CFP: ‘Prometheus, COLOSSUS, HAL … and Beyond – The Narratives of ‘Cyber’’ (Leicester)

Call for Papers

Prometheus, COLOSSUS, HAL … and Beyond – The Narratives of ‘Cyber’

26th November 2014

This one-day conference seeks to draw together academics and practitioners from as many different fields as possible, to encourage debate and discussion around the complex, contentious and contested theme of ‘cyber’, information technology, and the relationship between Human and Machine.

Humanity structures its vision of the world through constructed narratives (cultural, religious, political…) which seek to explain and justify our reading of reality; what are the narratives which have shaped and are shaping our existence as individuals and groups in a realm mediated and ordered through technology? As Grant Morrison puts it. “We live in the stories we tell ourselves”; what are the stories we tell ourselves about our relationship with the computer?

The organisers seek proposals (300 words maximum) for papers of 20 minutes duration approaching these issues from as wide a range of perspectives as possible. A non-exhaustive list of subject areas might include:

– Literary and cinematic visions of the information age –
– Robotics, cyborgs and transhumanism –
– Cyber-dissidence and resistance –
– Technophila and technophobia –
– Definitions of ‘cyberculture’ –

and many more…

It is planned that a selection of revised papers will be published as a collection of essays.

All proposals must be received by 30th September 2014
Speakers will be informed of acceptance within 1 week of deadline.