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 ---
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