International specialists
Scholars in phenomenology and Asian philosophical traditions, bringing different approaches to selfhood and space into conversation.
East and West
Summer School
An encounter between traditions
Phenomenology
East and West
Summer School 2027
(non)Self and Space
26–29 May 2027University College Cork, Ireland
01 / The encounterCork, Ireland · May 2027
What if the self is constituted through its relations with others, things, places, and worlds?
The Phenomenology East and West Summer School brings Western phenomenology into dialogue with Asian philosophical traditions to rethink the relationship between self and space.
Over four days of student presentations, lectures, and intensive close-reading groups, participants will explore how these traditions challenge fixed notions of selfhood and space—and what other ways of seeing, inhabiting, and understanding might emerge.
02 / The 2027 theme
(non)Self and Space
For over a century, Western phenomenology has sought alternatives to the conception of the self as a subject contained within, and set apart from, the space it inhabits.
This inquiry has increasingly developed through dialogue with Asian scholars and much older philosophical traditions, many of which begin from radically different understandings of selfhood, space, and the relation between them.
Explore the theme
The Summer School continues and deepens this dialogue, exploring how philosophical and phenomenological traditions East and West have challenged reified notions of selfhood and space. What happens when the self is understood not as something contained in space, but as constituted through its relations with others, things, places, and worlds?
How might different conceptions of non-self transform our understanding of embodiment, perception, movement, and dwelling? Bringing these traditions into conversation, we ask what alternative ways of seeing, inhabiting, and understanding might emerge when we rethink the boundaries between self and world.
Small groups
Intensive close reading and discussion with faculty and peers, exploring how texts reshape our understanding of self and world.
Graduate credit
A graduate ECTS credit opportunity for eligible participants. Requirements and conditions will be published here.
About ECTSFor whom
MA and PhD students, early-career researchers, and practitioners whose work engages selfhood, non-self, space, and embodied experience.
03 / A rhythm of exchange
Four days of shared inquiry.
Full programme forthcoming
Student presentations
Share your research with faculty and fellow participants, and explore how your questions contribute to the dialogue on selfhood and space.
Lectures
Explore philosophical and phenomenological approaches to selfhood and space with international scholars working across Western and Asian traditions.
Close-reading groups
Work through philosophical texts in small, intensive groups, examining different conceptions of selfhood, non-self, and space.
Dialogue across traditions
Consider what different conceptions of non-self open up for our understanding of embodiment, perception, movement, and dwelling.
Student presentations, lectures, and intensive close-reading groups will shape our four days together. The full timetable, sessions, and locations will be announced as the programme develops.
04 / Essay competition
From Summer School
to publication
The best student essay will be selected for publication in the Journal of Aesthetics and Phenomenology, offering an opportunity to develop your work for an international audience.
About the essay prize
Competition eligibility, submission requirements, judging details, and deadlines will be published before entries open. Entry to the prize will be separate from submitting work for graduate credit.
05 / Faculty
A meeting of
perspectives
We are bringing together international scholars working across Western phenomenology and Asian philosophical traditions, with shared questions about selfhood, non-self, and space.
Meet the people who will lead the conversations: photographs, biographies, and session details will appear here as the faculty is announced.
Faculty announcements coming soon
06 / University College Cork
A place to think.
A place to encounter.
Join us in Cork, on Ireland’s south coast, where a setting for philosophical exchange meets a rich cultural landscape.
Encounters with others and with the places we inhabit bring questions of self and world into everyday experience. The city and campus offer a setting in which to think together about perception, movement, and dwelling.
Explore UCC & Cork07 / Taking part
Bring your questions.
Find new directions.
Who is the Summer School for?
MA and PhD students, early-career researchers, artists, architects, performers, and other practitioners whose work engages selfhood, non-self, space, or embodied experience. The school welcomes an interdisciplinary conversation across philosophical traditions.
Can I receive graduate credit?
Graduate ECTS credit is planned for eligible participants. The credit allocation, assessment, attendance requirements, and recognition arrangements will be published before applications open.
What will I need to apply?
A short biography, your research interests, and a statement explaining how your questions connect with selfhood and space and what you would like to explore through the Summer School’s dialogue between traditions. Full application guidance, fees, and deadlines are forthcoming.
Application informationPhenomenology East and West · 2027
Join us in Cork.
26–29 May 2027 · (non)Self and Space
Application informationApplications opening soon