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Philosophy of Fame and Celebrity

Workshop

16 - 17 December 2020

Tilburg University (Online)

About

/ about

Fame and celebrity plays a powerful role in today’s societies. For example, celebrity influence has been claimed to have played a major role in helping Donald Trump become president of the United States. Similarly, the #metoo campaign has exposed the widespread misuse of the power of fame.

 

The importance of celebrity power has sparked growth in celebrity studies, involving contributions from a diverse range of academic disciplines, such as sociology (Rojek 2001), cultural studies (Dyer 1979), history (Braudy 1986) and politics (Marshall 1997). Nevertheless, philosophy is a discipline that has, as yet, contributed surprisingly little to the debate.

 

This two-day workshop aims to make a first step towards addressing the philosophical issues regarding the nature and value of fame, drawing on the interdisciplinary nature of the field.

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The conference will be held online, with live presentation of papers. All registered participants will receive information with the links to the online meeting space before the start of the conference. Registration details below.

4

KEYNOTES

7

PARALLEL SESSIONS

18

SPEAKERS

14

PAPERS

/ SCHEDULE

16th

WEDNESDAY

9.30am - 10am
Introductions and Welcome - Zoom Room 1

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10am - 11am: Parallel Session 1 (Zoom 1)

  • Alfred Archer and Catherine Robb (Tilburg) "The Phenomenology of Fame"

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11.20am - 12.20 noon: Keynote 1 (Zoom 1)

Sophie Grace Chappell (Open University)

"Honour, Glory and Fame"

Chair: Alfred Archer (Tilburg University)​

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1pm - 1.45pm: Parallel Session 2 

  • Zoom Room 1 - Jenny Janssens (Tilburg) & Lotte Spreeuwenberg (Antwerp)“Cancel Culture: There's No Perfection, Only Progress” 
    Chair: Alfred Archer (Tilburg)

  • Zoom Room 2 - Pilar Lopez (Tilburg) & Becky Millar (York) - “Grieving Celebrities Online” 
    Chair: Matthew Dennis (TU Delft)

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2pm - 2.45pm: Parallel Session 3

  • Zoom Room 1 - Charlotte van Veen (Tilburg)“Illicit adoration: on the Permissibility of Admiring Serial Killers” 
    Chair: Roos Slegers (Tilburg)

  • Zoom Room 2 - Rebecca Wallbank (Uppsala)“What’s So Special About Social Media?” 
    Chair: Matthew Dennis (TU Delft)

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3.30pm - 4.15pm: Parallel Session 4

  • Zoom Room 1 - Alfred Archer & Maureen Sie (Tilburg) "Using Stars for Moral Navigation"
    Chair: Catherine Robb (Tilburg)

  • Zoom Room 2 - Tom Harrison & Yousra Osman (Birmingham)“Online Role Models: The Possibilities and Problematics of Online Celebrities for Moral Education” 
    Chair: Daniel Abrahams (Glasgow)

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4.30pm - 5.30pm: Keynote 2 (Zoom Room 1)

Vanessa Wills (George Washington)

"Go Cry About It: What do celebrities owe the public?"

Chair: Alfred Archer (Tilburg)

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6pm - 7pm: Celebrity Quiz (Zoom Room 1)

With Mystery Prize!

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17th

THURSDAY

10am - 11am: Keynote 3 (Zoom Room 1)
Roos Slegers (Tilburg)

"Infamous Monster Women: Siren Mythology and the Case of Elizabeth Holmes” 

Chair: Catherine Robb (Tilburg)

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11.15am - 12 noon: Parallel Session 5

  • Zoom Room 1 - Bram Medelli (Tilburg)“On the Parasocial Relationship between an Artist and her Fandom” - Zoom Room 1
    Chair: Alfred Archer (Tilburg)

  • Zoom Room 2 - Wojciech Kaftanski (Harvard) "The Moral and Epistemological Problem of Admiration in Fame”
    Chair: Lotte Spreeuwenberg (Antwerp)

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1pm - 1.45pm: Parallel Session 6

  • Zoom Room 1 - Marc Cheong (Melbourne) "Celebrity on Social Media: Intimacy, Inauthenticity, Invectiveness” 
    Chair: Roos Slegers (Tilburg)

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2pm - 2.45pm: Parallel Session 7

  • Zoom Room 1 - Daniel Abrahams (Glasgow)“The Double Bind of Authenticity: Humour, Trust, and Celebrity” 
    Chair: Alfred Archer (Tilburg)

  • Zoom Room 2 - Matthew Dennis (TU Delft) “Online Exemplars & Self-Cultivation” 
    Chair: Catherine Robb (Tilburg)

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3.15pm - 4.15pm: Keynote 4 (Zoom Room 1)

Michael Brady (Glasgow University)

"Fame and Flourishing" 

Chair: Catherine Robb (Tilburg)

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REGISTRATION

Registration is now closed. If you have registered, please expect an email with information and links needed to attend the online meetings. For any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact the organizers (contact details below).

Schedule
LODGING

contact

CONFERENCE EMAIL
CONFERENCE ORGANISERS

Alfred Archer (Tilburg)

Matthew Dennis (TU Deflt)

Catherine Robb (Tilburg)

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- Kindly supported by the Philosophy Department of Tilburg University -

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