----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- *** Please forward to other interested parties/lists *** Caroline Gerschlager, Monika Mokre Call for Papers: 19th Women's Conference at the Vienna University for Economics and Business Administration Women in the Exchange Society (Self-)Deception and Other Imponderables Vienna, June, 16th and 17th, 2000 The conviction that societies are based on principles of exchange is deeply rooted in modern self-understanding. The outstanding importance those societies attribute to exchange in the commercial sense is perhaps the most obvious evidence for the truth of this statement. However, exchange cannot be reduced to the economic sphere as such (the market), but has to be regarded as fundamental for the modern understanding of social relations in general. The continued interest in theories of exchange also outside the field of economics proper is an important sign of this phenomenon ("reciprocity", "rational choice"). Against this background, the exchange society concept constitutes the setting and theoretical framework for the problem upon which we will focus, that being the particular relation of deception to exchange. The idea of this relation is in no way new: Adam Smith, for example, the founder of political economy who laid the theoretical fundamentals of exchange as a commercial system, also gave illustrious examples of self-deception and illusions in exchange. According to him, it "is deception which rouses and keeps in continual motion the industry of mankind", thus acknowledging the vital part that deception plays in the functioning of his system in general. In doing so, Smith gave special credit to what is often seen as a mere nuisance. Assuming he was right and that illusions and self-deception have found an ideal breeding ground in the functioning of the market system, the question may be raised whether this is also true of other forms of exchange. If illusion, false pretence, flattery, persuasion and seduction, lies and deceit, whispers, posturing, wearing a mask, hiding behind conventions, playing a role for others and for oneself are so much the rule among humans, it is only likely that they are present in all forms of their exchanges. This is why the further exploration of this relationship between exchange and deception was chosen as the principal approach for the conference. The "Exchange society" has distinguished forms of social exchange on the basis of their autonomy, by recognising their liberation from the social context in general. This is why we have decided to stress the problems of (self-)deception as they appear in three areas of research which are characteristic in this respect: the free market, the (autonomous) sciences and the (independent) arts. DECEPTION, SELF-DECEPTION and WOMEN What is the reason for deception in exchange as seen from a woman's perspective? In how far are the problems of deception studied within the framework of exchange theories? Does the conceptual framework of "exchange theories" help or hinder us to in the exploration of the question of women and (self-)deception? What does the concept of autonomy mean in the market, in science and the arts with reference to gender questions? [e.g.: Does the free (little or non-regulated) market help or hinder gender equality? Is wealth gender neutral? Is money gender neutral?] What forms of deception are particularly linked with women's position in the "exchange society"? Are the rules of exchange gender specific (i.e. masculine)? [e. g. How are women deceived by the abstraction of power relations and gender inequality (what about power relations and their influence on market values as well as scientific or artistic success, unequal assessment of artistic qualities, fraud and disregard of copyrights?)] Which strategies of mediation (that is camouflage) are provoked by the presence of women within the different fields of exchange? What kind of manifest deceptions and self-deceptions between women and men may be brought to the fore, when we look at exchange and its functioning from our women's perspective? What kind of illusions help or hinder women in the planning of their individual career? (In which way does an image of possible success influence individual developments (in a way similar to the dreams of Adam Smith's "poor man's son")? We thus invite women to submit proposals highlighting the concept of exchange and its peculiar relationship to (self-)deception and other imponderables while focussing their analysis on the market, science and the arts. Prospective participants should send an abstract not later than April, 15th 2000. They will be informed of the decision of the paper selection committee till May, 15th 2000. If possible, we would ask you to send the abstract as an E-Mail- attachment (Format: RTF) to Caroline Gerschlager: cgerschl@wu- wien.ac.at or Monika Mokre: [log in to unmask] Otherwise, we would need a floppy disk. Please, send proposals to: Dr. Caroline Gerschlager Institut fuer Volkswirtschaftslehre und Volkswirtschaftspolitik III WU-Wien Augasse 2-6 A-1090 Wien/Vienna Phone: ++43 1 31 33 6 /4515 Fax: ++43 1 31 33 6/726 A publication of the conference papers is planned. For this reason the participating women should bring a final version of their paper to the workshop. ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]