International Interdisciplinary Conference LONELINESS on September 25-26, 2025 in Gdańsk, Poland

Conference online (via Zoom):

CFP:

What makes us happy and content in our life? Some people may point to fabulous fame, fortune, or money. Some may say that the key to happiness are interpersonal relationships. But what if someone is alone? Is loneliness really disastrous? Are there any benefits of loneliness? Can loneliness become an epidemic? In order to answer such questions, during our conference we will have to concentrate on many particular issues. Thus, we are interested in all aspects of loneliness in the past and in the present-day world.

The conference is intended as an interdisciplinary event. Hence, we invite researchers representing various academic disciplines: sociology, psychology, psychiatry, philosophy, anthropology, gender studies, literary studies, theatre studies, film studies, consciousness studies, social policy, cognitive sciences, history, and others.

The aim of our conference is to provide opportunities for researchers from a range of disciplines and countries to share their research, create an academically challenging and productive space for discussion, and enable them to establish long-lasting, ever-growing scientific networks and contacts with professionals in other countries and institutions.

We will be happy to hear from both experienced scholars and young academics at the beginning of their careers, as well as doctoral and graduate students. We also invite all persons interested in participating in the conference as listeners, without giving a presentation.

The topics of the conference include but are not limited to the following suggestions:

1. Loneliness and Society

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loneliness and social relationships (in families, marriages, partnerships, workplaces, etc)​

loneliness and war

loneliness and illness

loneliness and self-isolation, social distancing

loneliness of children

loneliness of seniors

the lonely crowd

loneliness in urban spaces

loneliness as an epidemic

loneliness and pandemic

loneliness and social exclusion (social class, racism, gender factors, educational status)

loneliness and social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

2. Loneliness and Culture

loneliness in different parts of the world

loneliness and religions

loneliness and initiation rituals

lonely communities

abandoned nations

expelled minorities

3. Individual experiences

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loneliness during self-isolation, quarantanne,

loneliness as a state of mind

loneliness and emotional isolation

loneliness and depression

loneliness and shame

creative loneliness

loneliness as a rest

situational loneliness

existentional loneliness

loneliness, aloneness and solitude

4. Literature and Arts

loneliness in literature, film, theatre and visual arts

lonely artists

Please submit abstracts (no longer than 300 words) of your proposed 20-minute presentations, together with a short biographical note, by 7 September 2025 to: [email protected] or by REGISTRATION FORM