The Department of Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade and the University of Belgrade cordially invite you to participate in a conference marking the centenary of Dr. Ksenija Atanasijević’s doctoral dissertation defense. Ksenija Atanasijević (also written as Xenia Atanassievitch) was the first woman to obtain the title of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade, with a dissertation entitled Brunovo učenje o najmanjem (Bruno’s Doctrine of the Minimum) in 1922. Two years later, her appointment as Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy made her the first female university professor in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.
With her theoretical and socially engaged work, Ksenija Atanasijević endeavored to bring philosophy closer to the general public and emphasize its relevance to everyday life. She engaged in several feminist and pacifist initiatives and openly fought for the improvement of women’s position in society. Writing, studying, and translating philosophical literature was what she devoted her entire life to. Her work includes commentary on the history of ancient, modern, and contemporary philosophy, as well as a critical consideration of literature, feminism, and the social and political situation of her times.
We believe that re-examining the topics Ksenija Atanasijević researched is the best way to mark this jubilee and honor her memory. Therefore, we invite you to submit abstracts on any topic related to her work, its impact on philosophy and culture in general, and topics from the history of philosophy that will further explore issues this extraordinary philosopher dedicated her life to.
Possible topics include:
Philosophy of Ksenija Atanasijević
o Atomism (Giordano Bruno, Epicurus, Leucippus and Democritus) o Interpretation of ancient philosophy
o Interpretation of modern philosophy
o Ethical teaching
o Metaphysical teaching
o Review on regional scholars (Marko Marulić, Frane Petrić, Ruđer Bošković, Dositej Obradović, Petar Petrović Njegoš, Božidar Knežević, Branislav Petronijević, Vladan Maksimović, Alma Sodnik, and others)
o Contribution and significance of Ksenija Atanasijević’s work today
Ancient philosophy
o The Presocratics, Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Epicureans, Stoics
Modern philosophy
o Descartes, Pascal, Locke, Spinoza, Berkeley, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche
Ksenija Atanasijević’s translations from classical languages into Serbian
o Analysis of the translations of Plato’s Parmenides, Aristotle’s Organon, and Spinoza’s Ethics
Ksenija Atanasijević’s social engagement
o Feminism and women’s rights movement
o Pacifism
o Social criticism
Ksenija Atanasijević’s literary analysis
Submission Guidelines:
Please submit a complete application form and send it to ksenijakonf@gmail.com no later than April 1, 2022. The application should include an abstract of up to 300 words and no more than five keywords together with a brief biography. The time provided for the presentation of papers is limited to 20 minutes, followed by a discussion. The working languages of the conference are Serbian and English. Accepted abstracts will be published in the book of abstracts. After the conference, participants will have the opportunity to publish full papers in a thematic publication. There is no registration fee.
