Tag Archives: events

Perspectives on Agency & Disadvantage: Programme live, and registrations open!

We are excited to announce that registrations are open for our research group’s first major event, the workshop ‘Perspectives on Agency and Disadvantage’! We have a stellar line-up of speakers. See below for information on the event, and how to register.

Perspectives on Agency and Disadvantage

University of Turku, Finland, July 2–3 2025

This two-day interdisciplinary workshop explores human agency in the context of social interaction and social structure. We invite academics across philosophy, psychology, and related disciplines to present new work on any aspect of the interaction of agency and disadvantage to share theoretical insights, empirical research, and practical social and political applications. The workshop is hosted by the Agency as Experience and Capacity: Social Mechanisms, Political Implications project at the University of Turku. Generous support by the Kone foundation enables us to make this event free for all. The event is organized by Polaris Koi, Anssi Bwalya and Joonas Martikainen.

Keynote Speakers

Jeanette Kennett (Philosophy, Macquarie University)
Nelli Hankonen (Social Psychology, Tampere University)
Lilian O’Brien (Philosophy, University of Helsinki)

Registration

Registration is necessary, including for online participation. Please go to the event’s website to register.

Selected papers

Ari Ofengenden (Tulane): Agency under conditions of structural inequality

Charlie Kurth (Clemson): I’m losing it! What the feeling of lost control tells us about being an agent

Catherine Dale (Leipzig): Dependent intentional action as enhancing agency

Cristiano Bacchi (HU Berlin): “Where does my psychiatric condition stop and the rest of me begin?” On the interplay between authenticity and the sense of agency in psychiatry

Aku Visala (Helsinki): Autonomy and moral responsibility in MDD

Esko Yli-Hemminki (Helsinki): A normative theory of criminal law’s person

Maria Teresa Cotrufo (KCL): Redefining sexual agency: A critical analysis of the sexual offenses act 2003

Arlene Lo (LSE): Defiance amid despair: Reporting sexual assault despite its futility

Ben Colburn & Jennifer Corns (Glasgow): An agent-centred approach to disadvantage

Russ McIntosh (Berkeley): Agent-relative prerogatives and deference to power

Daniel Vespermann (Heidelberg) & Sanna Tirkkonen (Helsinki): Existential injustice and psychosis risk: the role of harmful salience in social defeat

Amandine Catala (UQAM Montréal): From a pluralist account of epistemic agency to a pluralist account of epistemic repair

Questions?

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Polaris Koi at polaris.koi@utu.fi

If you are participating as audience on-site and need to be included in the programme, we may be able to include you as chair of one of the sessions. Please contact Polaris Koi.

https://sites.utu.fi/agencyproject/2025-agency-and-disadvantage-workshop/

CFP: Perspectives on Agency and Disadvantage

University of Turku, Finland, July 2–3 2025

Deadline extended to March 25, 2025!

This two-day interdisciplinary workshop explores human agency in the context of social interaction and social structure. We invite academics across philosophy, psychology, and related disciplines to present new work on any aspect of the interaction of agency and disadvantage to share theoretical insights, empirical research, and practical social and political applications. The workshop is hosted by the Agency as Experience and Capacity: Social Mechanisms, Political Implications project at the University of Turku, supported by the Kone foundation. The event is organized by Polaris Koi, Anssi Bwalya and Joonas Martikainen.

The keynote speakers are:

Jeanette Kennett (Philosophy, Macquarie University)

Nelli Hankonen (Social Psychology, Tampere University)

Lilian O’Brien (Philosophy, University of Helsinki)

The workshop is about the relationship of agency and disadvantage, broadly conceived. Contributions in philosophy, psychology, and other relevant disciplines, such as social sciences, are warmly welcomed. We are interested in both theoretical and empirical work across topics including, but not limited to, the following:

Agency, disability, and impairment
Political agency and social exclusion
Sense of agency and socioeconomic disadvantage
Supporting agency in disadvantaged populations
The social determinants of self-efficacy
Social injustice and breakdowns of agency
Mental illness and autonomy
Decision-making and disadvantage
Politicized conceptions of agency
Oppression and autonomous action
The social mechanisms of self-control
The self-control ethos and (Western) culture
Social and individual factors shaping agency beliefs
Agency beliefs and real-life outcomes
Agency in the digital age

To be considered as a speaker, please submit an abstract of 500 words as an anonymized PDF file to agencyexperienceturku@gmail.com by March 16th. Deadline extended to March 25th!

In the accompanying e-mail, please give full author details.

Speaker selection is based on a combination of abstract quality, diversity and fit of topics, and diversity of career stage. Results will be communicated by April 4.

We have space for around 12 papers. The workshop is free of charge for both speakers and audience. Two lunches, coffee, and one dinner are covered for all speakers. While we are unable to cover the travel expenses of all speakers, we are able to cover travel and accommodations for a limited number of speakers based on need. If you wish to be considered for travel assistance, please note that in the e-mail accompanying your submission. This in no way influences the abstract selection process. 

The event will be livestreamed, so the audience can also participate online. Information about registration for online and on-site participation will be circulated in April. Updates will be posted on the event’s web page at https://sites.utu.fi/agencyproject/2025-agency-and-disadvantage-workshop/

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Polaris Koi at polaris.koi@utu.fi

Traveling to Turku: The Turku airport has connections to a handful of European cities, including Stockholm, Gdansk and Rome. Turku is easily accessible by bus and train from the Helsinki airport, which connects to all major cities, and by ferry from Stockholm.