The conference addressed the issue of language in the context of ongoing crisis in research and teaching in humanities with an attempt to restore an ontological ground of “sensibility” (Sinnlichkeit) and “understanding” (Verstand), and to emphasize the primal power of “word” in its integral unity with “image”. Language in this context cannot be reduced merely to its instrumental use and becomes an alternative to abstract thought stimulating performative creativity of human being in its relation to the world.
The conference was opened by welcoming address of EHU Rector Prof. Sergei Ignatov. EHU President Prof. Anatoli Mikhailov delivered a keynote lecture “The Language of Humanities: Between Word and Image”.
Among key participants were Prof. Ivan Marazov (New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria), Prof. Jeffrey Andrew Barash (The University of Picardy Jules Verne, France), Prof. Hristo Petkov Todorov (New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria), Assoc. Prof. Vessela Atanasova (France), Prof. Artūras Raila (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania), Prof. Emeritus Ryhor Miniankou (European Humanities University, Lithuania), Prof. Andrei Gornykh (European Humanities University, Lithuania) Prof. Aliaksandr Kalbaska (European Humanities University, Lithuania), Assoc. Prof. Lev Letiagin (Herzen University, Russia), and Assoc. Prof. Valery Monakhov (Saint Petersburg State University, Russia).
The conference ended with the round table “Teaching Humanities — Learning Humanities”. EHU students and faculty, joined by speakers of the conference participated in the discussion, addressing the future horizons of teaching and learning humanities.
