An International Conference on the Concept of “Expression” to be Held in Reggio Emilia, 23–25 October
What does “expression” mean today? How is it connected to the body, to matter, to thought? And how is this concept being redefined in an era shaped by images and artificial intelligence? These are just some of the questions that will be addressed at the international conference “EXPRESSION. Starting from Spinoza/Deleuze”, taking place from 23 to 25 October in Reggio Emilia (Palazzo Dossetti).
Over three days, the event will bring together 36 Italian and international scholars to explore and debate one of the most significant and pressing themes in contemporary philosophy and the human sciences.
The conference is organised by Professor Federico Montanari (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia – Unimore) and Dr Igor Pelgreffi (University of Verona), with the support of the 2024 FAR Interdisciplinary Project “Images and AI”. Drawing on the thought of Spinoza and Deleuze – in whose work expression represents a key theoretical nexus for rethinking the relationship between immanence, body and thought – the conference aims to reconsider the notion of expression as a form of relation, affect and transformation.
The initiative spans multiple disciplinary perspectives – philosophy, socio-semiotics, biosemiotics, aesthetics, epistemology, visual studies, theatre and ecology – offering a dynamic and interdisciplinary view of contemporary thought.
“The theme of expression is central to understanding our modernity and its crises – from the transformations of language and the image to the impact of technology and artificial intelligence,” says Federico Montanari, Lecturer in Visual Studies and Sociosemiotics at Unimore. “Spinoza and Deleuze provide extraordinary tools for rethinking the immanence of thought and the body, and for restoring to the concept of expression its creative, political and vital force.”
As Igor Pelgreffi, Lecturer in Moral Philosophy at the University of Verona, adds: “Only through a truly interdisciplinary dialogue can we grasp the complexity of the concept of expression. This conference is an opportunity to share knowledge and practices of thought, moving through the many forms in which life manifests and expresses itself.”
For further information: federico.montanari@unimore.it, igor.pelgreffi@univr.it, giulia.conti@unimore.it
Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng
Articolo pubblicato da: Ufficio Stampa Unimore - ufficiostampa@unimore.it il 22/10/2025