for papers with dialectical motifs for the next
conference, and the workshop will include an introduction to dialectics
and DPF. I was a little disappointed at the overall attendance which was
down a bit on the usual. I think it was held at the wrong time for the
UK, when most academics and many students are on holiday. The most
important consideration in my view is what time best suits the locals.

At the AGM the treasurer reported a fairly healthy financial situation.
A decision was taken to accept the offer of The Philosophers' Magazine
to allow us to build a website for JCR on their server and to ask
Wallace Polsom to build it in return for a modest honorarium (Wallace,
who has already done a great deal of work for CCR/IACR, will maintain
the site for free). We hope to have the site up and running in time for
the JCR launch as a refereed journal in November this year; membership/
subs will include online access. The AGM also decided to set
significantly differential membership and subscription rates for
individuals and institutions in OECD-type and non-OECD-type countries.

The next conference will be held in Amsterdam (16-18th August - same
time, but I understand this is quite good for Dutch academics, who are
returning from hols by then.) Be there if you can! It's perhaps the best
way there is to support the development of CR.

Mervyn
-- 
Mervyn Hartwig
Editor, Journal of Critical Realism
13 Spenser Road
Herne Hill
London SE24 ONS
United Kingdom
Tel: 020 7 737 2892
Email: <mh-AT-jaspere.demon.co.uk>

Subscription forms: 
http://www.criticalrealism.demon.co.uk/iacr/membership.html

There is another world, but it is in this one.
Paul Eluard



     --- from list bhaskar-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005