Nicolas Berdyaev and Russian Philosophy in the West
12–14 June 2024
Krakow Meetings on Russian Philosophy
Faculty of Philosophy, Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland
Northwestern University Research Initiative
for the Study of Russian Philosophy and Religious Thought
2024 will mark the 150th year since Nicolas Berdyaev’s birth. On 12–14 June 2024 the Krakow Meetings on Russian Philosophy and the Northwestern University Research Initiative for the Study of Russian Philosophy and Religious Thought will sponsor a conference commemorating Berdyaev and assessing his philosophical legacy in Russia and the West. The conference will be held at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland.
Among the most influential of Russian philosophers, Berdyaev had an exceptional role in promoting the development of Russian philosophy, both in Russia and in the West after his exile in 1922. In Russia, having travelled the path “from Marxism to idealism,” he became one of the main organizers of the Russian religious renaissance. In 1916, he published The Meaning of the Creative Act, which he regarded as his most important work. In European exile, he led the “Paris school” of Russian émigré religious thought and edited its journal, The Way (1925–1940). His international fame spread with a whole series of books, beginning with The New Middle Ages (1924). Subsequent works, such as The Destiny of Man (1931) and Slavery and Freedom (1939), established Berdyaev as a leading European philosopher of Christian existentialism and personalism. In works like The Origin of Russian Communism (1937) and The Russian Idea (1946), he deepened Western understanding of Russian culture and intellectual history. Through his friendship with Jacques Maritain, he played a part in the twentieth-century history of human rights. This conference will explore Berdyaev’s multifaceted importance as one of the major philosophical thinkers of the twentieth century. Papers are invited on all aspects of his work and legacy.
WORKING LANGUAGES: English and Russian
DATES: 12–14 June 2024
VENUE: The Library of the Pontifical University of John Paul II, Bobrzyńskiego 10, Krakow, Poland
ACADEMIC BOARD
Prof. Sr Teresa Obolevitch (The Pontifical University of John Paul II, Krakow)
Prof. Randall Poole (College of St. Scholastica, USA)
Prof. Ana Siljak (University of Florida, USA)
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Paweł Rojek (Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland)
Prof. Gennadii Aliaiev (Poltava, Ukraine)
Prof. Daniela Steila (University of Turin, Italy)
Prof. Marina F. Bykova (North Carolina State University, USA)
HONORARY PATRONAGE: Studies in East European Thought (SEET)
CONFERENCE SECRETARIES: Julia Kuznetshova, Ilias Stanekzai (The Pontifical University
of John Paul II, Krakow)
APPLICATION/CFP. Please complete this Application Form before December 15, 2023:
https://krakowmeetings.upjp2.edu.pl/
choose “Become a speaker”
PUBLICATION
Following the conference, presenters will be invited to submit their papers for consideration for publication in an edited volume in the series Ex Oriente Lux: New Perspectives on Russian Religious Philosophers.
ACCOMMODATION: Participants are asked to make their own hotel reservations in Krakow.
FEE: The conference fee is 200 €EUR (PLN 800)
BANK TRANSFER DETAILS
In PLN: Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, ul. Kanonicza 25, 31-002 Krakow, ALIOR BANK SA. BIC or SWIFT: ALBPPLPW, account number 41 2490 0005 0000 4600 5727 1204
In €Euros: Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, ul. Kanonicza 25, 31-002 Krakow, ALIOR BANK SA. BIC or SWIFT: ALBPPLPW, account number PL97 2490 0005 0000 4600 7410 1054
In $USD: Uniwersytet Papieski Jana Pawła II w Krakowie, ul. Kanonicza 25, 31-002 Krakow, ALIOR BANK SA. BIC or SWIFT: ALBPPLPW, account number PL86 2490 0005 0000 4530 1988 5668
Invoice is issued on demand, please contact Mrs Barbara Olejarz to provide the VAT
identification number of your institution, e-mail: barbara.olejarz@upjp2.edu.pl