#CFP Call for All the Papers!

#CFP Call for All the Papers!

There is a new call for papers as well as oh so many that have been extended. I may in the end submit something to one or more of them. Take a look and see how many there are and how interesting!

First, a conference at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands about theology and aliens:

Call for Papers: Alien Imaginations

Facing the challenge of first contact

Dates: 2022, June 28-30
Venue: Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Groningen, Oude Boteringestraat 38, 9712 TW Groningen
Organizers: Dr. Frank Bosman and Dr. Mathilde van Dijk
Sent your abstract to [email protected] , November 30th 2021 at the latest.
Conference fee: 135 euros, including the conference dinner; 100 euros without it.

Are we alone in the universe? Or are there more planets like ours, which support life, including intelligent life? What will be the impact of the encounter with extraterrestrial life on us and vice versa? What does it do to narratives and doctrines on Creation such as in the bible to become aware that we are not as unique as we thought? How do we deal with creatures different from ourselves? Will we accept and welcome them or colonize and enslave them? Will they enrich or exploit us?

From the sixteenth century, scientists and authors like Giordano Bruno(1548-1600) and Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655) imagined extraterrestrial life and our encounters with it. In science fiction, a genre which became increasingly popular from the nineteenth century, ‘first contact’ is a recurrent theme. It went hand in hand with scientific research; in 1984, the SETI institute was created, which is dedicated to the search for it. Recently, more and more planets have been discovered outside our solar system, some of which might support life. ‘First contact’ as the phrase ‘alien’ has a long history as both were also used in other contexts: for the first meeting of Europeans with indigenous people in the Americas and Asia as well as an expression for unwanted immigrants.

This conference explores what the contact with extra-terrestrial life-forms means for humankind. It specifically focuses on what the humanities have to offer for this debate, especially on the notion of first contact, and focuses on matters such as:

  • Literary and cinematic imaginations of alien species and planets as well as about the encounter with these
  • Theological, philosophical and ethical implications of encountering extra-terrestrial life
  • Intelligent vs. non-intelligent life-forms and what this means for our own self-perception
  • Dealing with differences between ‘species’, formerly known as ‘races’
  • The boundaries of being human

Confirmed keynotespeakers:

  • Dr. F.G. Bosman, theologian, University of Tilburg

  • Prof. dr. Henriette Gunkel, specialist in gender and popular culture, Ruhr University, Bochum

  • Dr. Rinke van Hell, theologian, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Louvain

  • Dr. Inge Loes ten Kate, astrobiologist, University of Utrecht

  • Prof.dr. David Wilkinson, theologian, Durham University

Next, here are several related to theology and popular culture, some new, some extended, including a few that I shared previously on social media.

Call for Papers: Religion in Spider-Man Comics

Extended Call for Papers: Theology and Margaret Atwood

Extended Call for Papers: Theology and LOST

Extended Call for Papers: Theology and the Riordanverse

Finally, see as well these reflections on Theology and the Marvel Universe from one of the contributors, Gregory Stevenson:

Reflections on Theology and the Marvel Universe


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