Invitation to NOVITATE 2023—"Be Not Conformed!"

I cordially invite you to join me at a special event that I’m hosting in Washington, DC, on Friday, October 13, 2023, called NOVITATE—an interdisciplinary gathering to explore and celebrate the work of the great social theorist René Girard, on the centennial anniversary of his birth.

It’s time to bring all of Athens, Jerusalem, and Silicon Valley together to discuss how Girard’s ideas might help us approach some of the most important questions of our time. My goal is to make NOVITATE an encounter that you will not forget, and one that makes a real contribution to how we live and work in the years ahead.

APPLY NOW at novitateconference.org

The theme of this year’s experience is “BE NOT CONFORMED!”, which is inspired by the apostle Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Other translations render the original Greek as “don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world.” The phrase is incredibly rich in meaning and lends itself to a thick discussion.

The role that mimesis plays in the process of conformity and non-conformity is crucial. We will be exploring this theme across domains as diverse as literature, business, education, media, culture, politics, and more. In short, the floor is open—and this will be a silo-busting affair.

We need new models of thought—and desire—in order to build a healthier human ecology where we can be in right relationship with one another, and with the broader world that we live in.

I invite you to be a part of this experience regardless of your knowledge of Girard’s work. The point of the gathering is to create generative collisions between people with different experiences and backgrounds—academics, industry leaders, professionals, writers, students, artists, everyone is welcome. You have a contribution to make.

APPLY NOW at novitateconference.org

Event Details

The conference portion of the experience will take place on the beautiful campus of The Catholic University of America. During the day, there will be several plenary sessions featuring keynote talks and panel discussions (including one with Jonathan Pageau—many more speakers/panelists who will be announced shortly).

There will also be three breakout sessions throughout the day at which anyone with a special perspective on the conference theme is invited to submit an abstract to present, either individually or as part of a group.

We are looking for vibrant ideas, rigorous thinking, clear communication, serious research, and an ability to present your insights in an effective manner to a diverse audience.

The goal is that selected papers from the event will be collected and published in a book volume (likely edited by me) to be published sometime in 2024 or 2025.

Anyone whose abstract is accepted for presentation at the event will receive a generous stipend that should cover all, or most, of your cost of travel for NOVITATE. If your paper is accepted for inclusion in the edited volume, you will be asked to work with me (or a selected editor) to develop it into a polished chapter in the forthcoming book.

The day will conclude with a cocktail reception and dinner banquet, short program, and live music at a hotel in downtown Washington, DC (most likely at the State Ballroom of The Mayflower hotel, but the events team is still finalizing a few details).

There will be ample opportunities to meet and greet and have conversations at this event, as well as the days before and after when there is not a full slate of activity. I encourage you to plan some time on both the front and back ends.

Please apply to reserve your place immediately, as spots will be filling up quickly. Due to space constraints, there will be a maximum capacity of 150-200 people.

Corporate sponsorship packages are available here, and all will be tax-deductible to the fullest extent possible.

A small portion of the event (10% or less) will be live-streamed, but the majority of it will not be available unless you are with us in person.

APPLY NOW at novitateconference.org

Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, with the first batch of notifications going out in April. If your application is accepted, you will be sent a private link to purchase your ticket ($250). Your ticket includes full admission to all activities, including the full dinner banquet and program. You will be provided with a link to several hotel options in the vicinity of the evening banquet. We should also have special room blocks/rates available to share with you.

In your application, please indicate whether or not you are a subscriber to this newsletter—I will be offering some special opportunities for you apart from the main conference.

Scholarships are available to students. Please indicate your need on the application, and share this opportunity with any students you believe would benefit from the encounters.

I hope to see you there!

—Luke Burgis

P.S. The name of this new experience, NOVITATE, comes from the Vulgate translation of Paul’s exhortation to “Be not conformed.” Et nolite conformari huic s?culo, sed reformamini in novitate sensus vestri, it reads. The word novitate conveys a transformation that results in “newness” of one’s senses (novitate sensus vestri). At future gatherings, we will explore other thinkers and ideas that can help us develop these new senses. All of these events will be rooted in personal encounter.

P.S.S. I encourage anyone who is not a premium subscriber to The Anti-Mimetic Newsletter to sign-up now. I will be sharing some special pre-event invitations related to NOVITATE, as well as additional content pre and post gathering.