Centre for Religious Studies and Research

Sukurta: 17 September 2013

rstc 9/1–105 Universiteto, LT–01513 Vilnius
Tel./faks. 268 7189
E-mails: ,
http://www.rstc.vu.lt

Director - Prof. Dr. Rita Šerpytytė

STAFF

Professors: Habil. Dr. R. Šerpytytė, Habil. Dr. T. Sodeika, Habil. Dr. A. Narbekovas (part-time).
Associate professors: Dr. A. K. Pažėraitė, Dr. M. Gutauskas (part-time), Dr. D. Bacevičiūtė (part-time).
Lecturers: Dr. V. Mackela (part-time), Dr. S. Maslauskaitė (part-time), Dr. D. Razauskas (part-time).
Postdoctoral student – Dr. V. Daraškevičiūtė.

RESEARCH AREAS

Religion and Culture

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Religion and everyday life: challenges of the contemporary world
Philosophy of religion
New religious movements
Nihilism and secularization
Religion and visualization
Role of the church in the post-modern transformations

MAIN CONFERENCES ORGANIZED IN 2013

International conference Nihilism and Imagination, 1–5^th July 2013

International conference Existential Interpretation of Being Human in Philosophy and Psychology: Validity and Topicality, 3–6^th October 2013 (with European Humanities University (Vilnius) and the S øren Kierkegaard Research Centre (Copenhagen)

RESEARCH PROJECTS CARRIED OUT IN 2013

Projects Supported by University Budget

Religion and Culture. Prof. R. Šerpytytė. 2013.

Interdisciplinary Research on Religion 2001–2013.

During the year 6 articles were published in the national scientific journals and 1 article in the international collection of articles. The material for the publishing in two volumes of scientific journal Religion and Culture (vol. 12–2 articles, vol. 13–4 articles) was prepared.

Main publications:

Pažėraitė, A. K., 2013. Jewish Prayer Halls and Synagogues in Vilna, 1914–1920. In: Polin: Studies in Polish Jewry, Volume 25: Jews in the Former Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1773, eds. Šarūnas Liekis, Antony Polonsky, Chaeran Freeze, p. 183–206, Oxford, Portland, Oregon: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, http://www.littman.co.uk/cat/polin-25.html.

National Research Projects

Research Council of Lithuania. National programme: State and Nation: Heritage and Identity. 2010–2014. Religion and Culture: The Challenges of the Contemporary World to the Identity (No. VAT-13/2010). Prof. R. Šerpytytė. 2010–2013.

The project in 2013 was focused on the theoretical analysis of the problem of nihilism and imagination, with particular focus on their link to the challenges of contemporary world.

On the basis of the project investigations, 2 monographs and one article for publishing were prepared, 2 international conferences were organized, and 9 papers at the international conferences were presented.

Main publications:

Collective monograph. Šerpytytė, R. (ed.), Sodeika, T., Bacevičiūtė, D., Gutauskas, M., Sabolius, K., Daraškevičiūtė, V., Maslauskaitė, S., Pažėraitė, A., 2013. Sekuliarizacija ir dabarties kultūra (Secularisation and Contemporary Culture). Vilnius: VU leidykla, 522 p.

Monograph. Sabolius K. 2013. Įsivaizduojamybė (Imaginary). Vilnius: VU leidykla, 253 p.

Article. Šerpytytė, R. 2013. Pakartojimas ir nihilizmas (Repetition and Nihilism), Problemos 84: 46–59, VU leidykla, http://www.vu.lt/leidyba/lt/mokslo-zurnalai/problemos/archyvas/problemos-2013-84/item/1779-pakartojimas-ir-nihilizmas .

Research Council of Lithuania. Philosophical Research into Cinema Art: Theoretical Assumptions, Methods, Objectives (MIP-115/2011). Dr. N. Milerius. 2011–2013.

The project in 2013 was focused on the investigation of the territories of interest where the interaction of cinema and philosophy is at most intensive. Four territories were distinguished: movement and montage; becoming and identity; everyday and the archive; the representable and unrepresentable.

On the basis of the project investigations, there were 2 monographs for publishing prepared, 4 papers presented in the project seminar Film and Philosophy (18 March, 2013), 2 papers presented at the international conference Nihilism and Imagination (1–5 July, 2013).

Main publications:

Monograph. Milerius, N., 2013. Apokalipsė kine: filosofinės prielaidos (The Apocalypse in Film: the Philosophical Presuppositions). Vilnius: VU leidykla.

Collective monograph. Milerius, N. (ed.), Žukauskaitė, A., Baranova, J., Sabolius, K., Brašiškis, L., 2013. Kinas ir filosofija ( Film and Philosophy). Vilnius: VU leidykla, 222 p.

Research Council of Lithuania. Transformations of Ontology: Nihilism, Ethics, Media (No. MIP-011/2013). Prof. T. Sodeika. 2013–2015.

The project in 2013 was focused to explore three directions in relation to the transformations of ontology: “immanent” overcoming of ontological nihilism when attempting to develop a “negative” ontology in which “nothing” carries the function of main category; the analysis of E. Levinas and H. Jonas ethical investigations in relation with ontology; the analysis of media as “the extensions of man” (M. McLuhan), i. e. the media enabling and forming the participation of the person in reality.

On the basis of the project investigations, 2 papers were presented at international conferences and 3 articles prepared for publishing.

International Research Projects

The international research project ONLENHER – Ontology. Language. Hermeneutics (under the guidance of Dr. Maria Teresa Oñate Zubia). Prof. R. Šerpytytė is a member of the international group of investigation ONLENHER at the National Distance Education University (UNED) in Spain, http://portal.uned.es/portal/page?_pageid=93,8843313&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&idContenido=5.

The project in 2013 was focused on the problems of contemporary hermeneutics as well as of the nihilism and the critique of violence. On the basis of the project investigations, there were 1 article for publication prepared and 1 plenary paper at the international conference presented.

Main publications:

Šerpytytė, R. Conferenza plenaria Justicia Nichilista con Ricoeur y Derrida (Nihilistic Justice with Ricoeur and Derrida). Segundas Jornadas del Segundo Seminario Internacional de la Cátedra de Hermenéutica Crítica: Centenario Paul Ricoeur: Tiempo, Dolor, Justicia. Madrid, 2–5 December, 2013.

MAIN R&D&I (RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION) PARTNERS

Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies of Luigi Pareyson, Turin (Italy)
University of Turin (Italy)
University of Eastern Piedmont (Italy)
University of Lisbon (Portugal)
National Distance Education University (UNED) (Spain)
The Pontifical University of John Paul II Cracow (Poland)

OTHER SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

Prof. R. Šerpytytė –

President of the Lithuanian Philosophy Teacher’s Association;
member and national representative (correspondent) of International Association for Philosophy Teachers (Association Internationale des Professeurs de Philosophie, enregistrée á Bruxelles), http://www.aipph.de;
editorial board member of the journal Žmogus ir žodis (Man and the Word), http://www.vpu.lt/leidykla/zmzodis2.php;
editor-in-chief of the journal Religija ir kultūra (Religion and Culture), http://www.rstc.vu.lt ;
editorial board member of the journal Экзистенциальная традиция: философия, психология, психотерапия ( Existential Tradition: Philosophy, Psychology, Psychotherapy), http://www.existrad.nm.ru;
member of the organising committee and jury of Lithuanian Philosophy Olympiad;
member of the Catholic Academic Exchange Service (KAAD) in Lithuania, http://www.kaad.de/deutsch/inhalt.htm;
member of the Research Council of Lithuania (Committee of Humanities and Social Sciences) (since 2007), http://www.lmt.lt/lt/apie-taryba/hsm.html;
chair of the Research Council of Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, http://lkti.lt/apie_mus/taryba.html;
board member of the Lithuanian Society of Philosophers;
director of international conference Nihilism and Imagination, 1–5 July, http://www.rstc.vu.lt/lt/organising-committee;
organising committee member of the international conference Existential Interpretation of Being Human in Philosophy and Psychology: Validity and Topicality, 3–6 October.

Prof. T. Sodeika –

editorial board member of the journal Athena: filosofijos studijos (Athena: Philosophical Studies), http://www.kfmi.lt/athena/?lang=en&no=editorial-board;
editorial board member of the scientific journal Religija ir kultūra (Religion and Culture), http://www.rstc.vu.lt;
editorial board member of the interdisciplinary journal Sociologija. Mintis ir veiksmas (Sociology. Thought and Action), http://www.ku.lt/sociologija/page.php?id=staff;
board member of the Lithuanian Association of Phenomenology;
deputy chairman of Lithuanian Society of Philosophers;
member of organising committee of international conference Nihilism and Imagination, 1–5 July, http://www.rstc.vu.lt/lt/organising-committee.

Prof. A. Narbekovas –

member of the Council of Faculty of Catholic Theology at Vytautas Magnus University;
member of the Senate of Vytautas Magnus University, http://www.vdu.lt/en/about-vmu/structure-and-management-of-vmu/senate/;
editorial board member of the journal of religious science SOTER, http://biblioteka.vdu.lt/?q=node/545#01;
member of the Lithuanian Cultural Psychiatry Association;
member of the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life, http://www.zmogausgyvybe.lt/pgf/lietuvos-asociacija.

Assoc. Prof. A. K. Pažėraitė –

authoress of Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Institute;
directress of Lithuanian Jewish Culture Research Centre (in Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, former Culture, Philosophy and Arts Research Institute);
board member of the Lithuanian Society for the Study of Religion, http://en.religijotyra.lt/members/.

Assoc. Prof. M. Gutauskas –

editorial board member of the journal Religija ir kultūra (Religion and Culture), http://www.rstc.vu.lt;
member of the Lithuanian Association of Phenomenology;
member of the Lithuanian Society of Philosophers;
member of the Catholic Academic Exchange Service (KAAD) in Lithuania, http://kaadbonn.de/stipendien/.

Assoc. Prof. D. Bacevičiūtė –

editor of the journal Athena: filosofijos studijos (Athena: Philosophical Studies), http://www.kfmi.lt/athena/?lang=en&no=editorial-board;
executive secretary of the scientific journal Religija ir kultūra (Religion and Culture), http://www.rstc.vu.lt;
member of the Lithuanian Association of Phenomenology;
member of organising committee of international conference Nihilism and Imagination, 1–5 July, http://www.rstc.vu.lt/lt/organising-committee.

Dr. S. Maslauskaitė –

editorial board member of the journal Religija ir kultūra (Religion and Culture), http://www.rstc.vu.lt;
member of the Lithuanian Art Historian Society, http://www.ldid.lt/en/members/;
member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association;
member of International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Dr. D. Razauskas –

senior editor of the journal Liaudies kultūra (Folk Culture), http://www.llkc.lt/index.php?1349237352;
editorial board member of the journal Res Humanitariae, http://www.ku.lt/hmf/res_humanitariae/redkolegija.pdf.

Dr. V. Mackela -

member of scientific organising of interdisciplinary international conference Interreligious Dialogue and Religious Syncretism in the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Vytautas Magnus University, 3–4 May, 2013, http://news.sisr-issr.org/2013/01/13/interreligious-dialogue-and-religious-syncretism/;
board member of New Religions Research and Information Centre, http://religija.lt/nrtic-steigejai-valdyba-darbuotojai-specialistai-bendradarbiai.

Dr. V. Daraškevičiūtė –

member of the Lithuanian Society of Philosophers;
member of the Lithuanian Association of Aesthetics.