International Bilingual Conference
Social Justice and Catastrophe: Risks, Responsibility and Reciprocity
March 19 & 20, 2014, Ritsumeikan University, Kinugasa Campus, Kyoto
Soshikan Hall, Conference Room
Catastrophes are particular events, localized in time and space that usually only directly affects some members of society, leaving others unscathed. What do others in justice owe to victims of catastrophes? What are their rights? What are our obligations? Beyond humanitarian help and economic reconstruction, what are those who suffered from a major catastrophe entitled to? What help, what compensation is it our duty to give them? And whose duty is it? If only some people will be directly affected by the next earthquake or typhoon, the risk is shared by all. In view of this we may well have a common responsibility, because a shared risk suggests that the condition of reciprocity essential to our theories of justice is satisfied.
All papers concerning the relationship between catastrophes and justice are welcome.
Submissions
should be made in the form of a long abstract – approximately 400 words. Final date for submission is December 26, 2013. Candidates will be informed if their submission has been accepted or not by January 17, 2014. Speakers should aim for a presentation of 20 minutes and candidates should take this into account when preparing their abstract. Submissions should be directly made in electronic form at the following account: justiceandcatastrophe@gmail.com
Languages and publication
The languages of the conference are Japanese and English, submissions can be made in any of those two languages. A selected number of papers presented at the conference will afterwards be published in the bilingual journal, Ritsumeikan Studies in Language and Culture
Invited participants
Mark Anspach (Bologna, Italy), Adam Broinowski (ANU, Australia), Paul Dumouchel (Ritsumeikan University), Reiko Gotoh (Hitotsubashi University), Akira Inoue (Ritsumeikan University), Ryuichi Nakayama (Osaka University), Masachi Osawa (Tokyo), Makoto Usami (Kyoto University).
Organizers
Paul Dumouchel & Akira Inoue (Ritsumeikan University)
Reiko Gotoh (Hitotsubashi University)
