Debating Toleration: Attitudes, Practices and Institutions

Conference venue: Pavia (Italy)
Period: Nov. 3 - 5, 2011
Deadline for submitting abstracts: Jun. 26, 2011

Instances of xenophobia, marginalisation and discrimination directed against vulnerable groups are often framed in terms of (in)tolerance on the part of the majority against a minority. Recent cases highlighted in the media include the Swiss referendum which resulted in the banning of new minarets and the expulsion of Roma in France. Yet, while appeals to toleration are often made in order to devise appropriate political responses to such questions, it is far from clear and uncontroversial what such appeals actually mean and require. Are such issues correctly understood and addressed in terms of toleration, or should they instead be interpreted with the aid of other cognate ideals, such as respect or recognition?
 
Participants will also have the opportunity to hear from the following three keynote speakers: Colin Bird (University of Virginia), Anna Elisabetta Galeotti (Università del Piemonte Orientale, Vercelli) and Peter Jones (University of Newcastle).

Papers are welcomed from the fields of ethics, political philosophy/theory, law and social policy. Deadline for paper proposals (500 words) is: 26 June 2011.

Submissions should be sent to the following e-mail: respect@iusspavia.it
 
Conference registration is free of charge. Accommodation fees and details will be arranged individually. Anyone who wishes to attend the conference without presenting a paper can write to check availability.

e-mail: respect@iusspavia.it