Creative Democracy: The Task Before Us Today (CFP)

CALL FOR PROPOSALS:

John Dewey Society Panel on Dewey and Philosophy:

2017 Topic: Creative Democracy – The Task Before Us Today

Due: November 15, 2016

The John Dewey Society calls for paper proposals for its panel on Dewey and Philosophy (formerly called the Past Presidents’ Panel), to be held at its annual meeting, in conjunction with the American Educational Research Association meeting in San Antonio, Texas on April 27 – May 1, 2016.

What are the challenges to a vibrant and healthy democratic life? In an essay late in life, Creative Democracy – The Task Before Us[1], Dewey calls upon us to not take democratic life for granted. More than a political institution, Dewey sees democracy as dependent upon family, friendship, the economy, and other parts of the fabric of civil society. Today in many countries, institutions of democracy, in particular public schools, are challenged by growing inequality, mistrust of the other, and poverty. It is a time to return to Dewey’s text to consider how democratic life can be fostered amidst these challenges.

The following topics are based on Dewey’s essay and are meant to prompt ideas about suitable papers, and not be prescriptive or exhaustive.

·      The effects of the global economic downturn starting in 2008 on today’s democratic institutions

·      Climate change, environmental destruction, and democracy

·      Creativity and democratic education

·      The meaning of democracy as a personal or individual way of life today

·      Democracy and leadership in education

·      Democracy and education for peace

·      Democracy and the two party system in the Age of Clinton v. Trump

How to Submit

Submit all proposals (prepared per instructions below) for individual papers via email with an attachment as a Word document. All proposals are due by midnight Pacific time November 15, 2016, via email to AG Rud, John Dewey Society president elect, Distinguished Professor, Washington State University, ag.rud@wsu.edu; Any questions - contact AG Rud directly via email.

Proposals accepted for presentation in this panel of the John Dewey Society will be notified by January 15, 2016. Full papers of up to 5000 words (excluding references done in APA style) will be due no later than April 3, 2017 for the discussant to prepare remarks.

Proposal guidelines

Part 1 (submit in the body of your email message with the subject line JDS Proposal)

(1.) Title of your paper and theme your proposal addresses

(2.) Your name, title, institutional affiliation (if any)

(3.) Your address, phone, email

(4.) An abstract of up to 100 words

Part 2 (in an attached Word document with all identifying information removed for anonymous review)

(1.) Title of your paper

(2.) A descriptive summary of your paper (maximum length 1000 words), explaining your paper and its significance, especially in relation to the selected theme. List several references to place your contribution in the broader scholarly conversation.

About The John Dewey Society (http://www.johndeweysociety.org)

Founded in 1935, the purpose of the Society is to foster intelligent inquiry into problems pertaining to the place and function of education in social change, and to share, discuss, and disseminate the results of such inquiry.

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[1] Dewey, J. (1939/1988). Creative democracy: The task before us. In J. A. Boydston (Ed.), The later works of John Dewey, 1925-1953 (Volume 14: 1939-1941, Essays, pp. 225-231). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

John Dewey Society Sponsors Session at the Eastern Division of the APA

January 2017, Baltimore, MA

Once again this year the John Dewey Society will sponsor a session at the annual meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association.

The meeting will take place in Baltimore MD from Wednesday 4 through Saturday January 7, 2017, at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, 202 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

The Session Theme:

The 2017 John Dewey Society theme is “Creative Democracy: The Task Before Us.” This title is taken from an oft cited Dewey essay from 1939 with this title (LW14: 224-230). See the link here:

http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/mpsg/Essays/Dewey%20-%20Creative%20Democracy.pdf

Richard Bernstein has written a follow up essay: Bernstein, Richard J. 2000. Creative Democracy—The Task Still Before Us. American Journal of Theology & Philosophy 21, no. 3 (September): 215-228.

The Society is also urging its members to read and reflect on Dewey’s seminal 1935 book Liberalism and Social Action (LW11: 3-66)). Here Dewey, after critically reviewing the history of liberal thought, makes the case for a liberalism-infused democratic socialism.

The connection here to a position advanced in the 2016 primary season is not accidental. One useful step in considering ‘the task before us,’ moreover, would be to review Dewey’s argument in Liberalism and Social Action in the wake of the 2016 political party primaries.

Dewey Through Generations Panel Call for Abstracts: "Challenges for Democracy: New Developments and Tendencies"

Call for Abstracts

The John Dewey Society presents

The Third Annual

Dewey Through Generations Panel

Challenges for Democracy: New Developments and Tendencies

In Creative Democracy – The Task Before Us Dewey reminds us that democracy should not be seen as a political machine which once it is set up would perpetuate its existence automatically. On the contrary, the very existence and health of our democracies depend on conditions which go beyond our immediate political institutions and which concern our family relations, our friendships, our economical organization, etc. In a time where our democratic institutions seem to be endangered by increasing structural inequality, globalization, economic crisis and the reemergence of xenophobic attitudes, we should return to the theoretical resources Dewey has to offer on these present challenges for our democracies.

Hence, in the DtG panel 2017 we propose to explore the following questions:

   

·     How are the latest developments in the democratic life of our societies to be critically assessed? What are the observable tendencies? Are there only reasons to worry or are there reasons also for hope in the recovery and deepening of democracy?

·     What have been the effects of the financial crash of 2008 for our democratic institutions and practices? What can we expect from the reforms brought about by current governments?

·     Are there economic alternatives to capitalism (not only classical, but also in its neoliberal form) which could work as better social foundations for democratic practice?    

·     How do global problems (climate change, wars and conflicts, etc.) affect our democracies? Should we see these global conditions as obstacles, as opportunities, or both?    

The Dewey Through Generations Panel was established in 2015 to highlight and support emerging Dewey inspired scholars and practitioners (including but not limited to graduate students) by bringing them into a dialogue with eminent scholars who reflect the best of Dewey's philosophical practice. One eminent Dewey scholar participates in a dialogue (as commentator/respondent) with the emerging scholar panelists. We are pleased to announce that this year’s Dewey Scholar will be Gregory Pappas (Texas A&M University). For an overview of Dr. Pappas’ scholarship see:

http://philosophy.tamu.edu/pre-CLLA/People/Faculty/Pappas/index.html

Submissions Due: November 15, 2016 (By 11:59 PM, CST)

Graduate students, student-professionals, and emerging scholars, may submit an abstract for the panel. The panel will include three papers/or projects (limited to 3000 words) and commentary by an invited Dewey scholar (limited to 1500 words).

Submit all abstracts (prepared per instructions below) via email with an attachment as an MSWord document. All proposals should be received on or before November 15, 2016, by Just Serrano at dtg@johndeweysociety.org.

Submission guidelines: Part 1 (submit in the body of your email message): (1) Title of your paper; (2) Your name, title/student status, institutional/professional affiliation (if any); (3) Your address, phone, and email; Part 2 (attaches as a MSWord document prepared for blind review): (1) Title of your paper/project; (2) An abstract and/or descriptive summary of your paper/project, explaining your work and its significance, especially in relation to the selected themes(s). All abstracts should be formatted according to Chicago or APA style, with a maximum length of 800 words excluding the title and references.

Please direct all questions to Just Serrano at justserrano@gmail.com. Abstracts accepted for presentation on this panel of the John Dewey Society will be notified by January 15, 2017. Final papers will be due April 2, 2017.