Center for Subjectivity Research
The Center for Subjectivity Research (CFS) is an interdisciplinary research center at the University of Copenhagen, directed by Dan Zahavi. They work on a number of different topics: subjectivity, intentionality, empathy, action, perception, embodiment, naturalism, self-consciousness, self-disorders, schizophrenia, autism, cerebral palsy, normativity, anxiety, and trust, and do scholarly work on classical thinkers such as Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Brentano, Husserl, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Merleau-Ponty, Levinas, and Ricoeur. They put a variety of philosophical and empirical perspectives on subjectivity into play to obtain mutual enlightenment, and methodological and conceptual pluralism. Hence, they have had collaborations within  different disciplines such as phenomenology, analytic philosophy, hermeneutics, psychiatry, neuroscience, philosophy of religion, Asian philosophy, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and cognitive science. Introduction. History. CFS was established in 2002, by Dan Zahavi (Professor of Philosophy), Josef Parnas (Professor of Psychiatry) and Arne Grøn (Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion) to allow a “systematic exploration of subjectivity” through “an ‘interphilosophical’ and ‘interdisciplinary’ approach”. In the period 2002-2012, it was funded as a "Center of Excellence" by the Danish National Research Foundation. Since 2012 CFS has been hosting a number of externally funded research projects, and is currently part of  the Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication, at the University of Copenhagen. CFS has received funding from, e.g., the European Science Foundation, The Danish Council for Independent Research, The European Commission (6th and 7th Framework Program), the Carlsberg Foundation, the VELUX Foundation, and the University of Copenhagen Excellence Program for Interdisciplinary Research. Theoretical framework: Subjectivity. The notion of Subjectivity (rather than for instance consciousness) was chosen as essential to the center, because it has a long and complex history in Western thought, thus providing a strong connection to tradition. Since Descartes, and in particularly since Kant, subjectivity has been of  ongoing concern to many philosophers working within the German and French traditions (continental philosophy). In the period from Kant to Hegel, occasionally labeled as the reign of the philosophy of subjectivity, subjectivity was considered to constitute at least one of the most important themes and principles of philosophy. In 20th century philosophy, this theoretical orientation probably found its most significant continuation in phenomenology. Honor and awards. In 2006 Dan Zahavi was awarded the Elite Research Prize of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. The prize is given to an outstanding Danish researcher for an excellent contribution to Danish  science. In 2009 Claudia Welz, then Post.doc at CFS, received the Templeton Award for Theological Promise. In 2010 Andrea Raballo, then Early Stage Researcher at CFS, won the European Psychiatric Association's Research Prize 2010 in the category "Clinical Psychopathology and refinement of psychiatric diagnostic categories." In 2011, Adrian Alsmith (currently postdoc at CFS), first won the Barbara Wengeler Prize for his PhD-dissertation and then the Sapere Aude - DFF Young Elite Researcher award. In 2011, Dan Zahavi received the Carlsberg Foundation's Research Prize from the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. In 2012, Josef Parnas received the  Kurt Schneider Scientific Award. Projects and collaboration. Advisory board. CFS has an advisory board composed of the following scholars: Ingolf U. Dalferth (Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy of Religion, Universität Zürich, Switzerland), (Professor of Philosophy, Freiburg Universität, Germany), Shaun Gallagher (Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Memphis, USA), (Professor of Philosophy, University of Frankfurt, Germany), Alva Noë (Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley, USA), Philippe Rochat (Professor of Psychology, Emory University, USA), Yves Rossetti (Professor of Neuropsychology, Lyon Medical School, France), Louis Sass (Professor of Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University, USA), Galen Strawson (Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading , UK), Evan Thompson (Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, Canada). Academic activities. Dan Zahavi, director of CFS is co-editor in chief of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, an international journal at the intersections between phenomenology, empirical science, and analytic philosophy of mind. Highlights among different recent research projects Practical application. CFS also works in projects extending outside of academic boundaries, e.g., projects with clinical application or art projects. Examples of projects with clinical application: Examples of collaborations with artists and on art projects: Education and student relation. Master's in Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind. Through the Department  of Media, Cognition and Communication CFS is involved in and offers courses on a 2-year master specialization in Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind. Summer school. Since 2010 during August it has hosted the Copenhagen Summer School in Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind. The summer school which is partially funded by the PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, typically attracts around 80-100 PhD students from all over the world, but is also open to advanced MA students. CFS engages in research training for PhD-students, full-degrees, and visiting students. Center for Subjectivity Research The