“Il senso solingo”

n view of the international conference “Il senso solingo” (“The lonesome meaning”) scheduled from 15th to 18th December 2026 in Trento, the Center for Religious Studies of Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK-ISR) makes available 5 participation grants for PhD students and researchers whose work addresses solitude within its religious, ethical, social, technological, artistic or semiotic dimension.

Through interdisciplinary perspectives, the conference will investigate the topic of solitude and isolation in contemporary cultures, taking into account both the painful experiences of separation and abandonment and the voluntary forms of retreat, contemplation and search for meaning considering the new scenarios involving artificial intelligence.

Those who are interested may submit their application by 16th October 2026, following the instructions available on the FBK-ISR website on the webpage: https://isr.fbk.eu/it/news/detail/bando-cinque-5-conference-grants-di-partecipazione-per-prendere-parte-al-convegno-internazionale-il-senso-solingo/ 

The selected candidates will join the 4-day event and will present their research in the dedicated poster session, designed to encourage discussion, scientific feedback and exchange within an international community. English will be the official language of the conference.

The conference is part of the seminar series: “Solitude and communion in religion and ethics”  coordinated by the director of the Center for Religious Studies of Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Massimo Leone.

“Solitude”, Leone underlines, “is one of the deepest and at the same time most ambivalent conditions of human experience: it may be abandonment, isolation or suffering but also retreat, contemplation, and the search to find a center. Throughout the years religions, arts and cultures have elaborated different ways to live within it and transform it; nowadays also digital technologies and artificial intelligence take part in this space, sometimes increasing separation, sometimes promising new forms of presence and relation. It is quite important that young researchers contribute to this discussion, bringing forth new questions, languages and perspectives”. 

Information about the FBK-ISR international conference “Il senso solingo”: https://isr.fbk.eu/en/events/detail/31671/international-conference-the-lonesome-meaning-2026/

Information about the call for application for participation grants: https://isr.fbk.eu/en/news/detail/call-for-five-5-conference-grants-to-attend-the-international-conference-the-lonesome-meaning/