March 5th - 6th, 2026 (Thu-Fri from 9am-5pm)
University of Jyväskylä (Auditorium C4)
In-person only
The main aim of the conference is to reassess the relationship between phenomenology and psychoanalysis—two frameworks that are usually counterposed and considered incompatible given their respective subject matters and methodological commitments. Phenomenology, on the one hand, is usually taken to be a descriptive philosophy of consciousness, while psychoanalysis, by contrast, builds on clinical work and aims at interpreting the unconscious structures of the mind. While acknowledging the differences between these two traditions, we hope to initiate a fertile interdisciplinary dialogue on topics of shared interest and re-examine the affinities and discrepancies, tensions and points of intersection between the two disciplines.
Topics of discussion may include:
- The limits of consciousness
- Self-other differentiation and sociality
- Selfhood and embodiment
- Developmental questions
- Sexuality and gender
- Neurophysiological underpinnings of the conscious and unconscious mind
- Psychopathology
Thursday, March 5th
09.00–09.15: Opening words
09.15–10.30: Talia Welsh (University of Alberta): “Phantasy and gender assignment in utero”
10.30–10.45: Break
10.45–12.00: Vittorio Gallese (University of Parma): “From pre-natal relations to self-constitution. A neuro-behavioral perspective on primary narcissism”
12.00–14.00: Lunch
14.00–15.15: Erik Stänicke (University of Oslo): “Freud’s model of the mind within a predictive-processing neuroscientific paradigm”
15.15–15.45: Coffee break
15.45–17.00: Beata Stawarska (University of Oregon): “Gendered and racialized asymmetries – the lessons of violence”
Friday, March 6th
10.00–11:15: Thomas Fuchs (Heidelberg University): “The insatiable self. An existential phenomenology of narcissism”
11:15–13:15: Lunch
13.15–14.30: Kelly Noel-Smith (London): “Freud’s theory of temporality: how we create time”
14.30–15:00: Coffee break
15.00–16.15: Joona Taipale (University of Jyväskylä): “Rethinking the unconscious”
The event is organized by the Asymmetric Encounters project (link to webpage) and generously funded by The Academy of Finland and the University of Jyväskylä.
** Questions about this event can be directed to the organizers, Joona Taipale (johetaip@jyu.fi), Sofie Boldsen (sboldsen@jyu.fi), or Juan Diego Bogotá (jdbogota@jyu.fi) **
