Hamilton College will host the 14th biennial colloquium of the Rousseau Association on June 9-12, focusing on Swiss philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and his last work, The Reveries of the Solitary Walker.
An innovator in moral philosophy, political science, educational theory and literature, Rousseau also had a lasting influence on the way humans regard the natural world in which they live. Before the 18th century there are few examples of man's prolonged and enjoyable forays into nature, which was often portrayed in literature as a place for social misfits such as hermits, thieves or madmen. But Rousseau popularized the excursion into nature, especially with his best-selling novel La Nouvelle Heloise, in which the protagonist derives tremendous solace from the Swiss Alps, and with his last autobiographical work, The Reveries of the Solitary Walker. For our own time Rousseau is largely at the beginning of the so-called back-to-nature movement and the accompanying environmentalism that views wilderness as a space worth protecting.
Dorothy Johnson, University of Iowa, will give the opening plenary address, "Rousseau and Landscape Painting in France," on Thursday, June 9, at 5 p.m. in Dwight Lounge. For a complete schedule of other sessions please visit the conference Web site.
In conjunction with the colloquium, the Emerson Gallery at Hamilton College will host an exhibition, "Nature as Refuge: From Rousseau's Cascade to Central New York's Trenton Falls," from June 2 – Aug. 28. The exhibition will seek to illustrate the lasting influence of Rousseau on the way people regard nature.
All of the sessions will be held in the Dwight Lounge, second floor of the Bristol Campus Center. Conference activities will also include walks through Hamilton College's Root Glen and Kirkland Glen. Members of the Hamilton College and Clinton communities are welcome to attend any or the daytime events at the colloquium at no charge. Those outside of the local community need to register with Danelle Parker at Hamilton College (315) 859-4372, e-mail dparker@hamilton.edu. Registration fees for the entire conference are $50 for both days or $25 per day for Friday or Saturday. There will be no charge for the first plenary session on Thursday afternoon or the Sunday morning session. Anyone wishing to purchase lunch at the conference may do so in advance for $12 per day on Friday and Saturday, $10 on Sunday. Contact Ms. Parker if you wish to have lunch at the conference on any of those days.
The Rousseau Association is a bilingual society devoted to the study of Rousseau. Every two years the association organizes a colloquium devoted to a specific text or topic during which all papers are given in plenary session. Selected proceedings of each colloquium are published. The conference at Hamilton is being organized by Professor of French John C. O'Neal.
An innovator in moral philosophy, political science, educational theory and literature, Rousseau also had a lasting influence on the way humans regard the natural world in which they live. Before the 18th century there are few examples of man's prolonged and enjoyable forays into nature, which was often portrayed in literature as a place for social misfits such as hermits, thieves or madmen. But Rousseau popularized the excursion into nature, especially with his best-selling novel La Nouvelle Heloise, in which the protagonist derives tremendous solace from the Swiss Alps, and with his last autobiographical work, The Reveries of the Solitary Walker. For our own time Rousseau is largely at the beginning of the so-called back-to-nature movement and the accompanying environmentalism that views wilderness as a space worth protecting.
Dorothy Johnson, University of Iowa, will give the opening plenary address, "Rousseau and Landscape Painting in France," on Thursday, June 9, at 5 p.m. in Dwight Lounge. For a complete schedule of other sessions please visit the conference Web site.
In conjunction with the colloquium, the Emerson Gallery at Hamilton College will host an exhibition, "Nature as Refuge: From Rousseau's Cascade to Central New York's Trenton Falls," from June 2 – Aug. 28. The exhibition will seek to illustrate the lasting influence of Rousseau on the way people regard nature.
All of the sessions will be held in the Dwight Lounge, second floor of the Bristol Campus Center. Conference activities will also include walks through Hamilton College's Root Glen and Kirkland Glen. Members of the Hamilton College and Clinton communities are welcome to attend any or the daytime events at the colloquium at no charge. Those outside of the local community need to register with Danelle Parker at Hamilton College (315) 859-4372, e-mail dparker@hamilton.edu. Registration fees for the entire conference are $50 for both days or $25 per day for Friday or Saturday. There will be no charge for the first plenary session on Thursday afternoon or the Sunday morning session. Anyone wishing to purchase lunch at the conference may do so in advance for $12 per day on Friday and Saturday, $10 on Sunday. Contact Ms. Parker if you wish to have lunch at the conference on any of those days.
The Rousseau Association is a bilingual society devoted to the study of Rousseau. Every two years the association organizes a colloquium devoted to a specific text or topic during which all papers are given in plenary session. Selected proceedings of each colloquium are published. The conference at Hamilton is being organized by Professor of French John C. O'Neal.
