Registration is now open!
→ Here you can download our preliminary program booklet.
(Version dated August 25, 2025)
Some abstracts are still being processed or have not yet been approved for publication and are therefore not currently displayed.
Conference Program Flyer (in English on pages 3 and 4)
(Version of August 19, 2025)
Please note that the Graz Marathon will take place in the city of Graz at the same time as our conference and that there may be increased traffic or closures.
Our conference room at Meerscheinschlössl: Festsaal
Have you met our keynote speaker yet?
Judith Tech is a philosopher and an experienced nurse who has run her own Philosophical Practice (philosophieren-im-gespraech.de) in Munich since 2004.
She was a lecturer of ethics in the dual nursing and social work degree programs from 2012 to 2024 in Germany. Her practice focuses on existential questions surrounding illness, dying, death, and grief.
We are particularly pleased to have her as our keynote speaker!
She will give a lecture titled "Philosophizing with the Dying: Mortals Philosophize" at the Meerscheinschlössl on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Email: judith.tech(at)t-online.de
Get to know our panelists
Ulla Kriebernegg directs the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care (CIRAC) and is engaged in research and teaching at both the University of Graz and the Medical University of Graz. Her scholarly pursuits concentrate on North American literature and cultural studies, aging and care research, as well as on medical humanities.
Email: ulla.kriebernegg@uni-graz.at
We look forward to welcoming her to our English-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
Patrick Schuchter is a senior researcher at the University of Applied Sciences Campus Wien and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care (CIRAC) at the University of Graz. His primary interests lie in practice-oriented and participatory research and education within the realm of palliative care, alongside fundamental political and philosophical inquiries regarding nursing and care in contemporary society.
Email: patrick.schuchter@uni-graz.at
We look forward to welcoming her to our English-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
Dietlinde Schmalfuß-Plicht runs her Philosophical Practice “MILAN” in Erfurt. Focus areas amongst others: the philosophical exploration of the topics of dying, death, and grief. She is the chair of the board of the Professional Association for Philosophical Practice (BV-PP), project manager and lecturer for the BV-PP's “Philosophical Practice Training Course,” and co-editor of the “Yearbook of the International Society for Philosophical Practice.”
Email: info(at)philosophie-milan.de
We look forward to welcoming her to our German-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
Anders Lindseth is a Norwegian philosopher who, before his retirement, taught practical philosophy at the Universities of Bodø and Tromsø. He has run a Philosophical Practice since 1989. His numerous publications on Philosophical Practice make strong reference to care topics. He lives and works in Munich, Germany.
We look forward to welcoming him to our English-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Email: anders.lindseth(at)yahoo.com
Get to know our panelists
Klaus Wegleitner, sociologist and care researcher, is an associate professor of Public Health and End-of-Life Care, deputy director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care (CIRAC), head of the Public Care Department at the Institute for Pastoral Theology at the University of Graz, and chairman of the Sorgenetz association in Vienna.
We look forward to welcoming him to our German-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
Tamara Mandl is a social worker in the Mobile Palliative Care Team Graz/Graz-Umgebung, a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Graz and in various palliative care programs in Austria, and an activist in the feminist, anti-fascist, and health sectors.
We look forward to welcoming her to our German-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
Ingrid Marth is a registered nurse with many years of experience in the Mobile Palliative Care Team CS Vienna, and a certified adult educator, holding a B.A. in Buddhist Philosophy.
We look forward to welcoming her to our English-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Email: ingrid.marth(at)gmx.at
Get to know our panelists
Omar Ibrahim, trained in hospital and clinical chaplaincy (CAS), is a research associate at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau and leads the Philosophical Care project in a psychiatric hospital in Switzerland.
We look forward to welcoming him to our German-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
David Sumiacher D’Angelo is General Director and founder of CECAPFI (Educational Center for Autonomous Creation in Philosophical Practices), president of CECAPFI International (present in Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Colombia, Belgium, and Uruguay), director of the Master's Degree in Philosophical Practices (the only master's degree on the topic in the Spanish-speaking world), and co-founder and first president of the Mexican Association of Philosophical Counsellors. He organized the International Conference on Philosophical Practices in conjunction with UNAM and chaired the thematic section on philosophical practices at the World Congress of Philosophy in Rome in 2024. He has worked on research projects and taught seminars, courses, and classes at universities in more than twenty five countries. He is the author of more than one hundred publications related to these topics.
We look forward to welcoming him to our English-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our panelists
Donata Romizi is a researcher and teacher at the University of Vienna. She initiated and leads the university course “Philosophical Practice” in Vienna.
We look forward to welcoming her to our German-language panel discussion on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Meerscheinschlössl.
Get to know our our student assistant
Alessia Prato supports the conference as a student assistant, working on organizational matters.
She is also a teacher at an elementary school near Graz and is pursuing a degree in religious and geographical education at the University of Graz.
Email: alessia.prato(at)uni-graz.at
Our cooperation partner: Master's program in palliative care
The topic of the conference, "Encounters in Ultimate Situations," is part of the curriculum of the Master's program in Palliative Care at the Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria. Knowledge, skills, and attitude are elements that play an essential role in hospice and palliative care. These are taught in the Master's program in Palliative Care, with a focus on dealing professionally with ultimate situations. The program has a modular structure and is offered as a part-time, interprofessional course in Salzburg. It comprises three different levels with corresponding degree options.
The program director, Doris Schlömmer, will present this postgraduate continuing education program in the field of palliative care for all those working in health and social professions, and will be happy to answer any questions about continuing education in hospice and palliative care during the presentation.
For more information, please visit: https://www.pmu.ac.at/studium-weiterbildung/pmu-academy/palliative-care
The call for abstracts is now closed
Our call for abstracts closed on May 31, 2025, and our contributors were finalised on June 30, 2025.
Cooperation partner: Pflegestützpunkt
Our conference “Encounters in Ultimate Situations. Philosophical Practice and Palliative Care in Dialog” will be accompanied by Radio Helsinki's Pflegestützpunkt.
The Pflegestützpunkt project created spaces for discourse and debate on neglected topics in our society, such as care, support, and care work. The project focused on the living environments of an aging society to address, highlight, and promote needs and possible solutions in care. The ability to lead a high-quality, self-determined life must continuously be addressed and brought to the public's attention. Caregivers are allowed to share ideas, empower themselves, and discuss their professional expertise and experiences.
Karin Schuster will attend our conference, where she will lead a workshop and record conference participants' voices for Radio Helsinki.
Website of Pflegestützpunkt (German)
Call for Abstracts NOW OPEN
Would you like to present a workshop, paper, or poster at the conference?
Please send your abstract for a workshop, paper or poster in English or German as a PDF attachment to hospizphilosophie@uni-graz.at, stating the section and format in the subject line (e.g., Section Palliative Care Poster). In the cover letter, please include your full name, academic title, and the name of your university or employer (if available). Please note that only one submission per person will be considered.
Please submit your abstract between April 1 and May 31, 2025. You will be notified of the decision on your submission by June 30, 2025.
For more information on how to submit an abstract, please click here: Download Call for Abstracts.
SAVE THE DATE
Conference at the University of Graz, Austria
Autumn Colloquium of the International Society of Philosophical Practice (IGPP) in cooperation with the Professional Association of Philosophical Practice (BV-PP) and final conference of the research project "Philosophical Practice in Palliative Care and Hospice Work. The role of philosophical reflection in the development of a culture of care and knowledge about dying" (University of Graz)
Encounters in Ultimate Situations. Philosophical Practice and Palliative Care in Dialog
Dying, death and mourning often lead to a preoccupation with philosophical questions, and this is where patients, relatives and various professionals and volunteers meet in a special way. The conference deals with the social significance of care at the end of life. It brings together actors from philosophy, philosophical practice, care work and research to engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue and exchange of perspectives.
Keynote speeches, workshops, poster sessions, etc.
Conference languages: German and English
Please save the following dates in your calendar:
October 10–12, 2025
Your Contact Persons
Dipl. Sozialpäd. (FH), Ak. Phil. Praktikerin Stefanie Veronika Rieger MA, Syst. Beraterin (SG)
+43 316 380 - 3679
Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Alterns- und Care-Forschung
Schubertstraße 23
8010 Graz
https://hospizphilosophie.uni-graz.at/de/
Alessia Prato
+43 316 380 - 3672
Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Alterns- und Care-Forschung
Schubertstraße 23
8010 Graz
https://hospizphilosophie.uni-graz.at/de/