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This is a call for papers and roundtable discussants for a short conference entitled “The Veil, Psychoanalysis, and Politics” to be held at York University in Toronto, Canada, on October 2nd, 2009.

The purpose of this conference will be to offer a forum in which multiple speakers will be given the opportunity to radically redefine the Islamic veil as a mechanism of political subversion. Special emphasis will be placed on (Lacanian) psychoanalytic interpretations of the veil in light of the current polemic surrounding the issue, although other theoretical perspectives will be welcomed. In an attempt to transgress the current liberal discursive constellation concerning the veil, this event will highlight themes such as revolutionary aesthetics, subjective reorientation as it pertains to epistemological standpoints, and ‘feminine sexuation’, among others. Speakers will be encouraged to draw conclusions concerning the implications such radical reinterpretations of the veil will have on the religion of Islam and the latter’s relationship with the context in which it is housed.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, be prepared to speak in front of an audience that will not have a strong familiarity with Lacanian thought. The presentations will be in plenary style (35-40 minutes long). Please send your abstracts before the 15th of August. If you are interested in being a roundtable discussant, all you need to provide is a short description of your research interests and a CV, permitting us to verify your familiarity with Lacanian thought and the discourses that surround the veil.

Contact: Arshavez Mozafari (arshavez@gmail.com)