Deadline for Edith Stein submissions

Call for Papers:
The Edith Stein Project
Encountering Vulnerability: Courage, Hope, and Trust in the 21st Century
Seventh Annual Conference
February 10-11th, 2012
DEADLINE EXTENDED! New deadline: December 15th, 2011.

The Identity Project of Notre Dame is proud to present the theme for its seventh annual conference, "Encountering Vulnerability: Courage, Hope and Trust in the 21st Century."

The 2012 Edith Stein Project will address the idea of vulnerability and how it affects our identity and relationships as human beings. While vulnerability often carries with it a negative connotation and is associated with abuse, instability, and heartache, perhaps there is another side to vulnerability. In addition to examining ways in which it may be misused, we must also consider its value. If vulnerability is intrinsic to us as human beings, is there a proper place for it in our identity and our relationships?

Through the presentations and panels of this year's Project, we hope to explore this question and accomplish two objectives:

(1) To offer hope and healing to those who have been harmed by the exploitation of their vulnerability
(2) To examine the positive role of vulnerability, particularly within relationships.

 As always, we look to St. Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta) for inspiration. A philosopher and convert who was martyred in Auschwitz in 1942, Edith Stein wrote on questions of human dependency and suffering, particularly pertaining to women.

We hope to provide a balance of academic presentations from various disciplines and personal stories relating to the theme of vulnerability and how it relates to our dignity as human persons. We welcome the submission of abstracts drawing on a wide range of perspectives and academic specialties. Special consideration will be given to submissions of ideas for panel discussions that would bring together several speakers to discuss a focused theme.

Possible topics may include but are not limited to:

•         The writings of Edith Stein
•         Like a Child: Innocence and its relationship to vulnerability
•         The Vulnerability of God in the Incarnation and Crucifixion
•         Vulnerability in a world of Talk Shows and Reality TV
•         The Effects of Eating Disorders
•         Vulnerability and the Greek loves
•         Vulnerability and the Blessed Virgin Mary
•         The Book of Ruth and/or Book of Judith
•         John Paul II’s Muleris Dignitatem
•         Disability Studies and Vulnerability
•         The Effects of the "Hook-Up" Culture
•         The role of openness and/or trust in friendships
•         Vulnerability and Femininity/Masculinity
•         The Vulnerability of a Faithful Witness to the Faith
•         Women in the Workplace
•         John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae
•         Vulnerability as a binding force within communities
•         Advertising and the Distortion of Beauty
•         Vulnerability and Sexuality
•         Healthy Vulnerability in Relationships: Developing Trust and/or Forgiveness
•         Technology as a means to avoid vulnerability and openness
•         Vulnerability and the spiritual life

One-page abstracts for individual papers should include name, title, affiliation (academic or otherwise), address, and e-mail address. Presentations should be approximately 30 - 45 minutes in length, or, for panel discussions, one hour total. 

The deadline for submissions is December 15th, 2011.  Notification of acceptance will be mailed by January 1st, 2012. Abstracts should be emailed to edith.stein.nd@gmail.com.

More information on the Edith Stein Project, including the full Project Description and Call for Papers can be found on our web site: www.nd.edu/~idnd.