Self-Governance, Pluralism, and Cultural Change: A Graduate Papers Workshop

Join the Institute for Humane Studies for a two-day, in-person graduate papers workshop on "Self-Governance, Pluralism, and Cultural Change," hosted in partnership with Ohio State University professors Dr. Laura Siscoe, Dr. Wes Siscoe, Dr. John Thrasher, Dr. Jacob Hall, and Dr. Jacob Bruggeman. Held in Columbus, Ohio, on December 10–11, this workshop offers PhD students and postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to present paper drafts and receive detailed, constructive feedback from peers and faculty discussants.

We welcome research examining how free people who disagree about the good life generate, sustain, and revise the rules, institutions, and cultures they share. This includes work on self-governance and polycentric governance, the governance of shared and common-pool resources and the knowledge commons, and the civic virtues, trust, and epistemic capacities that self-rule requires; on pluralism, including public reason and its critics, the epistemic promise and hazards of pluralism, and the limits of reasonable disagreement; and on cultural change, including the evolution of rules, norms, and traditions, the value of cultural membership, and the ways technological, economic, and civic transformation reshape the communities that undergo them.

Participants will deepen their research, engage in substantive discussions, and connect with a community of scholars investigating the foundations of self-rule in diverse and changing societies. IHS will provide all participants with a $200 honorarium and a stipend to offset transportation and travel-related meal expenses. Two nights of lodging and all meals during the workshop itself will be provided by IHS.

Papers are due November 13.

Expert Panelists

Laura Siscoe

Wes Siscoe

John Thrasher

Jacob Hall

Jacob Bruggeman

Schedule

Thursday, December 10

6:30 PM | Welcome Dinner

Friday, December 11

9:00 AM | Breakfast and Opening Remarks

9:15 AM | Paper Sessions

12:15 PM | Lunch Break

1:15 PM | Paper Sessions / Coffee Breaks

5:00 PM | Closing Remarks

6:00 PM | Closing Dinner