Bodies of Virtue: Asian Perspectives on Ethics and Somaesthetics

The Center for Body, Mind and Culture in Florida Atlantic University's Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters is hosting the "Bodies of Virtue: Asian Perspectives on Ethics and Somaesthetics" international conference on Nov. 8 and 9, in the Culture and Society Building, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus.

"Bodies are the primary platform for ethical and aesthetic self-cultivation techniques in Asian cultures but these cultures have also used somatic practices for oppression and control," said Richard Shusterman, Ph.D., Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in the Humanities and director of the Center for Body, Mind and Culture. "Not only enlisted as a tool for ethical and spiritual progress, the body was also regarded as an abiding threat to morality and spirituality."

The conference will examine the different somatic perspectives and practices of classical and contemporary Asian cultures, exploring the ways to navigate their oppositions as Asian somatic techniques increasingly spread throughout the world.

Conference speakers include distinguished scholars in the arts and humanities from Britain, China and Japan, as well as from several American universities. "Bodies of Virtue" marks the first event in the framework of a collaboration agreement between FAU and the East China Normal University of Shanghai, which originated because of ECNU's interest in the somaesthetic research conducted at FAU's Center for Body, Mind and Culture. This is the 13^th international conference of the Center since its founding in 2007.

There is no conference registration fee, however, advanced registration is advised. To register or for more information, visit www.fau.edu/bodymindculture/Conferences.php or email bodymindculture@fau.edu.