Место Чехия, Прага
Email nphinerman@usfca.edu

This interdisciplinary conference provides a forum for inquiry into the vicissitudes of pain: its nature and existential significance, and the many ways in which pain plays a part in our lives. Of concern, too, are the biological, social and interpersonal circumstances within which our reactions to pain occur.

The following themes are suggested as guides to the formulation of topics for papers and workshops:

1. The Nature and Evolution of Pain
2. Elaborations on Pain – in science, history, philosophy, literature and drama, art
3. Inflicting pain – torture, sadism, self-harm, neglect and disregard
4. Animals and pain – in nature and in culture
5. Pain through the lifecycle– variations on the theme from birth to death
6. Pain acceptance –martyrdom, childbirth, cosmetic surgery, work, performance (eg sport, music, dancing)
7. Perspectives on pain – patients’ and professionals’
8. Narratives of pain and palliation– managing, succeeding, failing to alleviate pain
9. Practices, philosophies and dilemmas of pain relief– personal, professional, cultural, economic, political (macro and micro)
10. Pain and Communication – expressing pain, understanding pain, describing pain, pain as metaphor, silences about pain

Papers will be considered on any related theme.

The Steering Group particularly welcomes the submission of pre-formed panel proposals. Papers will also be considered on any related theme. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 4th November 2011. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 9th March 2012. Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats with the following information and in this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 keywords.
E-mails should be entitled: PAIN Abstract Submission.

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). Please note that a Book of Abstracts is planned for the end of the year.
All accepted abstracts will be included in this publication. We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

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