Tuesday 13 March 2012

CALL FOR PAPERS

Exploring the Extraordinary 4th Conference
22nd-23rd September,
York, UK



Since its inception in 2007, members of Exploring the Extraordinary have organised three successful academic conferences that have brought together researchers from a variety of different disciplines and backgrounds. The purpose of these events has been to encourage a wider dissemination of knowledge and research, and an interdisciplinary discussion of extraordinary phenomena and experience. By 'extraordinary' we refer to phenomena and experiences that are considered to be beyond the mundane, referring to those that have been called supernatural, paranormal, mystical, transcendent, exceptional, spiritual, magical and/or religious, as well as the relevance of such for human culture.

We are looking for submissions for our fourth conference, and would like to invite presentation proposals on topics related to the above. Please submit a 300-500 word paper abstract to Dr Madeleine Castro and Dr Hannah Gilbert (ete.network@gmail.com) by the 6th April 2012. Accepted papers should be on powerpoint, no longer than 20 minutes in length, and intended for an interdisciplinary audience. Please include contact information and a brief biographical note.

For more information, visit http://etenetwork.weebly.com

Saturday 29 January 2011

Call for Papers: EtE 3, 23rd-25th September, 2011

Exploring the Extraordinary
3rd Conference
Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th September, 2011
Holiday Inn Hotel, York


CALL FOR PAPERS


Since its inception in 2007, members of Exploring the Extraordinary have organised two very successful academic conferences that have brought together researchers from a variety of different disciplines and backgrounds. The purpose of these events has been to encourage a wider dissemination of knowledge and research, and an interdisciplinary discussion of extraordinary phenomena and experience. By 'extraordinary' we refer to phenomena and experiences that are considered to be beyond the mundane, referring to those that have been called supernatural, paranormal, mystical, transcendent, exceptional, spiritual, magical and/or religious, as well as the relevance of such for human culture.

Keynote Speakers:

Prof Charles Emmons
Dr Serena Roney-Dougal


We are delighted to release a call for papers for our third conference, and would like to invite presentation or poster submission on topics related to the above. Please submit a 300-500 word paper abstract, or poster proposal, to Dr Madeleine Castro and Dr Hannah Gilbert (ete.network@gmail.com) by the 4th April 2011. Papers should be no longer than 20 minutes in length and intended for an interdisciplinary audience. Please include contact information and a brief biographical note.

Additionally, we would like to invite contributions to an exhibition that will also be held during the conference. The theme of the exhibition will be organised around two broad themes: 'Nature, twilight and the night' and 'Dimensions of Spirit'. We would like to invite submissions of any of the following: artwork; photography; research images; research footage, moving images or short films (of no more than ten minutes in length and with copyright clearance if necessary). Please feel free to get in touch to discuss any ideas beforehand. The deadline for exhibition submissions is also 4th April, 2011.

Please visit http://etenetwork.weebly.com for more information (and to see
past conference schedules), or email ete.network@gmail.com

Monday 6 December 2010

You can read a review of the second Exploring the Extraordinary conference at our website: http://www.etenetwork.weebly.com. Many thanks to Sophie Drennan for the review.

The third Exploring the Extraordinary conference will be held in York in late 2011. Call for papers and further details will be released shortly. Enquiries should be sent to ete.network@gmail.com

Wednesday 25 August 2010

EtE Conference Schedule

There are still a couple of places left for the conference should you be free and wish to go! Also here are the details of speakers and the conference schedule for your perusal.

EXPLORING THE EXTRAORDINARY 2nd Conference
University of York, UK
Friday, 24th September – Saturday 25th September, 2010


Friday 24th September

9.00-9.45 Registration
10.00-10.10 Introduction


Session 1: Extraordinary experiences and bereavement

10.10-10.40 ‘Extraordinary encounters with love and light: Psycho-spiritual transformation through bereavement, death bed phenomena and near death experiences’
Josefine Speyer & Dr Mary Murray
10.40-11.10 ‘“Whisper of the bones, echoes from an embodied life”: Communiqué as a process of emotional, psychological and spiritual growth and education’
Michele Knight

11.10-11.30 Coffee break

Session 2: Religion and Spirituality

11.30-12.00 ‘Mystical experience in a new religious movement: A case study’
Alice Herron
12.00-12.30 ‘Inner knowing and spiritual knowledge: An investigation into the construction of religion and unstructured spirituality’
Dr Jenny Hallam & Candice Sunney

12.30-2.00 Lunch break

Session 3: Theory, experience and meaning

2.00-2.30 ‘The importance of extraordinary experiences for the adoption of heterodox beliefs’
Dr Gerhard Mayer & René Gründer
2.30-3.00 ‘And then what? How to assimilate extraordinary experiences, and why’
Keith Beasley

3.00-3.30 Coffee break

Keynote Lecture

3.30-4.30 ‘“I know what I saw”: Extraordinary experiences with UFOs’
Dr David Clarke

Closing Remarks – Dr Madeleine Castro

7.00 Dinner


Saturday, 25th September, 2010


Session 4: Embodiment, ethics and extraordinary experiences

10.00-10.30 ‘'Waking the entranced: Reassessing Spiritualist mediumship through a comparison of Spiritualist and shamanic spirit possession practices’
David Gordon Wilson
10.30-11.00 ‘Therapeutic emotional labour, relational dynamics and ethics in the work of mediums and psychic practitioners’
Sarah Metcalfe

11.00-11.30 Coffee break


Session 5: Spirit mediumship in the UK

11.30-12.00 ‘Talking with the spirits: An experiential exploration of contemporary trance physical mediumship’
Jack Hunter
12.00-12.30 ‘The Awakening Letters: Exploring the mediumship of Lady Cynthia Sandys’
Dr Fiona Bowie

12.45-2.00 Lunch break


Session 6: Experiencing spirit

2.00-2.30 ‘Discerning spirit: Phenomenological art’
Ann Davies
2.30-3.00 ‘The journey in and out of “the extraordinary”: Long-term research with mediums in Los Angeles and Brazil’
Dr Yves Marton

3.00-3.30 Coffee break


Session 7: Incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives

3.30-4.00 ‘Anthropology and parapsychology: Still hostile sisters in science?’
Dr David Luke
4.00-4.30 ‘The psychical and the mystical: Is there a connection?’
Dr Paul Marshall

4.30-5.30 General discussion

Tuesday 11 May 2010

How to Join...EtE

To join Exploring the Extraordinary, please visit our jiscmail list -

https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=EXPLORINGTHEEXTRAORDINARY

or Facebook group -

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=2234350651&ref=ts