PICT Co-organizes Saramago Conference

PICT will co-organize the VII International José Saramago Conference, to be held from 26 to 29 October 2022 at the University of Vigo. The conference, entitled “José Saramago’s Philosophical and Socio-Political Heritage,” takes its theme from the book Saramago’s Philosophical Heritage, co-edited by PICT faculty members Carlo Salzani and Kristof K.P. Vanhoutte in 2018.

As the conference announces, “Saramago’s work deals with the most pressing issues of the world today: from gender equality, environmentalism, speciesism vs. anti-speciesism, consumerism vs. anti-consumerism, culturalism vs. anti-culturalism to capitalism and the neoliberal economy. That is why his work provides an excellent starting point for the critical examination of our globalised society and the cultures and economic and political structures of the West, which have been affected by ongoing crises in recent times.”

PICT is co-organizing the event along with the University of Vigo, Universidade Lusófona, Camões Instituto da Cooperaçāo e da Lingua Portugal, Fundaçāo Eng. António de Almeida, and Fundaçāo José Saramago. Besides serving on the Organizing Committee, Kristof will deliver one of the event’s Keynote Speeches while Carlo will also serve as the organizer of the conference panel devoted to “Animals, Empathy, and Anthropomorphism in Saramago’s Work.”

The conference is accepting paper proposals until 20 April 2022; the English Call for Papers can be found here.