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Summer research seminar: The Magic Circle - Knowing the World through Games


The summer research seminar The Magic Circle - Knowing the World through Games will take place between 25th and 29th of August at Vila (Pristava) Počakovo pri Radečah.

The short description of seminar: the seminar will explore aesthetic and epistemic dimensions of play. This year our discussions will revolve Johan Huizinga's notion of the "magic circle": "All play moves and has its being within a play-ground marked off beforehand either materially or ideally, deliberately or as a matter of course. Just as there is no formal difference between play and ritual, so the 'consecrated spot' cannot be formally distinguished from the play-ground. The arena, the card-table, the magic circle, the temple, the stage, the screen, the tennis court, the court of justice, etc, are all in form and function play-grounds, i.e. forbidden spots, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain. All are temporary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart." 

Huizinga's remark is not primarily an empirical observation but fruitful as a methodology. It invites us to look at practices in a certain way: as language games (Wittgenstein), as technology games (Coeckelbergh), as public sphere (Habermas, Arendt). It invites us to study how we enter a game or a ritual, a world or a work. And why we should do so, how and what we can learn. This leaves plenty of room to consider actual gaming practices throughout history.

Practical implementation: the summer seminar will be held in English, featuring engaging lectures and plenty of interactive activities and discussions. Each participant, a doctoral student, delivers a brief presentation of their research topic, which is followed by an in-depth discussion. The summary seminar is also a unique opportunity for various forms of professional networking with lecturers and students from the University of Bayreuth and the University of Darmstadt in Germany, as well as the University of California in the USA, who participate annually in the summer seminar at Počakovo. The summer seminar will build upon experiences gained from the three-day seminars previously held at the same location in August 2023 and June 2024.

The venue of summer seminar:  Vila (Pristava) Počakovo pri Radečah, which presents a cozy space in nature where people can think, dance, imagine, create, breathe, walk, work and contribute to a better world all while enjoying fresh produce & local cuisine, friendly people and crisp clear mountain air. (see presentation video about Pristava Počakovo on the link)

The lecturers who will organize and lead summer seminar include: 

Prof. dr. Colin Milburn: a professor at University of California in the English Department, the Science and Technology Studies Department, and the Cinema and Digital Media Department. He is author of books on the relations of literature, science, and technology (Respawn: Gamers, Hackers, and Technogenic Life; Mondo Nano: Fun and Games in the World of Digital Matter; Practices of Speculation: Modeling, Embodiment, Figuration, etc.). Recently, his research primarily focuses on video games, science fiction, digital societies, literary (Gothic) fiction, and related topics (for more information, visit the link).

Prof. Dr. Felix Raczkowski: a professor at the University of Bayreuth. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles on aesthetic theory and digital media, game theory and social media, and the cultural history of games. He has published extensively on both theoretical and practical aspects of gaming, including a fundamental monograph in this field titled "Digitalisierung des Spiels. Games, Gamification und Serious Games" (see more on the link).

Prof. dr. Alfred Nordmann: a professor at University of Darmstadt in Department for Philosophy. He is author of books in philosophy of science and technology  (e.g. Wittgenstein’s Tractatus: An Introduction; Technikphilosophie zur Einführung; Converging Technologies: Shaping the Future of European Societies, etc.) His current reserach interests include the modalities of objective knowledge,   epistemological and aesthetic aspects of modern techno-sciences and logic of science (see link).

Prof. dr. Olga Markič: a professor at University of Ljubljana in the Department for Philosophy. She is author or co-author of books in English and Slovene (Mind in nature: From Science to philosophy;  Philosophical insights about modern science; Cognitive Science (kognitivna znanost) ). Her current research interest include philosophy of cognitive science, logic, theory of argumentation and analytic philosophy (see link).

Prof. dr. Franc Mali: a professor at University of Ljubljana in the Department for Cultural Studies. He is author of three books (in Slovenian language): Epistemology of Social Sciences; Science as Systemic Part of Society; Social and ethical aspects fo developent of modern science). His current research interests include (bio) ethical aspects of synthetic biology, critical social theory and hermeneutics, new emerging technologies and transhumanist societies of future (see link). 

To participate at summer seminar: please contact Prof. Franc Mali at Faculty of Social Sciences (University of Ljubljana) on e-mail address until May 25, 2025: franc.mali@fdv.uni-lj.si).

 


Back to list of notificationsPublished: 13. May 2025