A by-now solid body of scholarship supports the claim that literary works enrich and enlarge our power of imagination, and consequently, as moral thinking too has a narrative form and is shaped by stories, our moral capacity. The work of Portuguese Nobel Laureate José Saramago is a case in point: both his fictional and nonfictional works carry a strong ethico-political charge that lies more in the power of his words and images than in explicit ideological postures. And a special focus of this charge is the empathetic demands his oeuvre puts forwards: Saramago’s literature teaches empathy and brings us in contact with other beings – human and nonhuman alike –, assigning us the task of going outside ourselves and meeting the Other. Animals in his works (especially, but not exclusively, dogs) perhaps even epitomize this ethical imperative, asking the reader to meet the Other in all its forms, where anthropomorphism and its heuristic value is questioned and redefined.
As part of the VII International Conference “José Saramago’s Philosophical and Socio-political Heritage,” to be held in Vigo, Spain, on 27-29 October 2022, we invite proposals focusing specifically on animals, empathy, and anthropomorphism in Saramago’s work to be included in one or two panels. Abstracts must be no more than 350 word and must be accompanied by a brief biographical note (150 words). Please send your proposals to [email protected] before 20 April 2022. Participants will receive notification of acceptance/rejection by 17 June. Portuguese, Spanish, Galician and English will be the working languages of the conference. For questions, please email [email protected].
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