Workshop and CfP:

Emancipation and Collaboration: Interactions Between Philosophy and Psychology in Early Twentieth-Century North America

Unlike in Germany, there was no psychologism controversy in the United States. The institutional emancipation of psychology from philosophy in the late nineteenth century took place largely under the auspices of constructive cooperation, which reached its peak during the first third of the twentieth century.

The aim of this workshop is to explore the diverse connections between American philosophy and psychology from circa 1900 to the 1930s. Philosophical currents such as idealism (J. Royce, M. W. Calkins, W. E. Hocking ), neorealism (R. B. Perry, W. P. Montague, E. B. Holt), critical realism (C. A. Strong, D. Drake, R. W. Sellars), pragmatism (C. S. Peirce, W. James, J. Dewey), and operationalism (P. W. Bridgman) will be examined in relation to psychological schools such as structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, and Gestalt psychology. The focus of interest includes, among other things, the relationship between perception and environment, the status of consciousness, the mind-body problem, and the role of purposes and interests in cognition. The publication of workshop proceedings is planned and will be submitted to de Gruyter, Berlin.

Confirmed speakers:
Michael Annacker, Bochum
Claudia Cristalli, Tilburg
Uljana Feest, Hannover
Gary Hatfield, Philadelphia
Alexander Klein, Hamilton
Cornelis Menke, Mainz
Matthias Neuber, Mainz
Galen Strawson, Austin
Sander Verhaegh, Tilburg

Date:

9-10 October 2026

Location:

Conference Center Erbacher Hof, Mainz

Call for Paper:

In addition to the talks given by our invited speakers, we have a slot available for a contributed paper.

If you would like to present at the workshop, please send a proposal including the (preliminary) title of your talk and an abstract to Alexander Ehmann.

We are planning to publish invited and contributed papers in an edited volume with de Gruyter, so submissions should not be under consideration elsewhere.

Full funding for travel expenses and accommodation from 8 to 11 October at the Conference Center will be provided.