Copenhagen Winter School in Phenomenology

The Copenhagen Winter School in Phenomenology is a PhD course that offers a close reading of a classical work in phenomenology. In 2026, the selected text is Edmund Husserl’s Ideen II (1952/2025) (Ideas pertaining to a pure phenomenology and to a phenomenological philosophy II, trans. R. Rojcewicz & A. Schuwer, Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1989).

The Winter School will consist in two keynote lectures, 6 presentations by participating PhD students, and sessions devoted to a close reading of Husserl's text. The two keynote lectures will discuss Husserl's text and PhD students who wish to present will be expected to also engage with the work in question.

What can we still learn from Husserl’s classical text?

Although Husserl’s work will constitute the point of departure, the systematic focus of the winter school will be broader.  It will also engage with questions pertaining to Husserl’s other works, his relation to other figures in phenomenology, as well as to more overarching questions pertaining to phenomenology of the embodiment, social phenomenology, and the application of phenomenology in the social sciences

The two keynote speakers will be Sara Heinämaa (University of Jyväskylä) and Dan Zahavi (CFS - University of Copenhagen).

The winter school is aimed specifically at researchers at the beginning of the career.

Participation is free but limited to 35 people. Prior registration is required, please apply before November 1, 2025.

Notification of whether you have been accepted as a participant in the Winter School: November 15, 2025.

ECTS: 1.2 ECTS for participation / 2.7 ECTS for participation with presentation

The deadline for submitting an abstract is November 1, 2025. 

Abstracts must be 500-1000 words in length

Abstracts that in some way engage with Husserl's Ideen II will be prioritized

How to submit an abstract

  1. Send an email with your abstract included as an attachment (acceptable formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .pdf)
  2. Make sure that the subject line of the email reads: “Abstract Copenhagen Winter School 2026”
  3. Address the email to zahavi@hum.ku.dk

Notification of reviewers’ decision: November 15, 2025

Organizers:

Dan Zahavi (University of Copenhagen)

Søren Overgaard (University of Copenhagen)

Please direct any questions to zahavi@hum.ku.dk

NB: From spring 2023 the Danish universities do not accept visitors or students with financing from CSC (Chinese Scholarship Council). The reason is that the terms of the contracts that CSC scholarship holders must sign compromise their working and living conditions, and are inconsistent with academic freedom as it is understood at Danish universities.

Registration

Register for the Copenhagen Winter School in Phenomenology before November 1, 2025.