CALL FOR PAPERS

Book Symposium

Abstract: Recent texts in psychology, philosophy and art history attest to a burgeoning interest in the dualism of mind and matter magically united under the rubric of ‘new materialism.’ Yet there seems to be a dearth of principled and detailed discussion of the matter of the brain and the biology of the body as part of this new materialism. In the other direction, there have been many recent texts in psychology and neuroscience on art, but none of these addresses the topic of matter and materiality that is of central importance to art. In other words, what has not been joined up is the matter of the brain and the matter in art. This book examines how this joining might occur through the rhythmic oscillations of the brain during ‘affective’ mind wandering stimulated by art. The argument appeals to philosophers Bachelard, Bergson and Heidegger, neuropsychologists of rhythm and emotion Buzsáki, Marc Lewis and Wilson-Mendenhall, and artists such as Pollock, Dubuffet and others to make its case.

Author Bio: Gregory Minissale is a Professor of Art History at the University of Auckland/Waipapa Taumata Rau, specialising in psychological and phenomenological approaches to global modern and contemporary art. His books: Rhythm in Art, Psychology and New Materialism (2021) and The Psychology of Contemporary Art (2015) are both published by Cambridge University Press.

Journal of Philosophy of Emotion

The Journal of Philosophy of Emotion (JPE) is planning to publish a book symposium on Dr. Greg Minissale's latest book, Rhythm in Art, Psychology, and New Materialism, and we are looking for commentators who are interested in engaging in a critical discussion of it, with the aim of moving the discourse on relevant topics highlighted by his book forward. We are hoping to publish this book symposium in the JPE’s Summer (September) 2025. If you are interested, please email us (submissions.jpe@gmail.com), informing us of your interest, along with a copy of your CV, by October 7, 2024. We will contact you by October 15th, 2024, with a decision regarding your expressed interest and any further details. Invited commentators will each receive a free paper copy of Rhythm in Art, Psychology, and New Materialism to review for their commentary, unless a digital copy is preferred. In the meantime, we recommend that those interested in possibly commenting on Dr. Minissale's book check with their local university library. Independent scholars should also note that most local university libraries provide community access to residents. 

Please refer to past issues of the JPE for examples, and all submissions must adhere to the JPE’s style guideline. All contributors are also responsible for copyediting their own submissions and providing any requested citation information, although the JPE will also conduct a preliminary review and copyedit check of all accepted submissions. Please note that the JPE requires a submission fee of $35, or you can become a member of the Society for Philosophy of Emotion (SPE), which includes a one time JPE submission fee waiver. The JPE is an independently published, open-access journal, and all manuscript submission fees go toward paying for operating costs and providing need based subventions to facilitate diverse and inclusive participation.

Society for Philosophy of Emotion

Accepted commentators will also be invited to present their commentaries during an in-person book symposium, as a part of a Society for Philosophy of Emotion (SPE)-American Philosophical Association (APA) affiliated group session at the 2025 Pacific APA, which is expected to take place in San Francisco, CA. Please note that commentators who agree to participate in this in-person book symposium will not be eligible for any travel assistance from the APA since only those who are presenting in an APA main program event are eligible for such funding. Participants would also be required to register for the 2025 Pacific APA conference, and be a member of the SPE at the time of their participation. A group meal will also be organized as a part of the session events.

We encourage a diversity of scholars of all ranks who are interested in participating as commentators to respond to this CFP, provided that they are willing and able to commit to fulfilling the expectations of our double-anonymous peer review process. Please note that commentators will be selected not only based on their qualifications, but also based on considerations for the value of diversity and inclusiveness among qualified commentators; and a scholar's qualification will be judged based on the quality of the commentaries submitted. 

Potential contributors are asked to let us know in their letter of interest that they are interested in participating in the online JPE book symposium, the in-person SPE-APA affiliated group session at the 2024 Pacific APA, or both, and whether they would be willing to referee the composed book symposium if for some reason they were not invited to contribute a commentary, but would still like to contribute to the book symposium. The JPE has a policy to publicly acknowledge all interested referees in a winter issue, after the publication of the contribution they refereed.