The 32nd International Human Science Research Conference

The 32nd International Human Science Research Conference is hosted by Aalborg University, Denmark

August 13-16 2013 in Aalborg

Conference theme for the Human Science Research Conference 2013:

Creativity in Human Science Research, Methodology and Theory

Creativity is a buzz word in modern society, which has often been characterized as a “knowledge economy” depending for its continued existence on innovation and the generation of new ideas and products. But creativity is much more than a fashionable concept in industry and management; it also points to fundamental features of human existence that have been studied by human scientists, often in relation to the idea of Bildung, or the creative formation of people, who may become co-creators of personal and social life themselves.

Originally, in the Western culture, creativity was the exclusive province of God, the Creator, but in a secular world, there is an imperative for everyone to become creators in and of their lives. How we evaluate this imperative depends to a large extent on how we theorize creativity as a human phenomenon, in everyday life as well as in the sciences.

All human sciences exist in a tension between tradition and renewal. At the conference, we hope that participants will discuss how to renew the human sciences creatively, and also to presents ideas about what creativity is as a basic human phenomenon. How can phenomenological, hermeneutic and other human science traditions be respected and yet renewed in creative directions? How – and how much – should human scientists experiment with creative methodological practices when researching human phenomena? What role can the arts play? Are there limits to creativity? Can human beings become too creative – in life as well as in research? And what can human scientists actually contribute with to the current creativity discourse?

Other submissions within the theme "human science research" are also welcome.

The Human Science Research Conference 2013 is organised by Aarhus University and Aalborg University: