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Island Dynamics is putting together a pair of linked
conferences in Macau in March 2015:
- "Vernacular
Religion, Folk Belief, and Traditions of the Supernatural” (23-28 March 2015) This conference will explore
traditions of the supernatural worldwide, including two days of conference
presentations alongside an in-depth study tour of religious and traditional
belief sites in the multicultural city-state of Macau, a Special Administrative
Region of China. Visit: http://www.islanddynamics.org/folkloreconference-2015.html
Since the actual conference presentations for these two
events take place together, it's possible to sign up for the longer conference
(and thus experience the fascinating Macau community) while still giving a talk
on literature or film.The deadline for abstracts is 30 August, but if you’d
like to take advantage of early registration rates, you should submit your
abstract earlier.
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"Vernacular
Religion, Folk Belief, and Traditions of the Supernatural” Macau & Hong
Kong, China
The diversity of
supernatural experience.
This academic folklore conference will explore past and
present supernatural traditions worldwide.
Although often associated with rural locations, folk belief
is a truly global phenomenon. Traditions of the supernatural are equally at
home in crowded cities and on distant farmsteads, and supernatural experiences
have been subjected to different theories and explanations depending on their
cultural contexts. This conference will explore these explanations as well as
investigate how traditions can be compared across cultures. The conference
places special (though not exclusive) focus on urban traditions and on
comparisons between supernatural narratives belonging to religion, folk belief,
science, and entertainment.
Magical Macau.
The 2014 conference in this series took place in the
remote and windswept islands of Shetland, Scotland. The 2015 conference moves
across the globe to the tropical island city-state of Macau, a special
administrative region of China and the most densely populated territory on
Earth (nearly 600,000 people in just 30 km²).
On 23-25 March, delegates will speak with local tradition
bearers in Macau and visit sites of legendary and religious significance. The
Historic Centre of Macau World Heritage Site – a living mix of Chinese and
Portuguese colonial cultural influences – is home to numerous Catholic, Taoist,
and Buddhist shrines, churches, and temples. Yet move away from central Macau’s
busy markets and winding alleys, and you will come to temples of capital and
consumerism: for Macau – called the ‘Las Vegas of the East’ – is also the site
of some of the world’s largest and most glamorous casinos, where tourists
engage in different traditions of the supernatural.
On 26-27 March, delegates will have the chance to give
academic presentations in association with the conference The
Supernatural in Literature and Film. On 28 March, delegates can participate
in a post-conference tour of beautiful Lantau Island (Hong Kong), site of Tai O
fishing village and the world’s largest seated bronze Buddha.
Attendance at the conference is open to all interested
individuals. If you wish to give a presentation at the conference, please see
the call
for papers. The deadline for abstracts is 30 August 2014. To take advantage
of early registration
rates, we recommend that you submit your abstract by 30 July 2014.
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