INVITATION to Participate in the
6th Symposium on New Directions in Critical Social Theory

October 6-7, 2017
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA

Organizer: Dan Krier, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, krier@iastate.edu, (515) 520 1280

Theme: The Threshold of Capitalism: Shakespeare, Goethe and Critical Social Theory

The 2017 Symposium for New Directions in Critical Social Theory (SNDCST) will continue to tread in the footsteps of Marx, Freud, Durkheim, and Weber by examining and critiquing capital as reflected in the mirror of great literature. This year’s event will focus upon Shakespeare and Goethe, two of the greatest writers ever to live in and write about the threshold of capitalist modernity. We will consider Shakespeare and Goethe as absolute literary figures whose work constitutes a near total reflection of social relations torn asunder by emerging capitalism. The social ontology of their storylines and the complex psychology of their protagonists, especially those that have become iconic representative types in Western thought, are fertile grounds for theoretical comparison with capital’s contemporary moment.

Each participant shall select plays, poems, or prose written by Shakespeare or Goethe that shed light upon the participant’s primary theoretical interests. Participants may select a single play that reflects tendencies of contemporary relevance (e.g. derangements of authority in King Lear) or may examine themes across several plays (e.g. the “fool who knows too much” as recurring character in Shakespeare’s work). Each paper should explain the rationale for selection of plays, poems or prose and explain the problem(s) in contemporary critical social theory to which your analysis is addressed. What enduring insights into social life under capital can be derived from these great works? How does reflection upon Shakespeare and Goethe advance critical social theory?

Participants in the symposium will submit their completed papers two weeks before the symposium, where each paper will be presented, critiqued and defended in sessions of approximately two hours. As in prior years, revised manuscripts will be collected into an edited volume to be published with an academic press.

My budget will cover lodging and meal expenses during the symposium, and I should be able to at least partially cover costs for air travel. Participants will be staying together in a historic inn, the McHose House, splitting symposium sessions between the inn and Iowa State University’s main campus.