At the End of the World Newsletter – 30 June 2023
At the End of the World Newsletter – 30 June 2023 |
Dear all,
Thank you for your interest in the At the End of the World research program, housed at Lund University. If you’re receiving this email, it’s because you’ve been subscribed to our mailing list. This is the second newsletter we’ve sent out. Below, we’ll fill you in on what we’ve been up to during the latter half of the spring 2023 academic term.
Table of contents:
1. Upcoming At the End of the World webinar series 2. Other upcoming events of interest involving program affiliates 3. Recent publications and podcasts by program team members 4. Congratulations to Mia-Marie Hammarlin 5. Program website
1. Upcoming At the End of the World webinar series
Twice per academic term, At the End of the World will host a webinar, featuring experts in topics pertaining to our collaborative areas of study. These events will include both the program’s internal research team, and will be open to the public. The first of two webinars will be:
At the End of the World – Apocalyptic Imaginaries Now and Then Guest: Alison McQueen, Associate Professor of Political Science at Stanford University Time: 16:00–18:00 (Stockholm time), 9 October 2023 Zoom link: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/65667016322
At our very first webinar, we are happy to host the prominent political scientist Alison McQueen, who will discuss the political nature of apocalypticism with the jurist Tormod Otter Johansen and the program’s PI, Jayne Svenungsson. A key assumption of our joint research is that apocalypticism per se is neither destructive nor emancipatory. Yet history knows numerous examples of apocalyptic visions that have ended in disaster, even as other apocalyptic visions in other context have served to bolster resistance against oppressive social orders. What can we learn from these different historical examples? And what are the dangers and potentials of apocalyptic imaginaries in a contemporary political perspective?
Alison McQueen is Associate Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and the author of Political Realism in Apocalyptic Times (Cambridge University Press, 2018).
Tormod Otter Johansen is a researcher in Public Law at the University of Gothenburg. He works on in constitutional and administrative law, legal theory, and political theology.
Jayne Svenungsson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Lund University and the author of Divining History: Prophetism, Messianism and the Development of the Spirit (Berghahn Books, 2016).
2. Other upcoming events of interest involving program affiliates
Conference in Lund, Sweden: War, Communication, and Media Resilience in Europe, 23–25 August 2023 Allan Burnett and Marie Cronqvist are involved in organizing an international conference/workshop for the European Communication Research and Education Association, on the theme of “War, Communication, and Media Resilience in Europe.” You can find information on this page: https://www.kom.lu.se/forskning/konferenser-seminarier-och-natverkstraffar/ecrea-communication-history-section-workshop-2023/
Web presentation and discussion: “How Donald Trump Uses Professional Wrestling Strategies to Construct Loyalty,” 7 September 2023, 16:15–18:00 (Stockholm time) Shannon Bow O'Brien, Associate Professor of Instruction at University of Texas, Austin, will give a presentation over Zoom for the Populism and Religion seminar series, hosted by our affiliate, the Beyond Truth and Lies project. An abstract can be found on this page. Zoom link: https://lu-se.zoom.us/j/62645329724
Public lecture: “Donald Trump as a Religious Hero,” 16 September 2023, time TBD Aaron James Goldman will give a public lecture on Donald Trump and QAnon at Lund’s Kulturnatten. Information will be released in August about the time and location of the event: https://lund.se/uppleva-och-gora/vad-hander-i-lunds-kommun/kulturnatten
Conference in Kiruna, Sweden: Commercial Space Exploration and Travel – Chances and Risks, 25–27 September 2023 David Dunér is organizing a conference in Kiruna, Sweden, 25–27 September 2023 titled “Commercial Space Exploration and Travel – Chances and Risks.” You can find information at this page: https://europeanastrobiology.eu/kiruna-conference-2023/
Panel Discussion about Jesus the Jew, 28 September 2023 Cecilia Wassén will participate in a panel discussion about Jesus the Jew, together with Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Archbishop Martin Modéus, and Rabbi Ute Steyer at a seminar at the Gothenburg book fair, on September 28, 2023. The discussion will be moderated by author and journalist Göran Rosenberg. The seminar is organized by Judisk kultur i Sverige / Jewish Culture in Sweden, in cooperation with the Swedish Church and the Catholic Church: https://bokmassan.se/programs/juden-jesus/
3. Recent publications and podcasts by program team members
Publications:
Lena Liepe authored a piece titled “Reliquaries and saints’ shrines” for the Medieval Scandinavian Art Reader, eds. Margrethe C. Stang & Laura Tillery.
Jayne Svenungsson authored a piece titled “Religion and Secularity as Supersessionist Categories: Contemplating Diversity and Otherness after 9/11,” Zeitschrift für Religion, Gesellschaft und Politik (e-pub ahead of print). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41682-023-00156-1
Cecilia Wassén wrote a piece titled “Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” an online publication in the T&T Clark Jesus library.
Podcasts:
Jayne Svenungsson was interviewed for the podcast Eskatologi Podden on 20 April 2023. You can listen to the interview here.
Aaron James Goldman gave a public lecture titled “Investigating QAnon as a Quasi-Religious Movement - Donald Trump as a Religious Hero,” produced as an episode of the Religion in Praxis podcast and published on 10 May 2023. You can listen to the episode here.
Marie Cronqvist was interviewed for the podcast MKV-Podden on 4 June 2023. The episode was titled "Apokalyps." You can listen to the interview here.
David Dunér was interviewed for an episode of the Swedenborgpodd, titled “Swedenborgs resor i rymden.” The episode should be available after postproduction, on the podcast’s homepage.
Courses:
Our research program is committed to maintaining close ties between our ongoing research and our instruction of students. This commitment is reflected in university courses, which members of our research team are involved in coordinating or teaching. You can find them on the courses page of our website.
4. Congratulations to Mia-Marie Hammarlin
We wish to congratulate program researcher Mia-Marie Hammarlin for receiving The Eva de la Gardie Programme Residency Award, which offers Hammarlin the opportunity to stay in Paris for a month to complete research related to both her project for At the End of the World, and her collaborative project Rumour Mining. During her stay, she will develop a teaching collaboration focusing on vaccinations as a continuation of the work within the European University Alliance.
More information and photographs can be found on this page. Congrats!
5. Program website
As a reminder, the program’s website is located at https://www.endoftheworld.lu.se/. The website will also log each of these newsletters.
All the best, Aaron -- Aaron James Goldman, PhD Research Fellow, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies Lund University Researcher & Secretary, At the End of the World
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