CFP: PHENOMENOLOGY, AESTHETICS, AND ETHICS OF LANDSCAPE
Call for papers
University of Bari – DIRIUM (Department of Research and Humanistic Innovation)
University of Lisbon – Centre for Philosophy
Conference organized as part of and with the contribution of the project
CHANGES – Cultural Heritage Active Innovation for Sustainable Society
Project code: PE0000020 – CUP: H53C22000860006 Spoke 1. Historical landscapes, traditions, and cultural identities
Spoke leader University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, scientific coordinator: Prof. Giuliano Volpe
Conference Title: Phenomenology, Aesthetics, and Ethics of Landscape
Date: December 1-3, 2025
Location: University of Bari – Library of the University, Piazza Umberto I, Bari, Italy
Organizers: Dirk Michael Hennrich (CFUL) and Raffaele Digirolamo
Languages: Italian and English
Abstract
In recent decades, philosophical research has played a fundamental role in redefining the concept of landscape, no longer considered merely a subjective projection or a physical reality existing independently of human perception. These two perspectives, though rooted in different traditions, tend to reinforce a dichotomy between subject and world. On the contrary, landscape is increasingly understood as a relational phenomenon, co-constructed through interaction and laden with shared meanings.
The goal of the conference is to explore this relationship as a key to understanding the nature of landscape. In this direction, the intersection between phenomenology and cultural geography offers particularly fertile perspectives. Thinkers such as Edward Relph, David Seamon, Anne Buttimer, and Yi-Fu Tuan have shown that the meanings attributed to places and landscapes do not arise solely from intellectual abstractions but emerge through perceptual processes that are constant and deeply rooted in our lived experience. These processes, grounded in our corporeality, always occur within the world we inhabit – an idea drawn from phenomenology. Thus, the identity of a place is the result of a perceptual process in which material dimensions and symbolic-cultural contexts intertwine.
From this perspective, the ethical dimension of landscape goes beyond simple environmental protection and the safeguarding of local identities. While these issues remain essential, they must be integrated into a broader commitment to dwelling as care: a dynamic process through which communities actively shape the meaning of the spaces they inhabit. Similarly, the aesthetic dimension – central to our way of conceiving landscapes – cannot be reduced to mere contemplation of scenic beauty. While always present, it should be understood as the product of an encounter between our perceptual modes and the intrinsic qualities of the places themselves.
The conference aims to gather heterogeneous contributions to clarify the open questions raised by these themes. Although the main focus is philosophical, interdisciplinary approaches from cultural geography, anthropology, archaeology, art history, and literature will be welcomed.
Themes for Presentation
Contributions addressing, among others, the following thematic areas will be accepted:
- Phenomenology and Landscape: Analysis of the role of embodied perception in the formation of landscape and place experience.
- Ethics of Landscape: Beyond the boundaries of traditional environmental ethics, the need to develop a new ethics of landscape capable of addressing the complexity of contemporary environmental transformations generated by human action, while integrating a more-than-human perspective.
- Aesthetics of Landscape: Exploration of the aesthetic dimension of landscape, understood as an intersection between beauty, perception, and place. In this perspective, the goal is to move beyond an aesthetics solely tied to the arts, opening up to new directions such as the aesthetics of atmospheres.
- Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Approaches: Studies that bring together philosophy, geography, literature, and the arts in the conceptualization of landscape. Particular attention will be given to intercultural perspectives and the ways in which communities help shape the meaning of their environments through practices of care, participation, and relationship.
Participation Guidelines
Abstract Submission: Contributions are accepted exclusively from PhD students or scholars who have obtained their PhD in the last two years. Interested participants are invited to submit an abstract of their presentation (minimum 1 page – maximum 2 pages, Times New Roman font size 12, 1.5 line spacing, standard margins), addressing the thematic description of the conference. The abstract should include the title, five keywords, and a brief CV (maximum 10 lines, including the research topic of the thesis and the affiliated university).
Deadline for Abstract Submission: October 12, 2025
Notification of Acceptance: By October 31, 2025
Submission of Full Paper: Accepted speakers must submit the full text of their presentation (for a 20-minute presentation) by November 20, 2025.
Languages: Italian or English
Submission Address: landscapeconference@gmail.com
For information:
Raffaele Digirolamo – landscapeconferencebari@gmail.com
