UC Berkeley will be hosting a 2-day conference on "the Undead", those spirits and ghouls that haunt our minds, at least during Halloween's. The actual program of the conference doesn't sound nearly as interesting as its concept - which is good, as otherwise I'd want to go and I can't really afford the time (or the babysitting) - but the concept is just too rich not to share.
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October 19-20, 2006
Conference: The Undead
From age-old whisperings of spirits and ghosts to the contemporary explosion of cultural interest in zombies, the concept of the undead is one that refuses to die. This conference will bring together speakers representing various disciplines, from literature, film, and art to anthropology, politics, and science, who will explore texts, concepts, bodies, and cultures that are at the intersections of life and death.
The conference opens on October 19 with a film screening and discussion in 142 Dwinelle Hall. Graduate Theological Union professor Naomi Seidman will introduce The Dybbuk, a film about spirit possession, and give a related talk from her paper "Ghost of Queer Loves Past." The conference continues with panel discussions October 20 in 370 Dwinelle Hall. Speakers will include: Roy Chan (Comparative Literature), Josh Weiner (English), Alexei Yurchak (Anthropology), Jonathan Cohn (Film Critical Studies, UCLA), Suzanne Daniels (Comparative Literature, NYU), Cathy Hannabach (Cultural Studies, UC Davis), Melanie Micir (University of Pennsylvania), and Sonali Thakkar (English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University). Writer Kelly Link will close the event with a literary reading.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Townsend Center for the Humanities, the departments of Comparative Literature, Spanish and Portuguese, French, Rhetoric, English, Ethnic Studies, Italian Studies, and Jewish Studies, and the Center for Latin American Studies.
For event information email undead.conference@gmail.com or visit http://undeadconference.com.