NASS board meeting attended

Today I have attended this Autumn´s board meeting of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS). Topics included initial plans for the next NASS conference, to be held in 2027.

Reelected as Norway repr. and Secretary of NASS at NASS general assembly

On the eve of the 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), held in Tallinn, Estonia in conjunction with the 15th Annual Lotman Days with the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence” June 11-13th, the general assembly of NASS was held. I was reelected as Ordinary representative for Norway (which I have been since 2011), and as Secretary of NASS (which I have in this round been since 2023). Lauri Linask (Estonia) was reelected as President and Paulius Jevsejevas (Lithuania) reelected as Treasurer.

Abstract for NASS XIV: "Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability"

I have just composed and submitted the abstract below to organizers of The 14th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies along with the 15th Annual Lotman Days, which has the theme “Creativity – Complexity – Intelligence“ and is held in Tallinn, Estonia, June 11–13, 2025.

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"Ecological semiotics, lifeworld perspectives, and sustainability"

Abstract

Morten Tønnessen 

Drawing on my recently published encyclopedia chapter “Ecological semiotics” (Tønnessen 2024), in this presentation I outline how ecological complexity is underpinned by sign use and sign systems. Ecological semiotics, or ecosemiotics, can be understood as the study of sign use by organisms in an ecological context. In ecology, semiotic phenomena and sign processes occur at different levels of biological organization, and distinctive kinds of sign use is characteristic of different kinds of interspecies interaction. Ecosemiotic studies help to explain how ecological complexity can be understood in semiotic terms, and how sentient organisms interpret their environment and make choices that are informed by their sign use. I will present the basic theoretical outlook of ecological semiotics with an emphasis on lifeworld perspectives, particularly represented by the Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll (2010). This implies relating ecosemiotics to phenomenology, subjectivity and agency. In a more rudimentary sense, even plants, fungi and microorganisms have agency which can be framed in semiotic terms. In my work, I stress the relevance of a semiotic approach for human ecology and contemporary discussions concerning environmental sustainability. While ecosemiotics is amply informative applied to general ecology, it is especially pertinent in the context of understanding how human agency and sign use affects the environment at large. Ecological semiotics can help us understand how genuinely human sign use stands out from non-human sign use, and the ways in which human sign use is subject to cultural variation. Crucially, a semiotic approach to environmental issues can be informative with regard to understanding how human behaviour and sign use affects non-human lifeworlds by triggering environmental change which is experienced in sign-mediated ways. This positions ecosemiotics to address issues of environmental sustainability.

REFERENCES 

Tønnessen, Morten 2024. “Ecological semiotics”. Chapter. Encyclopedia of Ecology (3rd edition) (Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-21964-1.00018-5.  

von Uexküll, Jacob 2010. A foray into the worlds of animals and humans with A theory of meaning. O’Neil, J. D. (transl.). Minneapolis, London: University of Minnesota Press.

NASS General Assembly chaired; elected Secretary of NASS; Lauri Linask new NASS President

Yesterday, on Friday June 9th, I chaired the general assembly of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS) in conjunction with the 13th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS) in Helsinki (June 7-9th). After three terms - six years - as President, I stepped down from this role, and was elected Secretary (I was also Secretary in 2011-2017). Lauri Linask was elected President of NASS.

NASS XIII opened in Helsinki

This morning I took part in the opening of the 13th conference of the Nordic association for semiotic studies (NASS), which is held at UniArts Helsinki, and includes an anniversary symposium for the Semiotic Society of Finland. I gave welcome words following Jaana Erkkilä-Hill, vice-rector of Uniarts Helsinki, and before Eero Tarasti, honorary president of the IASS and Juha Ojala, head of the NASS XIII organizing committee. Close to 100 people are attending the conference.

NASS board meeting held, chaired

Today I have chaired a meeting in the board of Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), in Zoom. Among other things we discussed issues related to the organizing of NASS XIII, which will take place in Helsinki in early June.

20th NASS newsletter

The 20th Newsletter of the Nordic Association for Semiotic studies has been issued and is available along with other newsletters here. Inesa Sahakyan and Lauri Linaks are newsletter editors. The NASS newsletter has been issued since 2012.

NASS XII presentation in Vilnius scheduled for Saturday November 6th

I have been scheduled to present my paper "Neurosemiotics Across Species" on Saturday November 6th at 18.00-18.30 as part of the parallell session (number 8.1) "Umwelt", at the conference NASS XII, the 12th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), to be held at the Algirdas Julius Greimas Centre for Semiotics and Literary Theory, Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania (November 5-7).

See also conference homepage and conference program.

Appointed to honorable committee of Spanish semiotics conference

I have been appointed to the honorable committee of the XIX Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Espanola de Semiótica (AES), in my capacity as President of the Nordic association for Semiotic Studies. The conference takes place April 21-23, 2022 at University of Granada.

Abstract for NASS XII: "Neurosemiotics across species"

I have just submitted this abstract to the organizers of NASS XII (June 17-19, 2021, Vilnius) which has the theme "Meaning in Perception and the Senses":

 

Neurosemiotics across species  

Morten Tønnessen 

Professor of philosophy, Department of social studies, University of Stavanger 

Email: ...

This paper (Tønnessen, forthcoming) depicts neurosemiotics across species by applying a biosemiotic perspective that builds on the Umwelt theory of Jakob von Uexküll. To understand the Umwelt of sentient organisms, we must understand neurosemiotic aspects of their experience and behaviour. The paper also examines fundamental issues in neurosemiotics, such as the nature of the neural code, and whether the neural code can be understood as a semiotic concept. Connections are made between a proper understanding of the neural code and the neurosemiotics that is implicit in the Umwelt theory. A further discussion concerns how different forms of neurosemiotic agency relates to organisms´ capacity for relating to objects, understood as discernable, unified wholes. This sheds light on neurosemiotic aspects of subjectivity across species. A final discussion addresses anthropocentrism in behavioral neuroscience, which is to some extent unavoidable given our necessarily human perspective in neurosemiotic studies.  

Reference 

Tønnessen, Morten, forthcoming. Neurosemiotics across species. In Adolfo García & Agustin Ibanez (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Neurosemiotics. Routledge.  

KEYWORDS 

Umwelt theory, neural codes, subjective experience, individuality, neurosemiotic agency  

BIONOTE 

Morten Tønnessen (born 1976) is professor of philosophy at University of Stavanger. He is the President of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Biosemiotics (2013–2020). His Ph.d. thesis “Umwelt transition and Uexküllian phenomenology: An ecosemiotic analysis of Norwegian wolf management” was defended at University of Tartu (2011). Academic (b)log: http://utopianrealism.blogspot.com/

NASS board meeting chaired; NASS XII to be held June 17-19th 2021

Today I have chaired the board meeting of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), via Zoom. The main issue was organizational matters related to NASS XII, to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, June 17-19th 2021.

NASS board meeting chaired

Today I have chaired the board meeting of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies. Amongst other things we talked about the forthcoming General Assembly during NASS XI (Stavanger June 13-15).

UiS webpage for 11th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies

This is the conference page of NASS XI, "Anticipation and change" (Stavanger, Norway June 13-15th 2019) at the website of the host institution, University of Stavanger.

First call for papers for NASS XI

The First Call for papers for the 11th conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS XI), which will be held at University of Stavanger June 13-15th 2019 with the theme "Anticipation and change", has started circulating. It can be found on the NASS webpage. Abstracts are due December 10th.

NASS on Facebook

The Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies is now on Facebook. Our page has just passed 50 Likes.

Juha Ojala joins NASS board

Juha Ojala, professor of music education, has joined the board of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies as Supplementary Representative for Finland - see full board at our webpage.

NASS webpage updated

I have made some updates on the webpage of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), including uploading the latest newsletter (Spring 2017), and the list of current board members.

Webpage for NASS X (Kaunas)

As the webmaster of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies, I have just moved the NASS IX subpage of the NASS webpage, and established a new subpage for the upcoming conference, NASS X (Kaunas June 2017, abstract deadline November 30th).

NASS board meeting attended, chaired

On October 10th I attended - and chaired, and wrote the minutes of - the board meeting of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS). The main topics concerned deciding on and planning the 10th conference of NASS, which is to be held in June 2017 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

NASS X held in conjunction with 13th World Congress of Semiotics; abstract deadline November 30

The 10th Conference of the Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (NASS), "Nordic-Baltic links, networks and domains in semiotics and beyond" will be held in conjunction with the 13th World Congress of Semiotics (Kaunas, Lituania, June 26-30th 2017). The Call for Papers, with abstract deadline November 30th, is featured in the 9th newsletter of NASS (now online).