Institute of Sociology of University of Wrocław, Faculty of Tourism and Recreation of University School of Physical Education in Poznań, Polish Sociological Association (Wrocław Division), and Wrocław Contemporary Museum

invite you
to the interdisciplinary conference

BODY IS A TRICKSTER.
SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXTS OF EXPERIENCING THE BODY

on the 10th December, 2015 in Contemporary Museum in Wrocław

The English word trick displays meanings that greatly characterise human’s corporality and embodiment when faced by the science: from trap, deceit, trickery, through trick, prank, to skill, dexterity, and habits (and these are not all of them; even the colloquial meanings of the said word appear to reflect the situation of sciences tackling the issue of the body). The more we know about human body, the more aware we are that it cannot be reduced to any of its parts, functions, or characteristics. We are increasingly conscious that it is a complex whole. It cannot be denied that human body placed within the social frame of reference becomes a tricky business.

The body is, at the same time, a biological organism, an experience influencing social relations, and a system of representation. As an organic object, it conjoins differentiated social meanings. It cannot be positioned unequivocally on either social, biological, or natural side of the world; it is not solely pre-social or post-biological phenomenon. The scientists are increasingly aware that if one would possess different corporality, one’s world would differ, including its social aspects. Post modernity perceives the body as multidimensional medium constituting societies. Therefore, it is fundamental in the process of building societies, societal relations, and individual identities. As both biological and social entity, it is influenced by communal relations and cultural classifications through the possibility of their application. Human body, looked at from this briefly described perspectives, appears to be very polysemiotic, polymorphic and very surprising. It is a real trickster!

The aim of the conference is to facilitate a reflective discussion on various aspects of human embodiment and its presence (lack thereof) in the everyday experience. The goal is not to enumerate issues or ask specific questions, but to present the architectonic of human body experience and attempts to determine when and how the body is present in our experiences (as well as whether we learn something from its lack) as an area of reflection, research, and analysis. Therefore, we attempt to make the body an area of interdisciplinary exchange of both objective and methodological nature (an exchange between sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, philosophers, but also scientists researching sport, tourism and leisure, as well as senses and related semiosis and functions of exclusively human creations, such as cooking, meals, kiss etc.). It is also an occasion to determine the present state of study on body and embodiment; to reveal how the body is experienced; to establish socially agreed meanings and categories in which the body experience is understood and described, as well as their significance in the production and support of different social orders: corporal, interactional, sexual, macro-social/class, material etc.

The discussion shall take place in the form of presentations (15-20 minutes each) assigned to the thematic groups. Thematic groups as well as specific topics shall be designed on the basis of submitted and accepted presentations. Organisers expect to publish a volume with conference proceedings. The participants are encouraged to write articles, which should not exceed 40 000 characters with spaces and should present extensively the subject of the conference presentation. Articles can be written in Polish or English language. Collected papers will be submitted for peer review. The positively reviewed articles shall be published as chapters to the monograph.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM COUNCIL:
dr hab. Dorota Majka-Rostek
(Institute of Sociology, University of Wrocław)

dr hab. prof. AWF Beata Pluta
(Faculty of Tourism and Recreation, University School of Physical Education, in Poznań)

dr hab. Agata Wiza
(Faculty of Tourism and Recreation, University School of Physical Education in Poznań)

dr Ewa Banaszak
(Institute of Sociology, University of Wrocław)

dr Paweł Czajkowski
(Institute of Sociology, University of Wrocław)

dr Robert Florkowski
(Faculty of Tourism and Recreation, University School of Physical Education in Poznań)

CONFERENCE ORGANISATIONAL COMMITTEE:
dr Ewa Banaszak
(Institute of Sociology, University of Wrocław)

dr Robert Florkowski
(Faculty of Tourism and Recreation, University School of Physical Education in Poznań)

mgr Aleksandra Drabina
(Institute of Sociology, University of Wrocław)

CONFERENCE FEE – 60€

DEADLINES:

▪ 18th October, 2015 – sending the drafts of presentations with their abstracts to the email tricksterkonferencja@gmail.com; registration form available at www.socjologia.uni.wroc.pl/dzialalnosc-naukowa/wydarzenia,

▪ 20th October, 2015 – feedback regarding the acceptance of the presentations,

▪ 31st October, 2015 – payment of the conference fee to the following account: “Uniwersytet Wrocławski pl. Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137 W-w”; Bank Zachodni WBK S.A. 1 o/Wrocław ul. Rynek 9/11, 50-950 Wrocław, account number: PL 56 1090 2398 0000 0001 1108 0646 SWIFT WBK PPL PP; postscript “Trickster (conference) – 92N/2015 – name and surname of participant”,

▪ 8th December, 2015 – submission of the multimedia presentation (.ppt format) to the following address: tricksterkonferencja@gmail.com (only if a participant wishes to use a multimedia presentation),

▪ 10th December, 2015 – the conference,

▪ 31st December, 2015 – submission of the articles prepared for publication; capacity of paper cannot not exceed 40 000 characters with spaces. The article edition must meet the APA style criteria.