Workshops

Abstract Concepts, Perception, and Language: What we think and how we say it  (25th April 2024)

We are delighted to announce the upcoming workshop: Abstract Concepts, Perception, and Language: What we think and how we say it, taking place at Newnham College on the 25th April 2024. This event, organised by members of the Semantics, Pragmatics, and Philosophy (SPP) research group of the University of Cambridge, aims to bring together those interested in abstract concepts across disciplinary boundaries. We therefore wish to open up the call for papers for PhD and other graduate researchers to present their work.

Please click here for the Book of Abstracts and Schedule for the day 

Concepts are the lens through which humans experience and interact with the world, and as such, understanding concepts has a broad implication for understanding reality. However, the ways in which concepts are analysed are still primarily limited to Rosch’s categorisation approach from the 1970s. This workshop aims to encourage and explore innovative ways, both theoretical and experimental, of analysing and understanding the meaning of abstract concepts. This means focusing on issues concerning abstract concepts, such as their meaning, their processing and perception, and new approaches to analysing and defining them.

The workshop aims to be an environment in which PhD and graduate students may present their work and get feedback from their peers, as well as those who may not traditionally fall within their discipline's boundaries.  The event will also include talks from two academics: Dr. Sean Enda Power (University of Cork), Dr. Derek Ball (St Andrews University).

For further queries or information, please email the organisers Nina Haket (nch35@cam.ac.uk) and Anastasiia Petrenko (ap2315@cam.ac.uk).