CFP

[Rene Dirven]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris for Rene Dirven" <ckreiser at TAMU.EDU>
To: <DISCOURS at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 16:40
Subject: CFP


Could you please announce this CFP on your list?
Many thanks,
Rene Dirven

Call for Papers for a Theme Session at ICLC 2003

by Roslyn Frank, Brigitte Nerlich, Javier Valenzuela, René Dirven

Shifting Paradigms: Embodiment, Metaphor and the â?~Third Waveâ?T

(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 â?~embodiment/enactment/situatednessâ?T 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 â?~limitsâ?T or â?~boundariesâ?T 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 Plöckmeyer, 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 â?~cognitivistâ?T paradigm (by
which they mean Chomskyan and informational/ computer-like models of the
mind, etc.) and are moving ahead with the new â?~cognitive-linguisticâ?T
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