Eighteenth Annual Sophia Centre Conference: "Stories of the Sky"

Conference Theme

One of the enduring features of human culture is the telling of stories about the sky. Over the millennia people have wondered how the sky may contain significance, reveal meaning, predict the future, reflect on social structures and mores, and explore the ways in which sky and earth harmonise and mirror each other.

Such stories have been told through myths, literature, religion, ritual, music, movement and the built environment. As Kim Malville writes, 'One of the goals of cultural astronomy is to use evidence of astronomy to seek a deeper understanding of the underlying culture. In a similar manner we ask if any of these stories of the sky reveal some of the deep and profound aspects of the cultures that have generated them. And turning our focus upward, we might ask if any of these stories reveal intense curiosity about the detailed nature of their skies'.

This academic conference invites proposals to speak on how and why we tell stories about the sky, and the nature, meaning and purpose of such stories.

Suitable topics include

• The sky in literature, poetry and fiction
• The sky in oral and mythical traditions
• The sky in divinatory and prophetic traditions
• The sky in cinema, photography and the visual arts
• The sky in religion and ritual
• The sky in music and sound
• The sky as explored by astronomers
• The sky as inspiration for multiple ontologies

Call for papers

Abstracts should be 3,000 characters maximum, and include three academic references. Please use the abstract upload form below.

Also, please include a short biography of 3,000 characters maximum.

Deadline for submission: 1st December 2019.

All accepted speakers will be notified by 21st January 2020.

The conference will be live-streamed and the recording available to subscribers for a month. By submitting an abstract you agree to these terms.

Publication: all speakers will be invited to submit to an anthology for publication by the Sophia Centre Press in partnership with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Lampeter 11 - 12 July 2020