Consciousness and Spirit
19 to 23 March 2008
New Haven, United States
For all its material correlates and
consequences, the anthropology of consciousness
incorrigibly connotes an aspect or dimension
that is immaterial, yet somehow integral to that
which is at the most intimate core of the
personal ? that which bursts forth in life and
vanishes in death, leaving behind a lifeless
husk. Cultures in every age and place have
called it spirit, placed it at the center of
their worldviews and religions, and sought to
grasp its ephemeral essence. Even our materially
oriented culture reaches out for the spiritual -
however defined.
How does that something/someone called spirit
impinge on consciousness, lifting it from myriad
electrochemical processes into the richness and
depth we experience in the world, in others, in
ourselves? What is it: will o' the wisp or
Pentecostal flame? A metaphor standing in for a
bundle of meanings, a component of obsolete
dualism, or an emergent property of material
processes? A divine presence mixed into
physicality ? the indestructible elan vital that
incarnates (and perhaps reincarnates) to
transform dead matter into beings who experience
joy, suffering, desire, and mortality? How has
it been understood across time and cultures, and
how can it be understood in the new century?
The Society for the Anthropology of
Consciousness, a section of the American
Anthropological Association, welcomes proposals
for presentations and panels related to this
crucial theme for its Annual Meeting, to be held
March 19-23, 2008 at the Yale Divinity School in
New Haven. The event is open to a broad range of
academic disciplines and theoretical
orientations, and will serve as a forum for the
presentation of ideas that may
overstep the strict bounds of one's own
discipline. Possible topics include, among many
others:
? Spirit as metaphor: changing uses and
significance in the new century
? Defining the Interface Between Spirit and
Matter
? Crossroads: the quest to locate the nexus
between material and spiritual worlds
? Computer simulation as a way to
simulate/induce spiritual experiences
? Neural correlates of spiritual experiences
? Spirit after life: spiritual phenomena in
medical crises
? The anthropology of spirit possession:
ethnography, etiology, implications
? Spirit manifestation via the I Ching and other
oracular systems
? Other topics germane to an understanding of
the anthropology of consciousness
Scholars, practitioners, educators, and students
are invited to join in this intellectual
adventure designed to expand our understanding
of human capabilities and experiences. The
conference will include academic presentations,
experiential sessions, and invited panels.
Please email your proposals by January 20, 2008
to:
james.vanpelt@xxxxxxxx
Enquiries: JohnBaker@xxxxxxxxx
Web address:
http://www.sacaaa.org/
Sponsored by: Society for the Anthropology of
Consciousness Annual Meeting