Dreams, Phantasms and Memories - 2nd International Interdisciplinary Conference

Organizers/ Scientific Committee:

InMind Support (Poland)

Professor Wojciech Owczarski - University of Gdańsk (Poland)

Professor Katja Valli - University of Turku (Finland) and University of Skövde (Sweden)

Professor Marco Zanasi - University of Rome "Tor Vergata" (Italy)

Professor Paulo Endo - University of São Paulo (Brazil)

Professor Katja Valli - University of Turku (Finland) and University of Skövde (Sweden) - the co-author, together with Antti Revonsuo, of the Social Simulation Theory of Dreaming, one of the most prominent dream theories of the 21st Century

Call for Papers:

There are a number of reasons why it is worthwhile to study dreams. This topic is currently an especially relevant and important one for two primary reasons. Firstly, the current zeitgeist is one of rationality and pragmatism, almost exclusively oriented towards measurable profit, tangible effect and spectacular success. As a result, phenomena such as dreams, fancies, secret fantasies, and remnants of memories are often neglected. Secondly, in the light of postmodern suspicions which question any permanent foundations of existence, truth, memory and identity, and in a situation where our whole reality reveals a distinctly phantasmatic character, a temptation arises to treat the realm of dream and imagination as especially distinguished – as the most important way of “being-in-the-world”, or perhaps even the only one which we can access.

Our conference will encompass the problem areas of dream, imagination and memory in their broad contexts. We invite researchers representing various academic disciplines: dream studies, psychoanalysis, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, neurophysiology, literary studies, theatre studies, film studies, consciousness studies, memory studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, animal studies and other. This conference welcomes both experienced representatives of dream studies and those scholars who have not yet researched dreams but share our conviction about their significance. We look forward to receiving closely focused paper proposals (e.g. “Dreams of the homeless”), as well as synthesising ones (e.g. “Modern philosophy in relation to dream and imagination”). We will be happy to hear from both experienced scholars and young academics at the start of their careers - doctoral and graduate students. We also invite all persons interested in participating in the conference as listeners, without presenting their papers. We hope that due to its interdisciplinary nature, the conference will bring many interesting observations on and discussions about the role of dream, memory and imagination in the present-day world.

Our repertoire of suggested topics is as follows:

1 Cultural dimension

- cultural diversification of dreams and dreaming

- dreams and anthropology

- dreams and ethnography

- dreams and religious experience

- "national" dreams

- stereotypes about dreams

- dreams in folk beliefs

- dreams and education

2 Social dimension

- dream sharing

- dreams and sex/gender

- dreams and profession (dreams of doctors, dreams of chefs, dreams of prostitutes, dreams of soldiers, etc.)

- dreams and social standing (dreams of businesspeople, dreams of the homeless, dreams of criminals, dreams of scientists, etc.)

- dreams and personal life (dreams of single people, dreams of bigamists, dreams of single mothers, dreams of widowers, etc.)

- common dreams

3 Psychological dimension

- dreams and cognition

- dreams and personality

- dream recall

- dreaming to remember/ dreming to forget

- dreams and waking thoughts

- lucid dreaming

- dreams and pathology

- dreams and nightmares

4 Theoretical dimension:

- dream and dreaming theories

- functions of dreams

- meaning of dreams

- dreams and the evolution

- dream content analysis

5 Philosophical dimension

- subject of the dream

- dreams and consciousness

- dreams and identity

- dreams and memory

- dreams and language

- dreams and imagination

4 Therapeutic dimension

- dreamwork

- healing properties of dreams and phantasms

- problem-solving dreams

- dreams and trauma

- dreams and PTSD

- dreams in psychotherapy

5 Neurophysiological dimension

- dreams and sleep

- dreams and brain

- dreams in a laboratory

- recording of dreams and thoughts

- manipulating dreams

- dream science and science fiction

6 Parapsychological dimension

- dream telepathy

- prophetic dreams

- out of the body experiences

- mutual dreaming

- dreams and spiritualty

7 Artistic dimension

- dreams, fantasies, and the arts

- dream and text

- dream and image

- oneiric poetics

- dreams in literature

- dreams in theatre

- dreams in film

- dreams in fine art

Please submit abstracts (no longer than 300 words) of your proposed 20-minute presentations, together with a short biographical note, by 31 July 2018.

In the biographical note please indicate:

- your first name

- your second name

- your affiliation

- your degree/ position