Call for Papers for
An Interdisciplinary Conference on

The Flaw

Deadline : August 15th, 2006
Organizers : Agnès Conacher and Catherine Dhavernas
Queen's University, Kingston, Canada

If the realm of the Ideal can have claims to perfection, that is, to
flawlessness, such is not the case for the realms of reality and human
nature, as the notion of progress suggests. Within the perspective of
progress, the flaw stands as that which brings about failure; as that which
must be overcome. Yet, as History has shown us, the notion of progress - key
to the Enlightenment - is today nearing obsolescence, this being one of the
most shattering problems of our time.

This conference therefore proposes to try to rethink the flaw outside the
context of the ideology of progress; to consider the flaw, not so much as
something to be avoided or remedied but, rather, to consider the flaw as a
measure of our limitations. In other words, we wish to suggest that to
consider the flaw as something acceptable and, perhaps, even essential,
might lead to a sense of humility which, as our past has shown us, has most
often been lacking. We want to explore how the flaw can help us to rethink
our potential, not in terms of mastery or domination, but within a more
modest perspective of hope.

Since the flaw pertains to all areas of study and investigation, we welcome
proposals from all disciplines.

The conference is scheduled to take place from May 25 to May 27, 2007.

Please send a 250 word proposal (including your name, title, area of work,
institutional affiliation and e-mail address) to Agnès Conacher and/or
Catherine Dhavernas :

via e-mail:
dhavernapost.queensu.ca
or regular mail :
c/o The Department of French Studies
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario Canada
K7L 3N6
tel. 613-533-2090