Simone Weil Research Network United Kingdom

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Philosopher, mystic, activist, and enigma - the life and work of Simone Weil defies easy description and categorization. The range and depth of her interests and analysis has in recent years attracted attention for both its longevity and freshness in relation to social and political problems. Through being, as Albert Camus notes 'the only great spirit of our times' and per André Gide, the 'patron saint of all outsiders', Weil stands in contrast to the predominant trends in philosophy, political theory, and theology. Her thought thus provides a productive, innovative, and interdisciplinary lens from which to approach and address the 21st century's most pressing problems as they relate to the three key disciplines of politics, philosophy, and theology.This UK based but internationally looking network aims to bring together scholars working on Weil in these main areas in order to explore the utility of her thought for contemporary concerns. This is particularly apt as Weil has a clear link to the UK, having written her greatest political works in London when working for the French Resistance. Whilst there are societies for Weil's thought in the U.S.A, France, and Germany, and despite the growing interest in her life and work, the UK has always lacked formal and focal structures for the study of Weil, and thus misses the benefits that would result.Having identified this lack of centralization and growth of interest in Weil, the project aims to set up a Simone Weil Network to coordinate Weil scholars in a structured and interdisciplinary research environment. This will enable her thought to be disseminated academically and publicly, laying the groundwork for a longer-term AHRC ECR research project. The network will therefore aim to connect UK Weil scholars in different disciplines, with an outward focus towards colleagues in Europe, as well as expand and improve the limited scholarly work available on Weil in English. The network will facilitate and deliver three symposia, two public events, and a major international conference. From this the investigators will edit a volume of interdisciplinary essays on Weil, alongside publishing one research article in a top tier journal.The UK Weil Network will allow us to deliver these aims, and will be structured around a UK Weil Network website. This website will become the first place for Weil scholars and members of the public to go in order to find out about the life, work, and scholarly activity that surrounds Simone Weil. Further, the network will pay special attention to foster and facilitate interdisciplinary Weil scholarship, and in this takes inspiration from the successful AHRC funded 'Spinoza Research Network'. We are thus not funding a single line of inquiry but are interested in equipping, empowering, and bringing into dialogue Weil scholars (especially PGR and ECR researchers) from a variety of disciplines in order to give structure to Weil scholarship in the UK.The focus of the symposia, public events, and conference will be the theme 'Simone Weil in the 21st Century: Religion, Philosophy, and Politics'. These events will bring together scholars to explore the potential for Weil's thought to address current social and political concerns through her chosen disciplines of philosophy, politics, and theology, as well as introduce her innovative and challenging life to the public.Weil's disparate renaissance is a consequence of the failure of traditional philosophical, religious, and political models of thinking to address the radical shifts in social, ecological, religious, and political life in the 21st century. Bringing Weil's thought to bear on these contemporary challenges, from an array of disciplinary perspectives and through a range of events, will enable an effective dissemination of Weil's thought, and provide responses to present impasses in contemporary philosophy, politics, and theology with regards to the myriad challenges of our times.