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The Essay Seminar

The Essay Seminar is an arena for discussing essays and texts that differ from research discussed in other seminars at the department.

Book pages nailed to a wall.
Image: Patrick Tomasso/Unsplash

Opportunity for in-depth discussions

The seminar focuses on conversations based on essays in a broad sense. The central point is the mutual conversation about a text and its content. The aim is creative and in-depth discussions where it is not possible to draw a line for the paths the conversations take. However, the aim is always to develop and deepen the theme of the text.

New ways of thinking

An essay can be many different things, but the central idea should be that you want to think about a theme, rather than do research. Thus, broad brush strokes and attempts to think in new ways are desirable. Methodological discussions already have their forums at the department, and in the essay seminar we would like to see the theme of the text as the focus instead. We also like to see texts that go beyond classical empiricism, such as literature, film and art, as tools for developing the theme of the essay.

Questions and answers about the Essay seminar

When are the seminars?

We meet 2-4 times at the end of each term. During the spring semester, the meetings are in April, May and June and during the autumn semester in November, December.

What is required to join?

To participate, you need to read the text to be discussed, which is sent out about a week before the seminar. The seminars last around two hours and are almost exclusively devoted to discussion. Presentations should be short. Please contact Fredrik Sandberg if you would like to attend a seminar, contact details below.

Who is invited?

Academics from sociology and related disciplines (e.g. political science, psychoanalysis or social anthropology) who are interested in presenting and discussing texts in essay form.

What will participants do?

Participate in a dialogue around a self-authored or other text related to the theme of the seminar.

How are the texts selected?

So far, this has been based on suggestions from those involved in the seminar, but we welcome suggestions for texts. These can be drafts of your own texts or texts that touch on the theme of the seminar that you would like to discuss.


Seminars

Spring 2025

Tuesday 25 February 10-12

In the safe arms of the authoritarian

Author: Fredrik Sandberg

Tuesday 25 March 10-12

Open for proposals

Friday 25 April 10-12

Walter Benjamin on essay writing

Speaker: Hans Edvard Roos

Friday 23 May 10-12

The social - different definitions and applications

Author: Åke Nilsén

Tuesday 10 June 10-12

Open for proposals

Past seminars

Autumn 2024

Tuesday 5 November at 10-12

Theme: Theodor Adorno on essay writing

Rapporteur: Anders Ramsay

Monday 25 November at 13-15

Theme: Diagnosis of the times

Rapporteur: Hans-Edvard Roos

Tuesday 17 December at 10-12

Theme: Close to the yearning of their nation. The lives of three women in Weimar Germany

Author: Carl-Göran Heidegren


Contact

Fredrik Sandberg (fredrik [dot] sandberg [at] soc [dot] lu [dot] se)