Philosophers, poets, theologians and others gather at the University of Chicago for three days of discussion on the nature of love

Erotikon, a three-day symposium at the University of Chicago on March 2-4, 2001, will provide a forum for world-renowned scholars of philosophy, divinity, art history, the classics, film and literature, as well as artists and poets, to enter into a wide-ranging and lively exchange on the topic of love. The event will include presentations in the form of lectures, poetry readings, a musical performance and a film screening, as well as multiple sessions for debate and discussion.

With more than a few echoes of the original Symposium—Plato's account of a similar gathering in Athens more than 2400 years ago—Erotikon will take up the Greek concept of eros as a lens through which to explore some of the many facets of love, from ancient times to the contemporary era. But while the discussion in the Symposium was sparked by a complaint that the Greek poets neglected eros, the University's conference has been organized in response to the grand role that conceptions of love have played in our imaginations since their time.

Faculty members in the University of Chicago's Committee on Social Thought, Divinity School, and Humanities Division presenting papers at Erotikon will include Shadi Bartsch on ancient Roman conceptions of love, Wendy Doniger on feminine sexuality in the Kamasutra, Martha Nussbaum on Marcel Proust, Robert Pippin on eros in Neitzsche, and David Tracy on eros and agape in St. Augustine.

Bartsch is Professor in Classical Languages & Literatures. Doniger is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor in the Divinity School and The Committee on Social Thought. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor in the Law School, Philosophy, and Divinity School. Pippin is the Raymond and Martha Hilpert Gruner Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and Philosophy. Tracy is the Andrew Thomas Greeley & Grace McNichols Greeley Distinguished Service Professor in the Divinity School and The Committee on Social Thought.

The weekend will also include a performance of works by McArthur prize-winning composer John Eaton, Professor in Music at the University of Chicago; a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo accompanied by a discussion with Thomas Gunning, Professor in Art History and Cinema and Media Studies; and a slide presentation of photographs by Laura Letinsky, Assistant Professor in the Committee on Visual Arts. Former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer prize-winner Mark Strand, Professor in the Committee on Social Thought, will read from his poetry.

Participants from other institutions will include Leonard Barkan, professor in humanities and English at New York University; Susan Mitchell, poet and professor at Atlantic University of Florida; James Porter, professor in classics and comparative literature at the University of Michigan; and Philippe Roger, professor of literature at École des Hautes Études, Paris.

The Erotikon symposium aims to facilitate a three-day conversation among all of the participants, and in that spirit, all of the presenters have been asked to attend all sessions. Most lectures, discussions and readings will take place in the University's Swift Lecture Hall on the third floor of Swift Hall, 1025 E. 58th St.

Erotikon is sponsored by the Committee on Social Thought in association with the Chicago Group on Modern France, the Department of Classical Languages & Literatures, the Department of Music, the Divinity School, the Division of the Humanities, the Division of the Social Sciences, Doc Films, the Franke Institute for the Humanities, the Office of the Provost, and the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts. There is no fee, but registration is required. For more information or to register for the conference, please visit the Erotikon Web site at http://humanities.uchicago.edu/events/erotikon or call the Committee on Social Thought at (773) 702-8427.

Erotikon (638x499)

 

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Last modified at 04:52 PM CST on Monday, February 26, 2001.