The decision to hold the conference in Eichstätt was made at this year's meeting, which took place in Paris in mid-June. Eichstätt philosophy professor Dr. Imke von Maur, who has been President of the specialist society since 2023, issued the invitation. "The fact that we were able to bring international emotion research to Eichstätt is a strong signal for the KU", says von Maur. The decision is a sign of confidence in the location and an opportunity to further strengthen international exchange.
This year's EPSSE conference was organized by Imke von Maur together with the vice presidents of the association, Lucy Osler from Cardiff University and Pilar Lopez Cantero from the University of Antwerp, in cooperation with the Sorbonne-Panthéon University in Paris. Around 100 philosophers from Europe, North America and Asia discussed fundamental questions on the nature of affective phenomena as well as current questions on the role of emotions and affectivity in social, political and cultural contexts. The conference in Paris was noticeably influenced by global political developments. In her opening speech, von Maur emphasized the importance of emotions in the context of social conflicts: "Emotions are not sterile objects of research – they have a decisive influence on our individual and collective everyday lives." Against the backdrop of growing restrictions on academic freedom (for example due to political developments in the USA) she called for the defense of free, collaborative and constructive research.