Fwd: Re: CFP

[Chris Kreiser]

>Included is an uncorrupted version of Rene Dirven's cfp--with my
>apologies for multiple postings
>
>
>Call for Papers for a Theme Session at ICLC 2003
>
>  by Roslyn Frank, Brigitte Nerlich, Javier Valenzuela, Rene Dirven
>
>  Shifting Paradigms: Embodiment, Metaphor and the 'Third Wave'
>
>  (with the proviso that the theme session is accepted by the organizers)
>
>  Given our own belief that cognitive linguistics needs to develop a broader
>  and more transdisciplinary focus, we think that ICLC 2003 could provide us
>  with an opportunity to pull together researchers who are working on these
>  issues in different fields but with common concerns centering around
>notions
>  of 'embodiment/enactment/situatedness' and the role that metaphor and
>  entrenched cognitive integration networks play in science. At the same
>time,
>  at this juncture in the development of the field of cognitive linguistics
>we
>  believe it is important to open things up by bringing in meta-theoretical
>  concerns, that is, the way that cognitive linguistics is defining itself
>and
>  constituting its limits or boundaries as a discipline. We
>  already see
>  that those working in cognitive linguistics regularly cross the limits
>  between different disciplines and scientific methods and therefore have
>  supported the development of interdisciplinary approaches and views. Yet,
>as
>  a discipline we still do not recognize the place that cognitive linguistics
>  occupies in terms of its interdependence on the ideological, scientific and
>  social trends in adjoining fields. To slightly paraphrase the words of
>  Othmar Ploeckmeyer, this makes it obvious that cognitive linguistics is not
>  growing out of itself, but is interwoven with several other areas and
>  disciplines. And finally, we believe that this theme session could
>  contribute to a kind of increased creativity within cognitive linguistics
>  which is important for the development of a new discipline. Furthermore:
>  "Creativity is only productive for the discipline, if it enters into a
>  relationship of tension with its methodological management and control,
>  which includes - and by no means lastly - the formation of
>  professional
>  traditions (training of the next generation)" (Maas, 1996, p. 109).
>  Certainly the ICLC conferences are one of the major forums for exchange of
>  ideas that in turn contribute to the formation of the next generation of
>  cognitive linguists.
>  Our own experience has been that historians and philosophers of science who
>  are working on the role of metaphor in scientific thought are familiar with
>  older research, e.g., by Lakoff and Johnson, but do not show any
>familiarity
>  with more recent research in our field. On the other hand, there appears to
>  be little flow of information in the opposite direction: very few people in
>  cognitive linguistics seem to be aware of the excellent research that is
>  being done on metaphor by these historians of science. At the same time, it
>  is important for us to make a concerted effort to reach out to these people
>  in the sciences who have already rejected the 'cognitivist' paradigm (by
>  which they mean Chomskyan and informational/ computer-like models of the
>  mind, etc.) and are moving ahead with the new 'cognitive-linguistic'
>  synthesis. We are convinced that these people who are working in the
>  so-called hard sciences would embrace our interest in their attempts to
>  utilize concepts from cognitive linguistics in redesigning their
>theoretical
>  paradigm. The following subsessions are planned:
>
>  Session 1. Introduction: Current theoretical discussions of embodiment
>  /enaction /grounding /situatedness across disciplines
>  Session 2. Metaphor and the History of Science
>  Session 3. Metaphor and Embodiment: Interfaces between Cybernetics and  CL
>  Session 4. Embodiment and Metaphor: Molecular Biology and Cognitive Science
>  Session 5. Cognitive Linguistics meets Evolutionary Biology
>  Session 6. Final Round Table
>
>  All those that wish to contribute to this endeavour are kindly invited to
>  send a one-page abstract to rene.dirven at pandora.be by the 15th September
>  2002, indicating the subsession they want to address. Upon request you will
>  regularly be sent a growing bibliography on "embodiment" until a website is
>available by mid November 2002.


--

Chris Kreiser
ckreiser at tamu.edu
Texas A&M University
Department of English
Mail Stop 4227
College Station, TX 77843