CALL FOR PAPERS:

There are a number of reasons why it is worthwhile to study dreams. This topic is currently an especially relevant and important one for two primary reasons. Firstly, the current zeitgeist is one of rationality and pragmatism, almost exclusively oriented towards measurable profit, tangible effect and spectacular success. As a result, phenomena such as dreams, fancies, secret fantasies, and remnants of memories are often neglected. Secondly, in the light of postmodern suspicions which question any permanent foundations of existence, truth, memory and identity, and in a situation where our whole reality reveals a distinctly phantasmatic character, a temptation arises to treat the realm of dream and imagination as especially distinguished – as the most important way of “being-in-the-world”, or perhaps even the only one which we can access.

Our conference will encompass the problem areas of dream, imagination and memory in their broad contexts. We invite researchers representing various academic disciplines: dream studies, psychoanalysis, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, neurophysiology, literary studies, theatre studies, film studies, consciousness studies, memory studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, animal studies and other. This conference welcomes both experienced representatives of dream studies and those scholars who have not yet researched dreams but share our conviction about their significance. We look forward to receiving closely focused paper proposals (e.g. “Dreams of the homeless”), as well as synthesising ones (e.g. “Modern philosophy in relation to dream and imagination”). We will be happy to hear from both experienced scholars and young academics at the start of their careers - doctoral and graduate students. We also invite all persons interested in participating in the conference as listeners, without presenting their papers. We hope that due to its interdisciplinary nature, the conference will bring many interesting observations on and discussions about the role of dream, memory and imagination in the present-day world.

Our repertoire of suggested topics is as follows:

1 Cultural dimension

2 Social dimension

3 Psychological dimension

4 Theoretical dimension:

5 Philosophical dimension

6 Therapeutic dimension

7 Neurophysiological dimension

8 Parapsychological dimension

9 Artistic dimension

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Professor Katja Valli - University of Turku (Finland) and University of Skövde (Sweden) - the co-author, together with Antti Revonsuo, of the Social Simulation Theory of Dreaming, one of the most prominent dream theories of the 21st Century

Judy Gardiner - consciousness researcher, speaker, and author whose dream studies expand the potential for groundbreaking scientific-spiritual discovery and psychosocial epiphany

Please submit abstracts (no longer than 300 words) of your proposed 20-minute presentations, together with a short biographical note, by 31 July 2018 both to:

prof. Wojciech Owczarski: wowczarski1@tlen.pl

and

conferencedreams@gmail.com