International Conference cum Consultation:
‘REIMAGING THE FACE OF THE OTHER: DALIT CULTURAL POLITICS’
The Department of Philosophy of Arul Anandar (Autonomous) College, Karumathur, Madurai Dt, organises an international conference on Reimaging the Face of the Other: Dalit Cultural Politics. The Face of the Other is the philosophical coinage of Emmanuel Levinas which means ‘the other person’, whose face is either forbidden or forgotten and made-vulnerable to/through/in our cultural power relations (Foucault) and ideological apparatus (Althussar), however the ‘face-of-the-Other is a living presence impossible to any reduction of finiteness of ideas, categories or images and in fact it is that which determines the face of oneself. It expresses itself in its refusal to be contained. The Other manifests itself by absolute resistance of its defenceless eyes, sustaining the power of hope, the momentous epiphany of the Other. The infinite in the face of the Other brings into question my freedom, which is discovered to be murderous of the Social. The face presents itself, and demands justice. (Levinas)
Some such forbidden and humanising faces include the Afro Americans and the Jews mass-murdered in the context of Racism, the women in the patriarchy, the children of the destitutes and the deprived, the repatriates who are forced to leave their homelands, those whose lives are erased in ‘killing fields’ in South Asia and the minorities who are systematically erased due to the politics of majoritarian fundamentalism. Within the cultural context of India the face of the Dalit, is historically and culturally a forbidden face through the heavy layers of Casteism. The cultural politics of the dominant tactfully forbids the human face of the Dalits and it remains to be continuum, determining the cultural politics of India. However, hopefully the affirmative action to Dalit Justice is continuously strengthened by the relentless struggles and contributions spearheaded by Buddha, Dr. Ambedkar, Phule, EVR Periyar, Retamalail Srinivasan and many other social activists and intellectuals.
To this context, the question is (i) how or on what philosophical, social and ethical grounds the intellectual re-image the face of the despised Dalit in the direction of freedom and restoration of their identity. (ii) How in what manner Dalits in relations to the other Faces strive to restore and reconstruct their identity and dignity. (iii) Most importantly what is the role and contribution of social and philosophical thinking to the ‘imaging’ and re-imaging of the Dalit face in terms resistance to social slavery and deprivations and recast its humanising face of Indian society.
- The conference is a CALL to respond positively to these above interrelated and expandable queries.
- Academicians, Social Activists, Research Scholars are welcome to present your papers, views and share your experiences. You may choose related queries in tune with the central theme – Reimaging the Face of the Other: Dalit Cultural Politics – of the proposed national conference to be held on July 21-22 at the Department of Philosophy, Arul Anandar (Autonomous) College, Karumathur, Madurai, Tamilnadu, South India.
- Last date for submission of papers and confirm your participation is 20th July 2011. Welcome and please contact: nathanlourdu1960@gmail.com
S. Lourdunathan, Head, Department of Philosophy, Arul Anandar College, Karumathur – 625 514, Madurai
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