About the Conference

This conference aims to explore phenomenology’s identity and vitality in the 21^st-century. Phenomenology has long been regarded as one of the central legacies of 20^th-century philosophy, but its historical development and ongoing diversification have rendered its unity increasingly opaque. While phenomenology emerged as a rigorous method for describing conscious experience, it has continuously evolved through dialogue with other philosophical traditions, empirical sciences, and socio-political movements. Its resulting pluralism raises a fundamental question: what, if anything, still unites phenomenology today?

This question raises two sets of issues. The first is historical: how should phenomenology be defined and reconstructed as a tradition? Is it best understood as a movement anchored in key figures such as Brentano, Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Stein or rather as a set of methodological commitments that continue to animate contemporary thought? 

The second set of issues is systematic. It asks in which philosophical domains the phenomenological tradition continues to offer distinctive insights, and what problems it is uniquely positioned to illuminate. While phenomenology originated in the analysis of consciousness and intentionality, it now addresses a wide range of questions concerning linguistic, social, moral, and political life. The conference will examine how phenomenological approaches shed light on philosophical problems while engaging not only with other traditions within philosophy, e.g., analytic philosophy or (post)-critical traditions, but also with other academic disciplines.

Accordingly, the meeting will foreground a series of core themes that exemplify phenomenology’s continuing relevance as a philosophical approach. These include its contributions to the philosophy of mind, epistemology, value theory, political and social philosophy, psychopathology, and metaphysics. By situating phenomenology within this constellation of philosophical subfields and key substantive questions, the conference aims to underscore its ongoing significance. 

 

Plenary Speakers

Nicolas De Warren (Pennsylvania State University)

Thomas Fuchs (University of Heidelberg)

Sara Heinämaa (University of Jyväskylä)

Michelle Montague (University of Texas at Austin) 

Kevin Mulligan (University of Geneva) 

Hans Bernhard Schmid (University of Vienna)

Amie Thomasson (Dartmouth College)

 

 

For more information:

 

https://www.unige.ch/lettres/philo/recherche/inbegriff/phenotoday

Call for papers

Contributed Talks

Contributed talks may be on any topic related to phenomenology. They should aim at clarifying what phenomenology is, articulating the contributions it can offer to philosophy and other disciplines, and assessing its past, present, and future. 

Contributed talks will be 45 minutes in length (incl. Q&A) and will run in parallel sessions. The conference will feature a number of invited contributions, including presentations by the plenary speakers listed below.

 

Venue and Schedule

The conference will take place at the Congressi Stefano Franscini at Monte Verità in Ascona, a historically significant site that has long been associated with avant-garde art, political movements, and the humanities (for more information on the venue, see www.monteverita.org).

The conference is conceived as a five-day residential meeting held from Monday, July 20, to Friday, July 24, with participants arriving in Ascona on Sunday the 19^th and departing on Friday the 24^th.

A doctoral school in phenomenology will run in parallel at the same venue and on the same dates, organised by the Western Switzerland University Conference.

 

Costs

There are no registration fees for the event. However, the cost of full board at Monte Verità is 225 CHF per day (approximately 250 EUR). Arrival on the 19^th of July and departure on the 24^th correspond to a 5-day full-board stay.

Depending on the availability of funds, some applicants may receive partial reimbursement of their expenses. Further information will be provided upon acceptance of submissions.

 

Submission

Please submit the following documents to hannah.kirchner@unige.ch by 28 February 2026: 

-       Anonymised abstract of up to 600 words

-       Cover letter indicating position, institutional affiliation, e-mail address, and the possibility of covering part (or all) of the fees (see details above)

Decisions will be communicated by the end of March.