CATS-SJTU International Graduate Student Conference 2025

“Worldmaking Revisited: Transcultural Perspectives on Constructing Realities”

October 8-10, 2025

Shanghai

The concept of “Worldmaking”, introduced by Nelson Goodman in Ways of Worldmaking (1978), has contributed to, and also reshaped debates about how realities are constructed. Goodman’s theory challenges the notion of a singular, objective world. His central thesis is that the world is not “given” but constructed through various symbolic systems, classifications, and cultural practices——such as language, art, and science. Goodman’s idea of multiple worlds raises questions on how different cultural “worlds” collide and coexist in a globalized context. It contributes to contemporary discussions that critique Eurocentric, hegemonic worldviews as it raises questions on how spaces are socially and culturally constructed, how narratives shape worlds, and how different symbolic systems construct realities and influence cultural perceptions. This conference seeks to revisit and expand Goodman’s worldmaking concept by incorporating a transcultural perspective.

We aim to explore how worldmaking processes unfold across different cultural, historical, and disciplinary contexts, interrogating the ways in which diverse traditions, practices, and symbolic orders create, negotiate, and contest realities. This perspective recognizes the plurality of worldmaking practices and emphasizes their interconnectedness in an increasingly globalized and digitized world.

This year’s International Graduate Student Conference invites MA and PhD students from CATS and SJTU’s School of Humanities and from fields such as philosophy, cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, literature, art history, media studies, and digital humanities to engage. The themes include, but are not limited to the following topics:

Transcultural Worldmaking:

• How do cultural traditions, languages, and practices shape the construction of multiple worlds?

• What role do translation and adaptation play in mediating between different world versions?

• What could “a common world” mean within the framework of worldmaking?

Aesthetic and Artistic Worlds:

• How do literature, art, and performance function as tools for worldmaking?

• In what ways do aesthetic practices reflect or challenge dominant worldviews?

• Can artistic expressions serve as sites for imagining alternative futures or reclaiming forgotten pasts?

Technological and Digital Dimensions:

• What new forms of worldmaking emerge through virtual realities, AI, and digital storytelling?

• How do technologies mediate the production and perception of worlds in the 21st century?

Epistemology and Ontology of Worldmaking:

• How do knowledge systems differ in their approaches to world construction?

• What are the ontological implications of recognizing multiple, coexisting worlds?

Politics and Ethics of Worldmaking:

• Who has the power to create, sustain, or dismantle worlds?

• How do worldmaking practices relate to issues of colonialism, decolonization, and resistance?