Conference dedicated to Simone de Beauvoir will host a talk by her scholar Claudine Monteil

The conference is organised by the UL Faculty of History and Philosophy and the UL Institute of Philosophy and Sociology in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Riga and French Institute in Latvia. The conference is opened with a literary meeting with a writer and diplomat, former student of Simone de Beauvoir Claudine Monteil. This will be the second conference dedicated to the memory of writer, philosopher, public intellectual to take place in Riga. The tradition to mark the anniversary of Simone de Beauvoir with a scientific event was commenced on 2008 by UL Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Feministica Lettica and the conference organised by philosopher Ieva Lapinska (1974−2010) “Simone de Beauvoir – 100. Woman and Century”.  Once again, the interdisciplinary programme will open the perspectives of Simone de Beauvoir’s heritage in literary theory, philosophy, theories of feminism, and many more disciplines. Concurrently with the matters of political and philosophical themes of feminism in historical and contemporary context, the conference speakers will also address translation and autobiographical writings, ethics and politics, experiences of corporeity, finality, incapability and other poignant themes. To this day, two works of Simone de Beauvoir have been published in Latvian – novel “Les Belles Images” (translated by Ieva Lase) and collection of stories “On the Threshold” (translated by Skaidrīte Jaunarāja), as well as the fragments of the monumental essay-research “Second Sex” (translated by Irēna Auziņa). The conference will host several invited speakers. Friday, November 23, 12:00 − Claudine Monteil (Claudine Serra) – women’s rights’ activist, historian and writer, whose works are translated in many languages. On 17:30, a lecture by Tove Pettersen – Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo, President of the International Simone de Beauvoir Society will be held, dedicated to old age and oppression. The speech by Professor Linda Fisher of Central European University, the academically renown researcher of feminism and continental philosophy, as well as phenomenology of illness and medicine, will be held on Saturday, November 24 at 13:00. Her report will be dedicated to existential phenomenology of otherness. Conference attendance does not require previous registration. Programme Conference is financially supported by the University of Latvia and French Institute in Latvia.