If you are in Boston for AAR/SBL, AAR’s Augustine and Augustinianisms program unit invites you to any of our sessions:
Participatory Thought in the Platonic and Augustinian Tradition
Saturday, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Sheraton, Gardner (Third Floor)
The past several years have witnessed renewed interest in participatory metaphysics, a key conceptual element of the Platonic tradition. Participation has been employed in different ways to conceptualize the relationship between God and creation, transcendence and immanence, and the One in the many. In this context Augustine, and numerous figures influenced by his thought, have made important and innovative contributions to this tradition. As such, it represents a theological and philosophical conversation that has continued across centuries. This panel invites papers that consider participatory metaphysics that examine either Augustine and Augustine-influenced thinkers, as well as papers that consider participation in the wider Platonic tradition.
Augustine and the “Public”
Saturday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Hynes Convention Center, 203
As a bishop, preacher, theologian, and correspondent, Augustine engaged a range of publics by virtue of his role as both an ecclesial and political figure leader as well as the range of modes in which he wrote. He was also deeply concerned with the social, ethical, and political effects – for good and for ill – of a range of cultural media (including literature, philosophy, preaching, and rhetoric) as well as public events (including rites, and festivals, and spectacles). This panel considers this theme in Augustine’s work in historical context as well as its ongoing relevance for engaging contemporary ethical and political matters.
Augustine the African: A Roundtable Discussion
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Hynes Convention Center, 209
The influence of Augustine’s works on Christian theology and Western philosophy is foundational – and yet, his North African and Berber identity have been largely neglected. Catherine Conybeare’s new book, Augustine the African, explores precisely the ways in which “his groundbreaking works emerge from an exile’s perspective within an African context. In its depiction of this Christian saint, Augustine the African upends conventional wisdom and traces core ideas of Christian thought to their origins on the African continent.” This roundtable will feature responses to this work from several disciplinary perspectives.