Conference on Dialogical Self

Some interesting interdisciplinary insights on argumentation may come from the following conference, organized by Hubert J. Hermans (University of Nijmegen, Hollande), Alex Gillespie and Tania Zittoun.


Dialogical self
Cambridge, UK, August 26-29th 2008
http://www.dialogicalscience.com/

The concept of dialogical self is a new development in psychology which combines the work of theorists such as Bakhtin and James with the latest developments in cultural, cognitive and social psychology and in psychotherapy. This new approach is closely related to narrative psychology, constructivism, and cultural psychology, but the focus is upon the multivoiced self. According to the concept of the dialogical self, the individual self is social in origin and dialogical in function. The self reflects and appropriates the voices of society and significant others, and within the functioning of the self we find these voices in dialogue.
Exploration of the dialogical self has broad scope, ranging from literary sciences to brain research and from empirical psychology to psychotherapy practice. It brings together different fields of psychology, such as personality, developmental, social, and clinical psychology. Across these diverse fields, the concept of the dialogical self provides an interdisciplinary platform for innovative research, theory and practice.
Central topics of interest include: self and identity, culture and self, globalization, music and dialogue, power and rhetoric, dialogue and political psychology, reconstruction of self-narratives in psychotherapy, dialogue and development
For more information on the current topics in the field, we advise consulting one of the recent special issues on the Dialogical Self: Culture & Psychology (vol.7, 3, 2001), Theory & Psychology (vol.12, 2, 2002), Journal of Constructivist Psychology (vol.16, 2, 2003), Identity (vol.4, 4, 2004), and Counselling Psychology Quarterly (vol.19, 1, 2006).
A recent review of the field can be found in: Hermans, HJM, & Dimaggio, G. (2007). Self, identity, and globalisation in times of uncertainty: A dialogical analysis. Review of General Psychology, March.
Up-to-date articles and discussions can also be found in the International Journal for Dialogical Science (IJDS), which is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, electronic open-access journal.
The Fifth International Conference on the Dialogical Self will focus upon the self and dialogue and the ways in which meaning is constructed and reconstructed. The purpose of the conference is to organize interchange and discussion of problems related to the dialogical self across the boundaries of specific (sub)disciplines. As such, the Fifth International Conference on the Dialogical Self is open to psychologists and representatives of other social sciences and arts.
From the first Conference in Nijmegen (2000), through the second Conference in Gent (2002), the third Conference in Warsaw (2004), and the fourth Conference in Braga (2006), these International Conferences on the dialogical self have served as exciting meeting places for theoreticians, researchers, psychotherapists and trainers interested in exploring the implications of the dialogical self in their fields of work.
As with previous conferences, the Fifth Conference is closely connected to the International Society for Dialogical Science (ISDS).
For more information about the scientific programme, please contact the Chairperson, Hubert Hermans at HHermans@psych.ru.nl, or for more information about the organisational aspects of the conference, please email the conference organisers at dialogicalself2008@googlemail.com.