Big Society--Bigger Nature?

Preliminary announcement of a conference to be hosted by the Lincoln Theological Institute. Further details, including SPEAKERS and a CALL FOR PAPERS, will be posted shortly.

[O]ur aim with the Big Society is to build a culture where we don’t just look to government to solve all our big problems. Where people are empowered and feel encouraged to take control of their local communities and neighbourhoods. And where we foster a new culture of social responsibility – not by legislation but by example and collaboration.[1]                                                                               Baroness Warsi

The “big society” opposes the “big state” and stresses voluntarism and localism. It is the big idea that supports self-help, mutuality and local accountability. It takes heart from the voluntary activities already being undertakes by a range of faith groups.

 So far, the question of the relationship between the “Big Society” and a wider Nature has not been raised. This day conference addresses this lack though the consideration of critical questions such as:

• How does the Big Society acknowledge its dependence on a wider Nature?
• How does the Big Society encourage resistance to the anti-ecological practices of the modern state?
•  Are we free, as humans, to volunteer Nature as a participant in the Big Society?
• What is the relationship between the Big Society, civil society and economic markets?
• Does Citizenship trump participation in the Big Society?
• Is the Big Society a Good Society?

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[1]http://www.sayeedawarsi.com/2010/09/baroness-warsi-speaks-to-the-bishops-of-the-church-of-england/  [accessed 14 October 2010]

LTI Director's Anti-human Theology published

Peter Scott's Anti-human Theology: Nature, Technology and the Postnatural is now published by SCM Press. For further information, please click here.

LATEST NEWS: Read a review from the UK Church Times here. 

'In this ground-breaking book, Scott makes a vital contribution to a necessary exodus out of enslaving modes of thinking about nature.' ---Sigurd Bergmann, Trondheim University, Norway.

'This book is a brilliant challenge to standard modes of theo-political discourse, one sure to stimulate new ways of imagining the contemporary human situation.' ---Lisa Sowle Cahill, Boston College, USA.

Religion and Modernity in a Secular City Open Registration

Registration is now open for the Religion and Modernity in a Secular City postgraduate conference, which will take place this coming 16-18 September at the Katholische Akademie in Berlin. The keynote speaker will be Professor Graham Ward, who will also engage in a public panel discussion with Dr. Ataullah Siddiqui of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education, and Professor Rolf Schieder of Humbolt University.

The language of the conference will be English, and the conference will take place in the centre of Berlin at the Katholische Akademie.

The registration form can be downloaded by clicking here, and the official programme for the conference can be downloaded by clicking here. The conference fee is €60 which includes lunch from Thursday to Saturday. Accommodation can also be booked at the conference venue through the registration form, however spaces are limited so do register soon.

Click to read more ...

New film launched

Beyond the tipping point?A new film by the LTI is being launched in Manchester Museum on the 15th July. Beyond the Tipping Point? Conversations on Climate, Action and the Future is a documentary exploring climate tipping points and their impact upon political actions. 

Once launched, the film will be freely available as a DVD screening pack for community groups, schools and universities engaged in this topic.  

Visit the new website, where you can find out more about how to request a film, and watch the trailer: www.beyondthetippingpoint.com

Belonging & Heimat Colloquium No. 2

Scholars from Germany and the UK met 20-21 May 2010 at the Lincoln Theological Institute at the University of Manchester for the second meeting of the Belonging & Heimat Project. Plans are now in place to publish the papers presented at the Colloquium. Financial assistance was provided by the Trustees of the Lincoln Theological Institute and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, which is gladly acknowledged here.

Fascinatingly Disturbing

Dr. Michael Hoelzl has contributed to a newly released book on Michael Haneke's work entitled, Fascinatingly Disturbing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Michael Haneke's Cinema, edited by Alexander D. Ornella and Stefanie Knauss. Here's a brief extract from the back cover:

Michael Haneke is one of Europe’s most successful and controversial film directors. Awarded the Palme d’Or and numerous other international awards, Haneke has contributed to and shaped contemporary auteur cinema and is becoming more and more popular among academics and cinephiles. His mission is as noble as it is provocative: he wants to "rape the audience into independence," to wake them up from the lethargy caused by the entertainment industry. e lmic language he employs in this mission is both highly characteristic and ecient, and yet his methods are open to criticism for their violence toward and manipulation of the audience. e aim of this book is to analyze critically Haneke’s aesthetics, his message, as well as his ethical motivation from an interdisciplinary and intercultural perspective. Contributors to the book come from a variety of academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds-European and North American.