CALL FOR PAPERS
In
different cultures, in the past as well as in the present, there are beliefs
that the supernatural influences people's lives in different ways. In early
modern Europe, God was believed to be a strict father who punished sinners and
guided the believers, but also his adversary, the devil, was understood as an
active actor in the mundane world. It was also thought that there were times
when and places where the borderline between this and the other world was
narrow, but different rite experts – and in some cases also ordinary people –
could use trance techniques to make a journey to the other world. There were
also, for instance, some fragile turning points during an individual’s
life-span which were ritually protected.
The
Eleventh annual Gustav Vasa seminar focuses on the themes of popular religion,
witchcraft and magic. We invite papers to discuss these themes in
multidisciplinary perspectives, e.g. from the fields of history, anthropology,
religious science and archaeology. The focus of the seminar is on worldviews
and belief systems and their internal logic, which influenced the way people
understood the world and the supernatural. The aim is to look at these issues through
intersectional studies in order to create a diverse picture of popular
religion, witchcraft and magic.
In the
seminar, the multidisciplinary approach is created not only by single papers
that examine the subject from a cross-disciplinary perspective but also by
papers representing different fields that can be useful to each other and bring
new light on themes of popular religion, witchcraft and magic. For example, the
theories and concepts of anthropology have been successfully utilized in the
historical study of the early modern era.
The papers
may deal with the themes of the seminar in the context of different time
periods, from ancient times to the present. All proposals on the themes of the
seminar are welcome. Papers may focus on, for example, the following themes:
- Methodological questions in multidisciplinary approaches, for example:
- How to utilize modern folklore material and results of folkloristic research in the study of earlier conceptions on the supernatural?
- How to utilize theories and concepts of different disciplines in the study of popular religion, witchcraft and magic?
- Rituals;
Sacred times and places
- The role
of gender in the study of popular religion, witchcraft and magic
- The
relationship and conflicts between popular and “official” religion
-
Experience and emotions related to popular religion, witchcraft and magic
Intending participants
should register for the seminar by 31/1/2013 by sending a one-page (max.)
abstract of their proposed presentation to hela-harjoittelija@campus.jyu.fi. Applicants will be informed about
acceptance of their submitted topic and the programme of the seminar by the end
of February. The maximum permitted duration
of presentations is 20 minutes, but participants may if they wish also submit
longer texts. The working language of the seminar is English.
For further
information, please contact Jari Eilola (jari.eilola@jyu.fi), Department of History and Ethnology, PL 35, FIN 40014 University of
Jyväskylä, Finland.
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