MASN

Call for Papers

The aim of the conference will be to mutually experience, train and learn more about consciousness and to open a space to share new perspectives. The conference program will be drawn from the creativity of the participants and their theoretical and practical contributions. Some directions could be given through themes like “Theories of Consciousness”, “The Senses”, “Altered States of Consciousness”, “Intersubjectivity”, “Consumption”, “Perception”, “Cosmology”, “Consciousness for the Shared World” and many more.

What is Consciousness? From Knowledge to Consciousness:

In the light of our shared academic backgrounds, can the common practice of our discipline be brought to bear on the topic of consciousness?

In social and cultural anthropology we deal with differences and similarities between people of this world. In keeping with the spirit behind the organization of this conference, we would like to focus on the increasing awareness of the individual and the conditions and relations between people, groups and our shared world. To realize emancipation from restrictions and harmful power relations, we want to strengthen our commitment to cooperative and respectful ways of living together. This may be realized by practice – getting involved and getting active – beyond theorizing, and by paying attention to different disciplines and incorporating diverse contexts we are connected with. Production of knowledge can be transformed into more conscious action. To realize this we can try to become more aware of the many aspects of our lives, about activities, roles, conflicts, reproductive attitudes, creativity, etc.

At the same time consciousness is an intense adventure of the self. We can explore mind and spirit, asking questions that go beyond what we can think. There are diverse ways to explore and experience consciousness, e.g. through intensive mental and physical activities, meditation, shamanic journeys, energetic spaces or psychoactive plants. Therapeutic aspects are often related to the work on consciousness that can range from physical training or hypnosis to spiritual and energetic healing. Some even believe extraordinary skills can be developed through higher states of consciousness – skills like intuition, telepathy and physical control.

While we are sleeping, dreaming or concentrating we experience changes of perception and consciousness. Different states of consciousness are fundamental elements of our daily lives. In our opinion, this needs to be considered in our intellectual and scholarly activities, through examination and discussion.

We want to devote this conference to the investigation of these issues and questions related, as well as others we didn’t think of. Final or definite answers may not be attained, but at least we can see more together than anyone alone.

Furthermore, our aim is to collectively explore consciousness from different angles. Theoretical approaches will be just as interesting as practical ones, as we would like to include practical workshops to explore our consciousness.

We hope to benefit from different perspectives and open a space for interaction.

Let us explore consciousness!

We invite you to submit an abstract of your paper (no more than 300 words) preferably in English to beingcounsciousness@gmx.at. You can find the application form on our conference homepage. Don’t limit yourselves to presentations – you can submit an idea for a workshop, round-table discussion, a fringe event or a practical experience…

We count on your creativity and strongly encourage events that can be realized outside.

Participation fees:

- 20 Euros for presenters

- 40 Euros for participants

Accommodation and food are included.

Deadline:

15th of April 2012 for the submission of your proposals.

Location:

The 10th MASN conference will take place in the area of seedcamp in Kautzen, close to the Czech border in the beautiful Austrian region of the Waldviertel. This site is home to an old mill surrounded by beautiful nature: trees, grass, birds, a small river… It is a quiet place without many people, which should contribute to an intensive and shared experience. We encourage attendees to camp, but beds will be provided for anyone who needs one.

Further information:

Homepage 10th MASN Conference: http://beingconsciousness.tumblr.com/

Homepage MASN: http://movinganthropology.net/

we will talk about moving anthropology student network, about awareness research and the variety of topics (to which we would like to dedicate ourselves) included in this theme. furthermore it is about defining working fields and forming teams for the organization of an event on this topic. everybody interested is welcome to join!