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Capturing Witches: Histories, Stories, Images. 400 years after the Lancashire Witches.

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Summary: 2012 will mark the 400th anniversary of the trial and execution of the Lancashire Witches. This conference is part of a year long programme of events which will take place in Lancaster and the surrounding area. This interdisciplinary conference uses the Lancashire witches as a focal point to engage with wider questions about witchcraft, and in particular how witchcraft is theorised and represented in and through history and across cultures.

Project Description

CALL FOR PAPERS:

This interdisciplinary conference uses the Lancashire witches as a focal point to engage with wider questions about witchcraft: its definitions as maleficium will focus particular attention on how witchcraft is theorised and represented in and through history and across cultures. We particularly encourage considerations of literary, musical, artistic and filmic representations of witchcraft.

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers and panels on witches and/or witchcraft which might address - but are not limited to - the following themes:

- antiquity;

- religion and belief;

- Neo-Paganism;

- the developing world;

- human rights;

- gender;

- corporeality;

- location;

- ritual (ceremony, performance, magical practice);

- childhood;

- language;

- law;

- consumption ( dress, fashion, food);

- the arts (literature, music, film, painting, dance, theatre, graphic novels);

- the Gothic;

- new media

Proposals for contributions which go beyond the conventional academic format are also welcome.

Proposals (paper: 250 words, panel/other format: 500 words) including a 50-word bio for each contributor should be sent to the conference team by 1 December 2011 to capturingwitches@lancaster.ac.uk. Decisions on submissions will be made by 31 January 2012.

Conference team: Charlotte Baker, Alison Findlay, Liz Oakley-Brown, Elena Semino, Catherine Spooner

Project Funder

Friends Programme of Lancaster University - £2500

Funding to bring speakers to the conference from developing countries and to provide 10 postgraduate travel bursaries.