Merleau-Ponty Circle Holds 38th Annual Meeting at Duquesne

The University will play host for the 38^th Annual Meeting of the International Merleau-Ponty Circle. Focusing on the theme, Movement: In History, Art and Being, the event will be held from Thursday, Sept. 26, through Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Power Center. Attendance is free, and the event is open to the public.

The International Merleau-Ponty Circle is an organization of students, teachers and scholars interested in the thought of the late French philosopher, Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Its 750 members span North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and Africa.

Known for being a leading proponent of phenomenology in France, Merleau-Ponty’s important works of philosophy include The Structure of Behavior and Phenomenology of Perception. He also served as an “unofficial” co-editor of the journal Les Temps Modernes with renowned philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.

Funded by the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts and the Mary Pappert School of Music, Movement: In History, Art and Being will feature registered participants and speakers from across the US and as far away as Australia, Brazil and the Czech Republic, among others. Presenters and session moderators from the University include Dr. Erik Garrett, assistant professor of communication and rhetorical studies; Dr. Eva Simms, professor and director of graduate studies in psychology; Jeffrey McCurry, director of the Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center; and Dr. Fred Evans, professor of philosophy.

“Duquesne will serve as an ideal host for the International Merleau-Ponty Circle,” said Dr. Jessica Wiskus, conference director. “The scope of Merleau-Ponty’s work in phenomenology is quite broad and reaches across traditional academic disciplines like those of philosophy, psychology, communication, literature and the arts. At Duquesne, we also have faculty whose work on Merleau-Ponty draws from a variety of disciplines, like Dr. Eva Simms, Dr. Fred Evans and myself in the School of Music.”

Wiskus, who is associate professor and chair of musicianship in the Mary Pappert School of Music, is the author of The Rhythm of Thought: Art, Literature and Music After Merleau-Ponty, which was published by the University of Chicago Press in June.

“The Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center, situated at the heart of this cross-disciplinary research, is very much involved in supporting the kind of innovative work that is regularly pursued by Merleau-Ponty scholars,” added Wiskus.

The involvement by so many University factions to host a meeting of this size and caliber, according to Wiskus, is unparalleled at Duquesne. “It is an unprecedented collaboration—across departments, schools and centers—that has made this event possible,” said Wiskus.

For more information on Movement: In History, Art and Being, visit www.duq.edu/merleau-ponty-circle.