The Søren Kierkegaard Society (SKS) USA

Current Announcements

John Davenport announces the creation of a new webpage dedicated to the Søren Kierkegaard Society's twice-annual sessions at meetings of the American Philosophical Association. Please click here to access the page.

Purpose, Meetings and Dues

The purpose of Søren Kierkegaard Society (SKS) is to encourage study and discussion of the thought of Søren Kierkegaard in all its dimensions and ramifications, including its sources and influences. Affiliated with both the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the American Philosophical Association (APA), the Society alternates its annual business meeting between AAR and APA conventions. At times dinner meetings with guest speakers are coordinated with these conventions. SKS encourages scholarship on Kierkegaard at the national and regional meetings of the AAR and APA through an Executive Committee which includes members of both organizations. Membership is open to all interested in Kierkegaard. Modest annual dues ($20.00) are used to defray the costs of communications and meetings.

History

As founded by Robert L. Perkins in 1979, SKS was informally affiliated with the Eastern Division of the APA and had as its purpose the fostering of Kierkegaard studies in this hemisphere. In the mid-1980s, Merold Westphal assumed responsibility for the Society's work in the APA. Also during the 1980s, Sylvia Walsh initiated two consultations on Kierkegaard at the APA; and later, a Kierkegaard Seminar was chaired by Abrahim Khan. When the term of that seminar ended (1990), Sylvia Walsh drafted a constitution through which SKS, in order to stabilize affiliation with the AAR, organized more formally.

Programs

Members are informed of calls for papers at sessions on Kierkegaard for both the AAR and the APA. In an effort to generate new scholarship, sessions often focus on recently published volumes in the Princeton Edition of Kierkegaard's Writings. In 1992, under the leadership of Jamie Ferreira, the "Kierkegaard, Religion and Culture" Group of the AAR was formed. This group has announced sessions on special topics, e.g. "Kierkegaard and the 'Other': Post-modernist Readings" and "Kierkegaard and the Poetic Imagination," as well as on particular texts from the authorship. In addition, SKS members actively encourage attention to Kierkegaard on other programs; e.g., in 1993 Andrew Burgess co-chaired a session of the Nineteenth Century Theology Group of the AAR on "The Place of Kierkegaard in Nineteenth Century Theology."

Networking

Members of the Society support conferences and newsletters connecting Kierkegaard scholars. In the U.S.A., the Kierkegaard Newsletter, initiated by Robert L. Perkins, is currently edited by Gordon Marino, Curator of the Howard and Edna Hong Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf College. In addition, the International Kierkegaard Commentary, ed. Robert L. Perkins, are announced regularly. The Executive Committee aims to be a liaison to other learned societies.

Leadership

Norman Lillegard, President
nlillega@utm.edu

Lee Barrett III, Vice-President
lbarrett@lancasterseminary.edu

David Kangas, Secretary-Treasurer
dkangas@mailer.fsu.edu

Louise Carroll Keeley, AAR Representative
lkeeley@assumption.edu

John Davenport, APA Representative
davenport@fordham.edu

Web Site
The Kierkegaard Society's web site is located at:
http://libnt2.lib.tcu.edu/staff/bellinger/SK_Society.htm

Past Presidents

Robert L. Perkins, Stetson University
Merold Westphal, Fordham University
John Donnelly, University of San Diego
Sylvia Walsh, Stetson University
C. Stephen Evans, Calvin College
Stephen Dunning, University of Pennsylvania
M. Jamie Ferreira, University of Virginia
Andrew Burgess, University of New Mexico
Wanda Warren Berry, Colgate University
David Cain, Mary Washington College
Mark Lloyd Taylor, Seattle University
Vanessa Rumble, Boston College